Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

House OKs Ryan budget -- with Medicare changes; Entitlement program cuts

The budget blueprint, advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is unlikely to gain passage in the Senate but will be a key marker in the upcoming election season.

31 Mar 2012

Oral arguments inspire RNC ad

The Republican National Committee uses audio from Supreme Court oral arguments to craft a campaign ad criticizing President Barack Obama and the health law. Meanwhile, the Obama campaign has had a health law strategy of its own in place.

31 Mar 2012

New ACR guidelines recommend use of topical NSAIDs for older patients with knee OA

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Subcommittee on Osteoarthritis Guidelines has approved and issued several updates to clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA).

31 Mar 2012

USF Health opens $38M advanced medical learning and simulation center

Patients around the world will benefit from better training and testing of health professionals as USF Health opens its $38 million Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in downtown Tampa.

31 Mar 2012

Insurers, employers react to idea of a health law without an individual mandate

Insurers' "worst nightmare" is that the Supreme Court would overturn the health law's insurance requirement but leave the rest of the overhaul intact. Employers are being advised to continue working toward meeting the law's deadlines.

31 Mar 2012

Epilepsy community welcomes IOM's new landmark study report

Responding to today's release of the Institute of Medicine 's (IOM) new report on the public health dimensions of the epilepsies, a cooperative group of professional and consumer organizations with special interest in epilepsy has issued the following joint statement.

31 Mar 2012

Perspectives: All this fuss about the word 'tax'; Civic lessons from the Supreme Court

It is now clear that the law will impose heavy burdens on state and family budgets and increasingly possible that its mandate that all Americans purchase health insurance or face penalties will be ruled unconstitutional. ... We and our Republican colleagues voted against the law two years ago and will continue to work toward a smarter, step-by-step solution that will make health care available to more Americans at a lower cost to the federal government, the states, and individuals seeking care.

31 Mar 2012

Online virtual communities may effectively train patients in mind/body techniques

A small study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers found that online virtual communities may be an effective way to train patients in meditation and other mind/body techniques. The ability to learn and practice approaches that elicit the relaxation response - a state of deep rest that has been shown to alleviate stress-related symptoms - in a virtual environment could help surmount several barriers that can restrict participation.

31 Mar 2012

Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy established at Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Medical College announced today the establishment of the Center for Healthcare Informatics and Policy (CHiP) to improve health and healthcare through informatics and technology.

31 Mar 2012

Ariz. hospitals drop Medicaid cuts lawsuit; Fla. Gov. signs controversial Medicaid bill

The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association has dropped a lawsuit challenging payment cuts from the state's Medicaid program. The hospital group in November sued the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to reverse a 5 percent cut in hospital payment rates.

31 Mar 2012

Vasomedical reports record revenue of $23.49M for period ended December 31, 2011

Vasomedical, Inc., a diversified medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of medical devices and in the domestic sale of diagnostic imaging products, today announces its operating results for the seven months ended December 31, 2011.

31 Mar 2012

NACCME acquires US Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress

North American Center for Continuing Medical Education announced today that it has acquired CME LLC, which operates the US Psychiatric & Mental Health Congress.

31 Mar 2012

HHS Secretary announces six winners in HHSinnovates program

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced six winners in the HHSinnovates program today in a ceremony at HHS headquarters, saying all the entries "show a vibrant culture of innovation" within the department.

31 Mar 2012

State of Texas awards Asuragen $6.8M to pursue Next Generation Sequencing applications

Asuragen, Inc. announced today that the Company received notice of a $6.8 million commercialization award to pursue Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) applications from the State of Texas through the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas ("CPRIT").

31 Mar 2012

Data from Cempra's CEM-101 Phase 2 trial on N. gonorrhoeae infections to be presented at ECCMID

Cempra Inc., a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing antibiotics to meet critical medical needs in the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases, today announced that data will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) demonstrating that CEM-101 (solithromycin) is active against antibiotic-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae.

31 Mar 2012

Modern delivery practices contribute to increase in labor duration

Women take longer to give birth today than did women 50 years ago, according to an analysis of nearly 140,000 deliveries conducted by researchers at the National Institutes of Health. The researchers could not identify all of the factors that accounted for the increase, but concluded that the change is likely due to changes in delivery room practice.

31 Mar 2012

Economics lessons for the court: Broccoli isn't the same as health care

Given the stakes, one might have expected all the court's members to be very careful in speaking about both health care realities and legal precedents. In reality, however, the second day of hearings suggested that the justices most hostile to the law don't understand, or choose not to understand, how insurance works.

31 Mar 2012

PLC receives Brazilian government approval to market RenalGuard System

PLC Systems Inc., a company focused on innovative medical device technologies, today announced that it had received approval from the Brazilian government to market its innovative RenalGuard System in that country.

31 Mar 2012

HIT raises $2.75 M USD in Series A funding

HIT Application Solutions, a leading healthcare technology development company, announced today the company has raised $2.75 M USD in its Series A funding effort.

31 Mar 2012

Cancer patients with CDI may benefit from DIFICLIR drug

New data presented at the 22nd European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) demonstrate that in cancer patients with CDI, DIFICLIR(fidaxomicin) may offer significant benefits in terms of clinical cure, recurrence and sustained clinical cure.

31 Mar 2012