Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Roundup: Abortion-restriction bills stopped in Ga.; Minnesota can cut health care aide pay; Guidelines for Ore. coordinated care released

One of the most controversial bills this legislative session, that sought to put new restrictions on late-term abortions, was all but gutted Monday after a bipartisan coalition in the state Senate forced key changes. The original proposal would have cut by about six weeks the time women in Georgia may have an elective abortion. With the changes, it would now also include an exemption for "medically futile" pregnancies, giving doctors the option to perform an abortion when a fetus has congenital or chromosomal defects. The change hits at the heart of the controversy: Should fetuses once they hit 20 weeks be protected even if those protections mean women are forced to continue medically risky pregnancies?

28 Mar 2012

Rivaroxaban found safe and effective in pulmonary embolism

Rivaroxaban has been found to be effective in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after orthopedic surgery, for the prevention of stroke in AF (Atrial fibrillation) patients, and as additional therapy to conventional antiplatelet therapy in ACS (Acute coronary syndrome) patients.

27 Mar 2012

Boniva generics receive FDA approval for treatment, prevention of osteoporosis

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Boniva (ibandronate) tablets, a once-monthly product to treat or prevent osteoporosis in women after menopause.

27 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 27, 2012

In today's headlines, the Supreme Court chronicles continue, with reports detailing what happened during yesterday's opening-day oral arguments and previewing what's on tap for today.

27 Mar 2012

Improved clinical quality leads to decline in quality of patients' experiences

Hospitals that adopt strategies to reduce errors and meet government requirements face an initial tradeoff between improved clinical quality and a decline in the quality of individual patients' experiences, according to new research.

27 Mar 2012

Editorials: Newspapers call for justices to dismiss challenge to health law

We don't believe the law is the threat to individual liberty that its critics claim it is. Instead, the most controversial provision - the requirement that almost all adult Americans obtain insurance coverage - is a key piece of a broad effort to fix a healthcare system that is too expensive, inefficient and inaccessible to too many Americans. The justices should dismiss the challenge to this individual mandate, as well as the other claims against the law.

27 Mar 2012

Hospital happenings: Arizona nurse shortage complication, other news

Many hospitals in downtrodden areas of New York City and across the state are faltering, raising concerns that a wave of closings will deprive poor people of badly needed care. A three-month investigation by The New York Times into Wyckoff, based on dozens of interviews and an examination of internal documents, offers a sobering portrait of how one such hospital has been undermined by the very people entrusted to run it.

27 Mar 2012

On Capitol Hill, both parties see political advantage in Rep. Ryan's newest plan

The budget proposal offered last week by the Wisconsin Republican would revamp the Medicare system.

27 Mar 2012

Chronically ill Central American immigrants struggle to pay for health care

The national recession didn't just hit people living in the U.S. - it's made it more difficult for people to pay for medical bills in poor countries like Honduras, according to a new University of Michigan study.

27 Mar 2012

State roundup: Wash. state exchange bill now law

Gov. Chris Gregoire on Friday signed into law a bill setting rules for insurers preparing for the state's online-insurance exchange. ... The state exchanges for individual and small-group plans are set to go live on Jan. 1, 2014. ... State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said that his office is committed to getting the exchange in place on schedule. "If we slowed down to be anxious, we'd be in trouble," Kreidler said. "It's the health law, and we're proceeding as quickly and as prudently as we can."

27 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Walter Dellinger's health care myths; A 'moment of truth' or end of health reform?

Commentators from around the country offer their views of the historic case being heard at the Supreme Court today.

27 Mar 2012

High court hears first day of health law arguments; Justices appear skeptical of jurisdictional question

Early reports provide insights into what went on inside the Court as justices contemplated whether the Anti-Injuction Act would preclude their review of the legal challenges to the individual mandate.

27 Mar 2012

Almost half of women on parole or probation experience mental illness

A new report released at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Advisory Committee for Women's Services meeting shows that women aged 18 to 49 on probation or parole are nearly twice as likely to experience mental illness as other women.

27 Mar 2012

AGS selects Regenstrief Institute pharmacoepidemiologist for New Investigator Award

Regenstrief Institute investigator Noll Campbell, PharmD, has been chosen by the American Geriatrics Society to receive a Merck/American Geriatrics Society 2012 New Investigator Award. He is the first doctor of pharmacy to receive this award, which is designed to recognize individuals who are committed to a career in aging research.

27 Mar 2012

GE Healthcare, DiaGenic enter research collaboration to develop blood-based test for MCI

DiaGenic ASA today announced a research agreement to collaborate with GE Healthcare to develop a blood-based test using DiaGenic's peripheral gene expression profiling in patients with mild cognitive impairment, a disorder associated with risk for Alzheimer's Disease.

27 Mar 2012

Intravenous immune globulin effective treatment for GBS, CIDP

Intravenous immune globulin (IVIg) is an effective treatment for certain disorders of the nerve and muscles, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and a form of neuropathy called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), according to a guideline issued by the American Academy of Neurology.

27 Mar 2012

CCTA can safely and rapidly identify candidates for discharge from EDs

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) -- a non-invasive way to look inside arteries that supply blood to the heart -- can quickly and reliably determine which patients complaining of chest pain at an emergency department can safely be sent home, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

27 Mar 2012

Angioplasty can be safely and effectively performed at community hospitals

New evidence shows that with appropriate preparation, angioplasty can be safely and effectively performed at community hospitals without on-site cardiac surgery units, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 61st Annual Scientific Session.

27 Mar 2012

Medtronic Resolute DES found effective through two years

According to new clinical data presented today at ACC.12 -- the 61st Annual Scientific Session & Expo of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) -- the Resolute drug-eluting stent (DES) from Medtronic, Inc. maintains a powerful and persistent treatment effect for a wide variety of patients with coronary artery disease, including those with diabetes mellitus, through two years of follow-up.

From Medtronic 27 Mar 2012

Setting the scene: Court arguments offer different kind of drama

With no Twitter, cameras or telephones allowing reports from inside the court, much of the action will take place on the outside. A range of groups have planned demonstrations. All the while, the lawyers involved in the arguments have been busy with "moot court" practice sessions; spectators have been waiting in line in hopes of getting a seat; and stakeholders, such as the health care industry, are anxiously watching for clues to the outcome.

26 Mar 2012