Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Nurses too pushed for basic elderly care: Report finds

A new report found that three out of four nurses say they have no time to talk to older hospital patients and many are so rushed they can’t help them to eat. A lack of qualified nurses is jeopardizing safe care for the elderly on wards which are still dominated by age discrimination, according to the Royal College of Nursing.

21 Mar 2012

Study finds safety and quality problems in hospitals throughout 13 countries

In one of the largest studies of its kind, a consortium of investigators from 13 countries led the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing in the U.S. and the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium in Europe, found that nurses who reported better working conditions in hospitals and less likelihood of leaving also had patients who were more satisfied with their hospital stay and rated their hospitals more highly.

21 Mar 2012

Health law oral arguments: Analyzing the moving parts

News reports explore the constitutional questions to be explored in the high court's review of the health law and the most likely potential outcomes.

21 Mar 2012

Malpractice reform, IPAB repeal, NIH funding among hot topics on Capitol Hill

News outlets report on various legislative proposals and planned funding cuts, and what kind of reactions they are drawing.

21 Mar 2012

Roundup: States face new revenue downturn; Calif. county has disparities in life expectancy

Revenues in most U.S. states increased in the fourth quarter of 2011, but their recent surge is tapering off, as they grew just 2.7 percent from the final quarter of 2010, according to a report released on Monday. "This is a noticeable slowdown from the 11.1 (percent) and 6.1 percent year-over-year growth reported in the second and third quarters of 2011, respectively," the Rockefeller Institute, a think tank that closely watches states' revenues, said in the report.

21 Mar 2012

Marking the health law's second anniversary

News outlets report on what the future holds as the health law turns 2. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services steps up its messaging related to the measure's benefits.

21 Mar 2012

GOP coordinates renewed assault on health law as its two-year anniversary, court date near

The fight for public opinion is expected to intensify in the days ahead -- as the date of the health law's Supreme Court oral arguments closes in.

21 Mar 2012

House GOP to propose budget with significant tax code changes; Dems ready to take on its efforts to reshape Medicare

News report suggest that the budget plan being unveiled today by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., will cut tax rates sharply. But Democrats opposed to its expected overhaul of Medicare are already lining up.

21 Mar 2012

MDOL announces acquisition of MD Technologies

MD On-Line, Inc. (MDOL), a leading provider of electronic healthcare solutions that leverage data to improve practice efficiency and industry connectivity, announced today that it has acquired MD Technologies Inc., a healthcare technology company based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

21 Mar 2012

WESTMED collaborates with UnitedHealthcare to launch ACO

WESTMED Medical Group announced it is collaborating with the UnitedHealthcare and Optum businesses of UnitedHealth Group to launch an accountable care organization (ACO) for its more than 220 physicians in Westchester County, N.Y.

21 Mar 2012

MSN completes sale of HomeCare division to Epic

Medical Staffing Network Healthcare, LLC, one of the nation's largest healthcare workforce solutions companies, today announced it has completed the sale of its MSN HomeCare division to Epic Health Services of Dallas, Texas.

21 Mar 2012

Universal to acquire Seitz ProShield assets

Universal Capital Management, Inc. announced today a non-binding letter of intent to purchase ProShield assets, a product owned by Seitz Technical Products, Inc.

21 Mar 2012

HCD implements HLI's Language Engine

Health Language, Inc. (HLI), the global leader in healthcare terminology management, today announced its Language Engine has been selected by Health Care DataWorks, Inc. (HCD), to map disparate data entered into its KnowledgeEdge brand Enterprise Data Warehouse, providing health systems with standard code sets, enhanced analytics, reporting and business intelligence.

21 Mar 2012

Study tests new method of sound simulation for treating tinnitus

A new clinical trial is to test whether a pocket-sized device that uses sound simulation to reboot faulty 'wiring' in the brain could cure people with the debilitating hearing disorder tinnitus.

21 Mar 2012

Healthper mobile application now available for Apple devices

Healthper, Inc., a social game-based health engagement and achievement platform, announced today the launch of a mobile application for Apple mobile devices.

21 Mar 2012

PSG closes acquisition of Artemetrx

Pharmaceutical Strategies Group, LLC, America's largest independent pharmacy benefits consulting firm, has closed on its acquisition of Artemetrx Health Resources, the company announced today.

21 Mar 2012

Indian patent court licenses generic copy of Bayer’s blockbuster anticancer drug

Last week an Indian patent court shocked the $600 billion global pharmaceutical business by ordering Bayer, the German health care giant, to allow a tiny Indian generic drug company to sell cheap copies of the blockbuster cancer drug Nexavar – even though everyone agrees that the drug is protected by a patent. Instead, the court decided that Bayer had an obligation to make Nexavar available to people in India who needed it.

20 Mar 2012

EJSO publishes results from Cytori breast reconstruction cell therapy trial

Cytori Therapeutics announced today the publication of RESTORE-2 trial results in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Surgical Oncology.

20 Mar 2012

Study identifies risk factors for postpartum depressive symptoms

Many Norwegian women postpone pregnancy until they have completed their education and are well established on their career path. This may make them more vulnerable to postpartum depression.

20 Mar 2012

IPAB and health law repeal efforts mixing up political loyalties

Some Senate Demcrats are considering voting with Republicans to repeal the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board while several GOP lawmakers are voicing concerns about the broader repeal strategy. Also, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., has introduced legislation to change the law's medical-loss ratio.

20 Mar 2012