Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Patients' Choice ranks Denver Dr. Michael Keller among top reviewed physicians

Dr. Michael Keller of Denver, CO has been ranked among the top physicians in the nation based on patient reviews.

23 Feb 2012

First Edition: February 23, 2012

Today's headlines include coverage of the health policy flashpoints during last night's GOP presidential primary debate.

23 Feb 2012

Supreme Court sends California Medicaid case back to Court of Appeals

The Supreme Court sent back to a lower court a case on whether Medicaid recipients and medical providers can sue California for cutting reimbursement rates in the healthcare program for low-income Americans. ... The case involved a plan by California's lawmakers in 2008 to slash Medicaid payments to doctors, hospitals and other medical providers to help reduce the state's massive budget deficit.

23 Feb 2012

Care Connectivity Consortium to demonstrate data exchange technology at 2012 HIMSS conference

Less than one year after announcing a new initiative to securely exchange electronic health data, the five innovative and leading health systems that make up the Care Connectivity Consortium, will demonstrate their data exchange technology and process at the 2012 Annual Health Information Management Systems Society Conference in Las Vegas, Nev. Feb. 20-24.

23 Feb 2012

Feds launch health insurance co-ops with $639 million in low-interest loans

Seven organizations received the funding, which is designed to advance the formation of health insurance co-operatives -- an alternative to the idea of a government-run public option and an entity to compete against private insurance plans.

23 Feb 2012

ATA predicts 2012 as the most significant year ever for telemedicine growth

The Industry Council Chairman for the American Telemedicine Association is predicting that 2012 will be lauded as the most significant year ever for telemedicine growth.

23 Feb 2012

AFA applauds nation's first National Alzheimer's Plan

The following is a statement by Eric J. Hall, president and CEO of the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA), in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' release today of its "Draft National Plan To Address Alzheimer's Disease."

23 Feb 2012

Intravenous ibuprofen: A key addition to perioperative pain management

Hendersonville Medical Center today announced that anesthesiologist Peter B. Kroll, M.D., has published an article in the January issue of peer-reviewed medical journal Pain Management.

23 Feb 2012

HPSO, CNA HealthPro collaborate to publish Physical Therapy Liability report

CNA HealthPro, a leader in the healthcare professional liability insurance industry, recently collaborated with Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) to publish a report focused on the risks encountered by physical therapists.

23 Feb 2012

Consumer advocates worry that health law's lifetime-limits ban can be circumvented

Politico Pro reports on questions raised about essential benefit rules, while other news outlets report on high-risk pools and preventive services coverage.

23 Feb 2012

Health Fidelity to participate in BluePrint Health IT Innovation Exchange Summit

Health Fidelity, Inc., provider of a breakthrough natural language processing (NLP) platform for healthcare, has been selected to participate with major health systems as one of 10 Innovator Finalists at the West Coast BluePrint Health IT Innovation Exchange Summit.

23 Feb 2012

U-M Cardiovascular Center now offers Edwards aortic valve replacement

As the population ages, more Americans will be susceptible to aortic stenosis, but not all patients can tolerate surgery to treat it. Select U.S. hospitals are now performing minimally invasive procedures called transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, to replace a patient's diseased aortic valve without heart bypass or open heart surgery.

From Medtronic 23 Feb 2012

State lawmakers take up contraception coverage, abortion fights

States are taking up the fight over the Obama administration's contraception coverage mandate with several state legislatures proposing bills of their own to block the mandate. In the meantime, Virginia mulls a bill that would require women to get a sonogram before an abortion, and a federal judge is set to rule on requiring pharmacists there to carry emergency contraception.

23 Feb 2012

Kaiser Permanente to display new mobile offerings at HIMSS12

Kaiser Permanente, the nation's leading health care provider and not-for-profit health plan, will showcase its new collection of industry-leading mobile health applications at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society 12th Annual Conference and Exhibition at the Venetian Sands Expo Center.

23 Feb 2012

Adoption of Health IT still an uphill climb

The effort to drag the health-care industry into the technology age trudges onward, and it's still not clear whether the nation's 500,000 to 600,000 physicians will successfully make the journey. That's the finding from a number of health-care industry officials charged with pulling the medical profession into the 21st Century when it comes to managing patient records as well as automating the back-office operations of hospitals and clinics.

23 Feb 2012

HIMSS awards Kaiser Permanente for leadership in use of health information technology

Kaiser Permanente, the nation's leading health care provider, with the largest private-sector electronic health record system in the world, received two awards today from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society for its leadership in the use of health information technology.

23 Feb 2012

State roundup: Calif. HMO report cards, Ore. family planning bills challenged, Texas managed care

Gov. Corbett's new budget proposal would cost the city $42 million in mostly mental health and addiction treatment funding, but city officials say the impact will be worsened by ensuing needs for emergency shelter, child welfare, and other services. … The city Health Department faces an additional $7 million in state cuts. That would reduce the number of beds in the city nursing home and cost hospice beds for AIDS victims, officials said.

23 Feb 2012

U.S. Surgeon General, SEMBC join to launch Fighting D in the D campaign

In her advocacy for effective disease prevention and health promotion programs, U.S. Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., joined the Southeast Michigan Beacon Community (SEMBC) today to launch the "Fighting D in the D" campaign during a kickoff event, attended by over 225 guests, at the Westin Book Cadillac in downtown Detroit.

23 Feb 2012

GeoBlue launches first iPhone app for quality healthcare services

GeoBlue, a leader and innovator serving the medical needs of expatriates and world travelers, announced today that it has launched the first iPhone application for finding and paying for quality healthcare services all around the world. GeoBlue Mobile is now available in the iTunes App Store for downloading onto iPhones, iPads and iPod touches.

23 Feb 2012

Healthcare Realty Trust reports total revenues of $76.4M for fourth quarter 2011

Healthcare Realty Trust Incorporated today announced results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2011. Normalized FFO for the three months ended December 31, 2011 totaled $0.33 per diluted common share.

23 Feb 2012