Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Consumer advocates push for insurance oversight promised by health law

A letter was sent to the White House by more than 50 organizations demanding that the administration require simple, standardized health insurance forms starting next year, as called for in the law. Also in the news, Politico Pro reports on a political fight brewing in Michigan over the health law's medical-loss ratio requirements.

11 Nov 2011

Next chapter in health law legal challenges could be decided Thursday

Meanwhile, some conservative activists are renewing their calls for Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan to step aside in regard to cases that involve the health law. And, a judge makes a case for delaying a final decision until after 2014 in a dissenting opinion regarding the DC Circuit Court's ruling.

11 Nov 2011

Romney has strong debate showing; Obama takes on congressional Republicans

With eight weeks left before Republicans start voting for a presidential nominee, things could hardly be going better for Mitt Romney. ... Romney, more so than the seven other debate participants, used almost every question as a chance to criticize not his GOP rivals but Obama's record on jobs, health care and overall leadership.

11 Nov 2011

What about Walmart's plans to add health clinics?

After questions from reporters, the retailer backpedaled from earlier reports about confidential documents, saying it didn't plan on dominating the medical market in the way it dominates the discount-store business.

11 Nov 2011

Parties fight over the impact of Ohio election results

Democrats point to the support given for allowing public sector workers to negotiate while Republicans highlight the disapproval from voters of a keystone of the fedearl health law.

11 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: The role of IT in transforming health care; the GOP raises super committee stakes

Why can't Americans tap into the ingenuity that put men on the moon, created the Internet and sequenced the human genome to revitalize our economy? I'm convinced we can. We are in the early phases of the next big technology-driven revolution, which I call "consumer health." When fully unleashed, it could radically cut health care costs and become a huge global growth market.

11 Nov 2011

State roundup: Storms' huge impact on health care; Brooklyn's hospital quest; Calif. election results

Only a few private hospitals have survived in neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville and Bushwick to serve poor patients like them. Now all are in such dire financial shape that a small group of veteran health care planners appointed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is debating last-ditch measures to save them.

10 Nov 2011

Hand washing in hospitals may keep super bugs away: Report

A recent survey of hospitals has shown that the successful implementation of good hand washing practices in hospitals by nurses and doctors is effective in reducing the drug resistant superbugs. This comes after the introduction of a national program to boost hand hygiene compliance rates in hospitals by encouraging staff to use alcohol-based hand rubs before and after treating patients. To make it easier for hospital workers to clean their hands, alcohol-based hand rubs are being installed at the foot or near the head of every bed.

10 Nov 2011

FarmaSyn implements Cegedim Relationship Management's Mobile Intelligence for iPad solution

Cegedim Relationship Management today announced that FarmaSyn SA has fully deployed Cegedim Relationship Management's award winning Mobile Intelligence for iPad™ solution. Farmasyn SA is a leading Greek pharmaceutical wholesaler and marketing/sales agent of products.

10 Nov 2011

APMA encourages 'Knock Your Socks Off' foot care campaign for people with diabetes

American Podiatric Medical Association Encourages Hispanic Health Awareness with "Knock Your Socks Off" Foot Care Campaign, Promotes Regular Foot Exams by Podiatrist to End Diabetes Complications

10 Nov 2011

AOK selects SAP HANA platform to increase focus on preventive care

SAP AG today announced that AOK, Germany's largest health insurance provider, has chosen the SAP HANA platform to further its focus on preventive care.

10 Nov 2011

Effective management of childhood asthma should extend beyond doctor's office: Study

Effective management of childhood asthma should extend beyond the doctor's office into communities, homes and schools where children spend most of their time dealing with the disease, according to a collection of newly published studies.

10 Nov 2011

Home nursing visits safe and effective for initial post-delivery well-baby check-ups

Home nursing visits are as safe and effective as office-based care for initial post-delivery well-baby check-ups, according to medical researchers.

10 Nov 2011

States cope with health law's MLR, insurance exchange requirements

Georgia was granted some delay in the law's MLR requirements, and in Tennessee and Minnesota, insurance exchange decisions are slowly being made.

10 Nov 2011

SEIU-UHW and CHW call for protecting Medi-Cal and Medicare funding programs

SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, Catholic Healthcare West, doctors, patients and healthcare providers will hold a joint press conference on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in an effort to protect Medi-Cal and Medicare funding and programs that keep California families, seniors and children healthy.

10 Nov 2011

D.C. Court of Appeals upholds health law's individual mandate

One of the nation's most closely watched federal courts ruled Tuesday that the new health care law's requirement that most Americans get health insurance is constitutional, giving a surprise boost to President Obama's signature domestic achievement.

10 Nov 2011

WebMD Magazine names UCSD professor as 2011 Health Hero

Ellen Beck, MD, clinical professor of medicine in the UC San Diego School of Medicine's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, has been named a 2011 Health Hero by WebMD Magazine.

10 Nov 2011

A range of studies highlight health care shortcomings

The New York Times reports that a $20 million government-supported study regarding an operation to prevent strokes was cut short when it found the surgery was not helping patients. Also, a Commonwealth Fund study concluded that the U.S. ranks near the bottom when compared to other countries on how it cares for the sickest patients. Lastly, the Health and Human Services inspector general finds a quarter of hospitalized Medicare patients received improper treatment.

10 Nov 2011

Miss. voters reject abortion measure; Ohio restores pubic employees' rights

Ohio voters passed a constitutional amendment to block implementation of the individual mandate, but that measure could easily become moot if the Supreme Court rules on the issue.

10 Nov 2011

U of T, UHN launch Techna Institute to develop new healthcare technologies

The Techna Institute, an innovation hub poised to integrate and fast track research, development and commercialization of new healthcare technologies, launches today at University Health Network (UHN) and the University of Toronto.

10 Nov 2011