Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

State roundup: Wis. physician shortage predicted; CVS blacklisting some Fla. docs; 'Ambitious' Baltimore HIV initiative

The state needs to train or recruit an additional 100 physicians a year through 2030 to meet the projected demand for health care, according to a new Wisconsin Hospital Association report. ... The group says the state must act immediately ... Primary care physicians - doctors who specialize in family and internal medicine and pediatrics - will account for 80 percent of the projected shortage.

1 Dec 2011

UL researchers to develop a medical device to improve detection of delirium

Researchers at the Graduate Entry Medical School, University of Limerick (GEMS) have been awarded €175,000 funding to develop a portable automated device that can be used in any clinical or community setting to allow early diagnosis and treatment of delirium.

30 Nov 2011

With HIV and unaware of it: CDC report

Over the years diagnosis with HIV/AIDS has ceased to become a death sentence. However a new Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) report says only one in four Americans with AIDS has the virus under control with adequate medication. Figures also show that about 16,000 people die from the disease annually, and the number of new infections each year in the U.S. has held steady at about 50,000 in recent years.

30 Nov 2011

Physician practices, pharmacies face barriers to e-prescribing despite benefits

Physician practices and pharmacies generally view electronic prescribing as an important tool to improve patient safety and save time, but both groups face barriers to realizing the technology's full benefit, according to a study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

30 Nov 2011

Affymetrix signs definitive agreement to acquire eBioscience

Affymetrix, Inc., today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire eBioscience, Inc., a privately-held San Diego, CA-based company with an industry-leading position in flow cytometry and immunoassay reagents for immunology and oncology research and diagnostics. Under the terms of the agreement, Affymetrix will acquire eBioscience for $330 million in cash subject to certain customary adjustments.

30 Nov 2011

Study focuses on staffing and quality at nation's largest for-profit nursing homes

The nation's largest for-profit nursing homes deliver significantly lower quality of care because they typically have fewer staff nurses than non-profit and government-owned nursing homes.

30 Nov 2011

Tavenner nomination finds support from health care stakeholders

Also in the news, Politico examines Marilyn Tavenner's political giving habits and CNN Money reports on the tenure of Donald Berwick, the exiting Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator.

30 Nov 2011

HHS rejects two MLR waiver requests

The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday delivered the news that health law waiver requests from Indiana and Louisiana had been given the thumbs down, making these two states the third and fourth to have their applications for relief denied outright.

30 Nov 2011

Mayo Clinic becomes FUS Foundation's new Research Award recipient

The Focused Ultrasound Surgery Foundation has announced that its Research Awards Program is funding a Mayo Clinic study that will be the first to use U.S. commercial database information to compare the costs of three minimally-invasive treatments for symptomatic uterine fibroids, a benign and often debilitating condition that affects more than one in four American women.

30 Nov 2011

RSNA technology can control patient's access to medical images and reports

Patients at three major medical institutions can control the sharing of their medical images and reports with their doctors and medical providers. The RSNA Image Share network was demonstrated today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

Overview of epidemiological situation with regard to MRSA in Germany

In German hospitals, each year 132 000 patients contract infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). For more than a decade, different countries have reported an increasing incidence of MRSA infections in the general population.

30 Nov 2011

Zinc Oxide can potentially cause cancer

A study led by a group of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) researchers has found that a chemical commonly used in consumer products can potentially cause cancer.

30 Nov 2011

Self-referred medical imaging contributes to medical cost escalation

Physicians who have a financial interest in imaging equipment are more likely to refer their patients for potentially unnecessary imaging exams, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

30 Nov 2011

Medizone receives Canadian patent for AsepticSure hospital disinfection product

Medizone International, Inc. reports that the Canadian Patent Office has granted Canadian Patent No 2735739 for processes and systems relating to the platform technology of its revolutionary AsepticSure hospital disinfection product.

30 Nov 2011

EC extends therapeutic indication for Soliris to treat atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the European Commission (EC) has extended the therapeutic indication for Soliris® (eculizumab) to include the treatment of pediatric and adult patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS).

29 Nov 2011

CMS chief announces resignation, Obama administration taps his deputy as successor

Marilyn Tavenner was named last week by the White House to succeed Donald Berwick as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but it is unclear how her nomination will be received by Congress.

29 Nov 2011

Siemens debuts single-source CT scanner, SOMATOM Definition Edge at RSNA 2011

At the 97th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), from November 27 to December 2 in Chicago, Siemens Healthcare (Booth #822, East Building/Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, Hall D) is unveiling the SOMATOM® Definition Edge – the first single-source CT to use Siemens recently developed Stellar Detector.

From Siemens Healthineers 29 Nov 2011

Partisanship a part of demands for certain justices to recuse themselves from health law case

House Democrats recently demanded that Justice Clarence Thomas step aside while Senate Republicans have increased their calls for Justice Elena Kagan to take herself off the case. Meanwhile, lobbying efforts are expected to increase as part of efforts to shape the high court's decision.

29 Nov 2011

Third Annual Transplant Symposium to be held on Dec. 2 in New York City

"Transplantation: Part of the Fabric of America" is the theme of the Third Annual Transplant Symposium sponsored by the Montefiore Einstein Center for Transplantation. The conference will be held on Friday, December 2 at the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City.

29 Nov 2011

Next on Capitol Hill's budget agenda: Skirmishes over tax breaks, spending bills and the 'doc fix'

The Associated Press terms it a "symbol" of the "federal government's budget dysfunction" because physicians again are facing a steep cut in Medicare payments unless Congress intervenes. This time, though, such action will be considered in the context of other difficult budget questions.

29 Nov 2011