Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Essilor introduces first high performance anti-fogging lenses

Essilor today announced the launch of Optifog, the first high-performance anti-fogging lenses, in response to high consumer demand. This new category of lenses represents a major technological breakthrough in keeping with the long tradition of innovation at Essilor.

26 Aug 2011

DaTscan allows doctors to differentiate Parkinson's from other movement disorders

Thanks to a new diagnostic imaging technique, physicians now have an objective test to evaluate patients for parkinsonian syndromes, such as Parkinson's disease. Northwestern Memorial Hospital is among the first institutions in the country to offer DaTscan-, the only FDA-approved imaging agent for assessment of movement disorders.

26 Aug 2011

Saudi Arabian medical products distributor enters agreement with NMI

Nano Mask, Inc. (NMI), a healthcare product development and distribution company focused on emergency and critical care as well as infection control markets, has announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with a Saudi Arabia-based medical products distributor which will represent NMI's product line on an exclusive basis to: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain, Sudan, Yemen Lebanon, Yemen and Tunisia.

26 Aug 2011

Countdown begins for GP11 – The Conference for General Practice

With only six weeks to go until the Royal Australian College of General Practitioner’s (RACGP) annual conference - GP11, final preparations are well underway for what will be an outstanding program of presentations, workshops and social networking opportunities for GPs and allied healthcare professionals.

25 Aug 2011

Temporary ER staff poses increased safety risk to patients

Temporary staff members working in a hospital’s fast-paced emergency department are twice as likely as permanent employees to be involved in medication errors that harm patients, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

25 Aug 2011

Antidepressant alert – Citalopram associated to heart rhythm disturbances

Antidepressant citalopram (Celexa, Forest Laboratories) should not be used in doses higher than 40 mg per day because of concerns that it can cause potentially fatal changes in heart rhythm, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns.

25 Aug 2011

AHF shares The Lancet's concerns over use of Gilead's Truvada as HIV prevention pill

Today AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) commented on an editorial published in the September 2011 issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases that raises concerns about the use of the HIV treatment drug Truvada, manufactured by Gilead Sciences Inc., as an HIV prevention pill or pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), agreeing with the publication's public health concerns.

25 Aug 2011

Nightingale revenue decreases 14% to $3.8 million for first quarter 2012

Nightingale Informatix Corporation, an application service provider (ASP) of electronic medical record (EMR) software and related services, announces its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011.

25 Aug 2011

Cone Health uses Xenex room disinfection systems to reduce HAI rates and costs

Cone Health today announced a dramatic reduction in healthcare-acquired infection (HAIs) rates after implementing an infection prevention program which includes Xenex room disinfection systems.

25 Aug 2011

On health exchanges, states may get a second chance to create their own

So far, 11 states have accepted federal money to set up their own state-run insurance exchange. Meanwhile, the Basic Health Program, another health law initiative, is drawing attention.

25 Aug 2011

Medicare tests bundled payment structure in hopes of saving money

Ultimately, Medicare officials hope that bundling payments to hospitals, doctors and even post-hospital caregivers will lead to increases in cost-effective care.

25 Aug 2011

Commonwealth study: Unemployed skipping important medical services, highlighting importance of COBRA coverage

The Commonwealth Fund is out Wednesday with a report that shows the unemployed are skipping out on important medical services and recommends Congress extend COBRA subsidies through 2014. The study found that 72 percent of people who have lost their employer health insurance didn't fill prescriptions, get recommended tests or see a doctor because of the high cost barrier.

25 Aug 2011

NNU Director named one of the '100 Most Influential People in Healthcare'

For the tenth straight year, National Nurses United Executive Director Rose Ann DeMoro has won national recognition from a major healthcare industry publication as one of the "100 Most Influential People in Healthcare" which was announced this week.

25 Aug 2011

Health law legal challenges: Date set for oral arguments in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals

Missouri's health reform lawsuit is heading for oral arguments in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. The 8th Circuit on Tuesday said oral arguments in the lawsuit, which challenges the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansion, will take place in St. Paul, Minn., during the week of Oct. 17.

25 Aug 2011

BESLER Consulting expands Care Coordination and Compliance practice

BESLER Consulting, a leading financial and operational consultancy to healthcare providers, is pleased to announce the expansion of their Care Coordination and Compliance practice, with the integration of Dr. Frank L. Urbano's expertise and experience.

25 Aug 2011

HHS finalizes rule on medical research and confilcts of interest

The guidance, which is designed to help scientists avoid financial conflicts when conducting government-funded research, will take effect Aug. 24, 2012.

25 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Perry's health record, Medicare spending slows, postal service's health plan controversy

And now for some good news: Medicare spending growth has been slowing noticeably. ... some evidence suggests it may be a shift toward value in the health-care sector. Various hospital executives have told me they have already begun to prepare for less generous reimbursement from Medicare as the new federal health-care-reform law takes effect.

25 Aug 2011

Healthways to acquire Navvis

Ben R. Leedle, Jr., president and CEO of Healthways, announced that the Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Navvis & Company, a St. Louis-based firm providing strategic counsel and change management services both to enable its healthcare system clients to become future-ready clinical enterprises and to align the incentives for all stakeholders.

25 Aug 2011

Roundup: Interim agreement between Planned Parenthood and Ariz. approved; Kan. to release budget plan

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Richard Gama this week signed off on an agreement between Planned Parenthood and the state that allows most of the 2011 regulations to go into effect while the legal challenge continues.

25 Aug 2011

Health costs watch dog established

An organization that would independently determine the efficient price of services in hospitals will be announced by the Australian federal government as consumer concern about the rising cost of healthcare deepens.

24 Aug 2011