Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Hospitals seek help with costs of caring for illegal immigrants

The American Hospital Association is urging President Barack Obama to consider the costs hospitals incur for treating illegal immigrants—and to include provisions in his legislative recommendations to Congress that would sufficiently reimburse them for doing so (Zigmond, 6/9).

9 Jun 2011

Deadline extended for ACO pioneer program

The new deadline is Aug. 19. Meanwhile, in other policy-related news, the White House pushed back against study findings released earlier this week by McKinsey & Co. that as many as 30 percent of companies may stop offering health insurance to their employees and said the president's healthcare plan "will reduce costs overall."

9 Jun 2011

ASI announces successful completion of $10 million round of financing

Access Scientific, Inc. (ASI) today announced the successful completion of a $10 million round of financing. The round was led by CAC and further supported by the company's previous institutional investors.

9 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 9, 2011

Today's headlines include reports from yesterday's action in an Atlanta courtroom where oral arguments were held in an appeal related to the multi-state challenge to the health law.

9 Jun 2011

Celerion earns ANVISA certification to conduct clinical research operations in Belfast, Lincoln

Celerion, the premier provider of innovative early stage drug development solutions, is pleased to announce that its clinical research operations in Belfast, Northern Ireland UK, and its clinical research and bioanalytical services operations in Lincoln, Nebraska USA, have been certified by the Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency.

9 Jun 2011

Blue Shield of California will cap earnings

Health insurer Blue Shield of California, under fire for a series of recent rate hikes and the pay of its chief executive, plans to cut this year's premiums by 2.5% for many of its 3.3 million policyholders as part of a new initiative to hold down costs.

9 Jun 2011

Massachusetts 'pay for performance' health care program finds no signs of racial, ethnic disparities

Massachusetts' innovative use of "pay-for-performance" bonuses to try to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the case of Medicaid patients has turned up no evidence of the problem at any of the state's 66 acute-care hospitals, according to a new study that raises questions about the effectiveness of the state's novel approach.

9 Jun 2011

Eight out of 10 countries using mHealth services, WHO report says

Eighty-three percent of countries are using mobile phone technology for health services, according to a WHO study released on Tuesday at the Mobile Health Summit in Cape Town, South Africa, Agence France-Presse reports.

9 Jun 2011

Hospitals want race, ethnic issues factored into readmissions program

HHS should include patient characteristics such as race and limited English proficiency in its risk-adjustment methodology as it implements the hospital readmissions-reduction program outlined in the healthcare reform law, according to a letter Tuesday from American Hospital Association President and CEO Richard Umbdenstock to CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick.

9 Jun 2011

HHS rule for health exchanges takes shape

In a Tuesday conference call on state health exchanges organized by the Commonwealth Fund, HHS Director of Coverage Policy Chiquita Brooks-LaSure dropped many hints of what to expect from the agency's proposed rule on health exchanges, due out sometime this month.

9 Jun 2011

Less-invasive Pro-Vas occlusion shows promise for permanent male sterilization

A new clinical study presented at the American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting shows the less-invasive Pro-Vas occlusion as a highly promising method of permanent male sterilization.

9 Jun 2011

Eliminating ABCB5-expressing cells crucial for successful colorectal cancer treatment

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have found a marker called ABCB5 that both tags a small proportion of cells within colorectal cancers and fuels resistance in those cells to standard treatments. The results indicate that eliminating ABCB5-expressing cells is crucial for successful colorectal cancer treatment, while adding to the growing body of evidence for a theory of cancer growth called the cancer stem cell hypothesis.

9 Jun 2011

State roundup: N.J. plan would cut Medicaid by $500 million

States and territories are eligible for up to $40 million to strengthen and coordinate efforts to prevent chronic disease, the Health and Human Services Department announced Tuesday. The initiative is funded by the healthcare reform law and targets the nation's five leading chronic diseases: heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and arthritis.

9 Jun 2011

Siemens Healthcare selects SIS as surgical IT partner

Surgical Information Systems ('SIS') today announced a partnership with Siemens Healthcare expanding the reach of the Siemens health information system portfolio (including Soarian®, INVISION® and MedSeries4®) into the perioperative environment, including the SIS Anesthesia solution.

9 Jun 2011

Health care law in the Appeals court

In the U.S. this Wednesday one of the federal appeals court took up a significant legal challenge to last year's health law. Judges are deliberating over the fact that whether it was constitutional to require people to carry insurance or pay a penalty.

9 Jun 2011

Ryan Medicare revamp continues to be political flashpoint

A congressionial Democrat holds a town hall meeting on the budget plan by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., which includes significant changes to the Medicare program. Republicans see the budget blueprint as a litmus test.

9 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Blue Shield's profit cap; employees could be surprised by loss of health benefits; involving patients

Blue Shield of California announced Tuesday that it will cap its profits for the sake of making health insurance more affordable. Richer in symbolism than in economic impact, the move seems designed to deflect scrutiny and blame from insurers onto others in the industry, particularly doctors and hospitals. All the same, the steadily rising cost of medical care is where the real challenge lies for the sustainability of the healthcare system.

9 Jun 2011

Ascribe announces partnership to launch eHandover, clinical handover solution

Ascribe has announced a partnership with Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) to bring eHandover, a clinical handover solution, to the UK Acute care sector. The solution will be formally launched at the National Clinical Handover Conference hosted in London on the 30th June 2011.

8 Jun 2011

Nearly half of employers may stop employee’s health benefits

A latest speculation suggests that nearly a third of employers are likely to stop offering health insurance to employees in 2014 when major federal healthcare-reform provisions kick in. This comes from a new report by McKinsey Quarterly.

8 Jun 2011

Sandbox announces business accelerator for healthcare industry

Sandbox Industries, a venture capital firm and leading incubator for startup companies, announces Healthbox, one of the first business accelerators in the country to focus exclusively on the healthcare industry. Healthbox builds on the success of Excelerate Labs, the tech accelerator that Sandbox co-founded last year, which Tech Cocktail recently named Top 3 among startup accelerators nationwide.

8 Jun 2011