Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

State roundup: Michigan tries new strategy on high risk pools

Michigan today announced a new effort to sign up the chronically uninsured onto health plans after the state's first attempt did not attract enough customers.

20 Apr 2011

In ongoing take-over saga, Community Health makes all-cash offer for Tenet

Community Health Systems Inc sweetened its $3.3 billion offer for Tenet Healthcare Corp on Monday, persisting with its hostile bid even as revelations of a U.S. government probe into Community's billing practices sent its shares lower.

20 Apr 2011

Hangovers affect surgeon's performance

A new study has shown that excessive alcohol consumption, even on the previous day, appears to be associated with changes in some surgical skills performed on virtual reality simulator testing the following day. The study appeared in the April issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

19 Apr 2011

Johnson & Johnson reports net sales of $16.2 billion for first quarter 2011

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $16.2 billion for the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 3.5% as compared to the first quarter of 2010.

19 Apr 2011

Scientists develop highly efficient approach for cardiac imaging

Scientists of the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch have developed a highly efficient approach for imaging the beating human heart.

19 Apr 2011

Obese patients may face high risk of complications after non-cardiac surgery

Obese patients with high blood pressure and diabetes are at much higher risk for major complications following non-cardiac surgery compared to otherwise healthy obese patients and patients of normal weight.

19 Apr 2011

Study: 73% of hospital executives do not have formal definition for patient experience

New research conducted by The Beryl Institute shows that while patient experience is a top priority for hospital executives, it is still largely undefined. This landmark study of more than 790 hospital executives examined the state of the patient experience in the nation's hospitals and identified the greatest roadblocks to implementing change.

19 Apr 2011

Ryan, Obama deficit plans continue to generate OpEd heat on Medicare, Medicaid provisions

Mr. Ryan called the vote "our generation's defining moment," and indeed, nothing could more clearly define the choice that will face voters next year. His bill would end the guarantee provided by Medicare and Medicaid to the elderly and the poor, which has been provided by the federal government with society's clear assent since 1965.

19 Apr 2011

Axolotl, HealthInsight partner to create Nevada HIE suite

HealthInsight, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving Nevada's health care system, announced today that it has selected Axolotl Corp. to build the community-based Health Information Exchange infrastructure to help Nevada providers improve the timeliness, quality, and coordination of care for their patients.

19 Apr 2011

CPF announces $100,000 grants for patient care projects

The Cautious Patient Foundation, the outreach and educational arm of PatientAlwaysFirst, a nonprofit organization committed to educating and empowering patients in the quest for quality health care, today announces a new grants program to support initiatives that successfully move patients towards greater engagement in their personal or family healthcare process.

19 Apr 2011

Vancouver's supervised injection site reduces overdose mortality rates to 35%

Illicit drug overdose deaths in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside dropped by 35 per cent after the establishment of Insite, North America's first supervised injection facility, according a new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

19 Apr 2011

GOP presses to undo health law as Dems gear up advocacy strategy

News outlets report on Republican plans to stop the sweeping health overhaul — ranging from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's push for the Supreme Court to "fast track" its consideration of legal challenges to congressional plans for defunding the law — as well as how Democrats are ginning up their message machines to counter these attacks.

19 Apr 2011

Navigant, Health Administration Press release new book on ACOs

Navigant and Health Administration Press today announced the release of a new book Accountable Care Organizations: Your Guide to Strategy, Design, and Implementation authored by Navigant healthcare professionals Marc Bard, MD and Michael Nugent.

19 Apr 2011

UBH El Paso expands facility to offer mental health services

University Behavioral Health of El Paso has opened a third floor with 40 new beds. The 18,000 square foot addition allows UBH to offer mental health and chemical dependency services to more patients in El Paso and surrounding areas.

19 Apr 2011

Blood test can predict pre-term births during second trimester

Though more than one in 10 American babies are born prematurely, there have been few clues to predict whether a particular baby is going to arrive too early - until now.

19 Apr 2011

Hospitals can reduce unnecessary imaging tests using CD import

Each year, more than two million critically ill patients are transferred from one hospital emergency department to another for appropriate care. With the ability to successfully import data from a CD-ROM containing the patient's diagnostic medical images, hospitals may be able to significantly reduce unnecessary medical imaging tests, some of which expose patients to radiation. These findings are reported in a new study published in the July issue of Radiology.

19 Apr 2011

Avvo provides five tips for physicians to manage their career online

Avvo, the world's largest online directory for doctors and lawyers that provides free rankings for 90% of the working physicians in the U.S., offers five tips for physicians who are hesitant, because of perceived HIPAA restrictions, to embrace online and social media marketing. Avvo, which was founded to service the legal sector, is no stranger to the impact of regulatory issues on the healthcare industry.

19 Apr 2011

Medtronic introduces new Midas Rex e-Institute website

Medtronic, Inc. today announced the launch of its new Midas Rex e-Institute website, an enhanced web portal for healthcare professionals to explore interactive education on surgical anatomy, surgical procedures, and technical instruction.

19 Apr 2011

Also in global health news: U.N., Libyan government reach deal over aid; USAID monitoring HIV/AIDS in Philippines; WFP warns of Afghanistan food shortages; U.N. appeals for more aid in Cote d'Ivoire, Namibia

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday at a press conference in Hungary announced that the organization had reached an agreement with the Libyan government to provide humanitarian aid in the country's capital city of Tripoli, the Associated Press reports.

19 Apr 2011