Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

iMDsoft, Mindray enter new distribution agreement

iMDsoft®, a leader in hospital-wide clinical information systems, and Mindray, a leading global provider of medical devices, have today announced a new distribution agreement. Under the agreement, Mindray will sell only clinical information systems by iMDsoft, and will be the sole distributor of MetaVision® in China. Mindray will also distribute iMDsoft's MetaVision® Suite solutions in 10 countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia.

From Mindray 13 Dec 2010

Federal judge poised to issue ruling in Virginia health law challenge

A Virginia federal court judge is expected today to issue a much-awaited ruling on whether the new health law violates the Constitution. Meanwhile, legal arguments are scheduled to take place Thursday in a Florida courtroom regarding a separate challenge to the health overhaul.

13 Dec 2010

MedVirginia becomes first community HIE to connect with Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record

MedVirginia announced today that it has achieved another significant milestone: becoming the first community health information exchange (HIE) to connect with the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record (VLER). VLER is a collaboration between Veterans Affairs (VA), the Department of Defense (DoD), and civilian health systems to connect the health records of our nation's active duty military personnel and Veterans.

13 Dec 2010

Nuance announces availability of Dragon Medical Mobile Recorder on iTunes App Store

Nuance Communications, Inc. today announced the availability of Dragon Medical Mobile Recorder on the iTunes App Store, expanding its healthcare suite of speech solutions for smartphones and building upon the recent success of Dragon Medical Mobile Search. With Dragon Medical Mobile Recorder, Nuance is introducing a new level of clinical documentation flexibility by enabling mobile point-of-care dictation that is connected to speech-enabled transcription platforms, eScription and Dictaphone Enterprise Speech System, and the fully-outsourced Nuance Transcription Services offering.

13 Dec 2010

Kindred Healthcare increases available credit capacity by $100 million

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today announced that it has successfully completed an amendment to its revolving credit agreement to increase the available credit capacity from $500 million to $600 million. In connection with the amendment, the Company agreed to a 50 basis points increase to the floating interest rate pricing levels under the Credit Agreement.

13 Dec 2010

Panasonic to manufacture electronic lenses for PixelOptics' electronic focusing eyeglasses

PixelOptics of Roanoke, Virginia USA announced today that Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd. of Ehime, Japan will manufacture electronic lenses for PixelOptics' electronic focusing eyeglasses named emPower!™. The emPower! eyeglasses focus faster than the blink of an eye, have no moving parts, and change focus without making a sound. In March of 2010 at Vision Expo East in New York, New York, Pixel and Panasonic announced that they have been working together for the last two plus years to develop and optimize Pixel's electronic lenses.

From PHC Europe B.V. 13 Dec 2010

WellDoc DiabetesManager solution integrated with leading EHR system

WellDoc®, a healthcare company that develops technology solutions to improve chronic disease management outcomes and reduce healthcare costs, today announced the first integration of a clinically tested mHealth coaching platform with a leading electronic health records (EHR) system. The integration of the WellDoc DiabetesManager® solution into an EHR will streamline and enhance patient care by combining a best-in-class patient coaching platform and clinical decision support with the workflow efficiency of an EHR system.

13 Dec 2010

iTech Medical receives Health Canada approval for Muscle Pattern Recognition System

iTech Medical, Inc., a medical information technology company, announced today that it has received Health Canada approval for the Company's Muscle Pattern Recognition (MPR) System, a non-invasive clinical assessment tool being developed to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of back and neck pain, one of the most common chronic conditions in Canada.

13 Dec 2010

NinePoint enters IP licensing agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital

NinePoint Medical, Inc., an emerging leader in the development of in vivo pathology medical devices, today announced it has entered into an intellectual property (IP) licensing agreement with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Under the agreement, NinePoint has certain exclusive rights in multiple fields to 188 patents and patent applications owned by MGH.

13 Dec 2010

PLATO Foundation launches first medical education activity during 33rd CTRC - AACR Symposium

The PLATO Foundation (Physicians Learning And Teaching in Oncology) a newly established 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization launched its first medical education activity during the 33rd Annual CTRC - AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium on December 10, 2010, titled, "Controversial Topics in Breast Cancer: Straight Talk with International Experts."

13 Dec 2010

U-M's participation in Medicare Physician Group Practice Demonstration Project helps save over $15 million

Medicare patients with a host of physical problems are getting better care at the University of Michigan Health System, and U-M staff have saved more than $15 million on the cost of that care over four years.

13 Dec 2010

United BioSource announces acquisition of Total Healthcare Group

United BioSource Corporation (UBC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, Inc., today announced the acquisition of Total Healthcare Group (THG), a London-based international consultancy serving clients in the biopharmaceutical industry. THG provides global payer research, strategic planning, and global value dossiers for biopharmaceutical products.

13 Dec 2010

School children who dislike fruits and vegetables are more likely to develop functional constipation

Primary school children who don't like eating fruit and vegetables are 13 times more likely to develop functional constipation than children who do, according to a study in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Drinking less than 400ml of fluid a day also significantly increases the risk.

13 Dec 2010

News outlets examine flooding in Pakistan four months on

"More than four months after the worst flooding in Pakistan's history, vast stretches of land are still under water in the province of Sindh, isolating many communities. ... The world's attention has long since moved on from the Pakistani flood story, but there are still more than 1 million people who remain displaced in Sindh alone, said U.N. humanitarian affairs chief Valerie Amos last Friday after touring the flood zone.

13 Dec 2010

New DNA-based testing technology for tuberculosis treatment

The driving force behind the rapid tuberculosis test that received World Health Organization endorsement this week is Dr. David Alland, chief of the Division of Infectious Disease at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.

13 Dec 2010

Scientists discover key molecular events in immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease

Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered some of the key molecular events in the immune system that contribute to inflammatory bowel disease.

13 Dec 2010

HHS slaps 'mini-med' plans with new restrictions

The Department of Health and Human Services offers new guidance on "mini-med" health plans, requiring that insurers selling these limited coverage offerings must inform consumers "in plain language" how such plans fall short of the health law's minimum coverage standards.

10 Dec 2010

GOP lawmaker calls government funding bill a 'trojan horse' for health reform

Politics continue to swirl around health overhaul and deficit reduction issues. A new Bloomberg poll, for instance, indicates that the public wants the deficit addressed, but still wants Congress to stay away from Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs. Meanwhile, a GOP senator targets the catch-all spending bill to fund the government as a "trojan horse" to fund the health overhaul. Off the hill, groups are paying particular attention to the words used in discussing health policy issues.

10 Dec 2010

Deals, expansions and ACOs mark hospital sector activity

Hospitals and health systems are the subject of proposed deals and acquisitions. Meanwhile, the concept of accountable care organizations continues to trigger interest and curiosity within the health care sector.

10 Dec 2010

First Edition: December 10, 2010

In today's health policy headlines, reports about the Obama administration lawyer charged with defending the health law as well as the latest action in this lame duck Congress.

10 Dec 2010