Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Survey: 65% of patients in hospitals experience pain prevalence

Nearly two-thirds of the hospital in-patients who took part in a survey had experienced pain in the last 24 hours and 42% of those rated their pain as more than seven out of ten, where ten was the worst pain imaginable, according to the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

28 Feb 2011

New national campaign to help reduce risk of pressure ulcers in hospital and post-acute care settings

ConvaTec, a world-leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, today announced the introduction of a new national campaign to help reduce the risk of pressure ulcers in hospital and post-acute care settings.

28 Feb 2011

Progressive groups offer support for maintaining Medicaid requirements

The nation's governors are will be in Washington this weekend for the National Governors Association winter meeting. Budget issues, especially related to Medicaid spending and other health costs, will be a hot topic.

28 Feb 2011

ABC program greatly reduces asthma-related ED visits in preschool children

Nearly one in eleven preschool children in the U.S. has been diagnosed with asthma and in some inner city neighborhoods, the figure is closer to one in seven. But, few asthma management programs are designed for parents of preschool children.

28 Feb 2011

Life Technologies introduces new Asia distribution hub in Singapore

US-based Life Technologies Corporation, a provider of innovative life science solutions, announced today that it has launched a regional distribution hub in Singapore to address strong customer demand in the Asia Pacific regions of India, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

28 Feb 2011

CTSI awards NYU one-year pilot grant to assess feasibility of hemoglobin A1C diabetes test

New York University's Clinical and Translational Science Institute has awarded an NYU nursing-dental research team a one-year pilot grant to assess the feasibility of using gingival crevicular blood from periodontal patients to gauge hemoglobin A1C -- a blood glucose measurement -- as a means of diagnosing diabetes and identifying pre-diabetes.

28 Feb 2011

AHRQ: $52.2 billion spent on prescription drugs for treatment of metabolic conditions during 2008

Insurers and consumers spent $52.2 billion on prescription drugs in 2008 for outpatient treatment of metabolic conditions such as diabetes and elevated cholesterol, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

28 Feb 2011

Johns Hopkins students to provide hands-on help to communities in need on spring break trip

In the coming months, college students across the U.S. will make their annual southern pilgrimage for fun in the sun. At the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, however, 16 students have a different agenda for a southern spring break: providing hands-on help to communities in need.

27 Feb 2011

LodgeNet Interactive annual 2010 revenue decreases to $452.2 million

LodgeNet Interactive Corporation today reported annual 2010 revenue of $452.2 million compared to $484.5 million in 2009. Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $(17.4) million or $(0.71) per share (basic and diluted) for 2010 compared to $(13.3) million or $(0.59) per share (basic and diluted) for 2009.

25 Feb 2011

CIGNA's integrated disability and medical programs reduce workplace absence

Employees who have both disability and medical coverage from CIGNA, and who also suffer a short-term disabling illness or injury, return to work more often and spend less time away from work on leave than those without the integrated program. This is the conclusion of a new study by CIGNA comparing integrated and non-integrated disability and medical plans.

25 Feb 2011

Affordable Care Act provides states with flexibility and resources to improve health care benefits

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today released a new report showing that the Affordable Care Act provides states with significant flexibility and resources to improve health care benefits and protect consumers. Already, the law has provided or offered $2.8 billion in funding to States. This is a fraction of the total funding available under the law to help States implement new consumer protections, expand health coverage, and improve health care quality.

25 Feb 2011

HHS offers new grants to help states with insurance rate reviews

These grants are designed to assist states in creating or enhancing their reviews of the premiums charged by health insurance companies.

25 Feb 2011

New York's Medicaid advisory panel approves plan to cut health spending

The panel's compromise includes an annual spending cap and across-the-board Medicaid provider cuts. Meanwhile, other states also struggle with the rising cost of Medicaid and its impact on the budget.

25 Feb 2011

Poll finds 1 in 5 Americans think health law was repealed

Coverage continues regarding a Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Thursday that found a surprising degree of confusion about the status of the federal health overhaul.

25 Feb 2011

Tenet fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA increases 28.9% to $281 million

Tenet Healthcare Corporation today reported adjusted EBITDA of $281 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2010, an increase of $63 million, or 28.9 percent, compared to $218 million for the fourth quarter of 2009. Net income attributable to common shareholders for the fourth quarter of 2010 was $74 million, or $0.14 per diluted share, compared to $21 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2009.

25 Feb 2011

Dizziness, nausea and achiness are symptoms of heart attack in females

Dizziness, nausea and achiness – no, these are not symptoms of the flu but signs of a heart attack in females. While heart attacks affect both men and women, the symptoms of a heart attack are surprisingly different between the genders. Virginia Health Information (VHI) this week released its Cardiac Care Report which provides consumers information comparing heart healthcare in Virginia. This year's report reveals women undergoing open heart surgery continued a five year trend of higher than expected readmission rates.

25 Feb 2011

HIMSS survey: Nurse informaticists play a major role in implementation of healthcare IT

With the increased adoption of healthcare information technology, nursing informatics - a hybrid career combining nursing and healthcare IT skills - is growing in importance and impact, suggests the 2011 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey.

25 Feb 2011

The Lancet journal publishes XGEVA Phase 3 study results against prostate cancer, bone metastases

Amgen today announced the publication of results from a Phase 3 head-to-head trial that compared XGEVA to Zometa in preventing bone complications called skeletal-related events in 1,901 men with prostate cancer and bone metastases.

25 Feb 2011

Golden Meditech to acquire remaining shares in Chinese herbal medicine business for HK$90 million

Golden Meditech Holdings Limited, China's leading integrated healthcare enterprise, is pleased to announce that the Group will acquire the remaining interests in the Group's Chinese herbal medicine business for a total consideration of HK$90 million in shares.

25 Feb 2011

Longer looks: Best health policy picks from thought-provoking publications

Last week, in the largest nationwide bust of its kind ever, more than 700 federal agents fanned out from Miami to Los Angeles and rounded up 111 doctors, nurses, physical therapists and health company executives in nine cities.

25 Feb 2011