Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Economist Conferences to holding 17th annual The Pharma Summit 2011 in London

Economist Conferences is holding its 17th annual The Pharma Summit 2011 in London on Thursday February 10 2011. The theme this year is 'Reinventing Pharma for a new generation' and will bring together over 150 senior executives from across the Pharma sector, including some of the industry's most influential names.

3 Feb 2011

Senate repeals small piece of health law, but Republican attempt at overall repeal fails

Senate Republicans failed to muster enough votes to repeal the health law. But a vote to delete a small, revenue-raising provision of the sweeping law did pass, in a bipartisan vote.

3 Feb 2011

New findings: For-profit hospices may choose cheaper-to-treat patients

Study results released Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association report that for-profit hospice services may be selecting patients who are less expensive to treat — leaving the pricier patients to nonprofit agencies (Brown, 2/1).

3 Feb 2011

HealthCore, AstraZeneca collaborate to conduct real-world studies on disease states, treatment

AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP and HealthCore, the health outcomes research subsidiary of WellPoint, today announced a collaborative agreement to conduct real-world studies designed to determine how to most effectively and economically treat disease.

3 Feb 2011

Prehabilitation before knee replacement surgery may improve functional ability in osteoarthritis patients

An exercise program designed by researchers at the University of Louisville for patients with severe knee arthritis improves leg strength and patients' functional ability before knee replacement surgery, according to recent report in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

3 Feb 2011

Four-gene/protein signature more accurately predicts metastatic prostate cancer

Prostate tumors that carry a "signature" of four molecular markers have the potential to become dangerously metastatic if not treated aggressively, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report in a study published online today by the journal Nature. The discovery lays the groundwork for the first gene-based test for determining whether a man's prostate cancer is likely to remain dormant within the prostate gland, or spread lethally to other parts of the body.

3 Feb 2011

Health law ruling draws different state reactions

State officials are sorting a legal decision issued Monday by a federal court judge in Florida overturning the health law. Their challenge is to determine how and whether to proceed with their implementation responsibilities. Some, like Florida's governor, appear to favor taking steps to stall its progress.

3 Feb 2011

Damaged heart rebuilt with heart stem cells from children with congenital heart disease

A new study, revealing that heart stem cells from children with congenital heart disease were able to rebuild the damaged heart in the laboratory, could provide a new outlet for Emerging Healthcare Solutions' NASA bioreactor.

2 Feb 2011

Novation, Toshiba sign agreement to offer CT system access to members of VHA

Continuing its commitment to offer the highest-quality products and services to hospitals nationwide, Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. has signed an agreement with Novation, the leading healthcare supply contracting company, to offer Toshiba CT systems to the members of VHA, University HealthSystem Consortium and Provista, giving them access to all systems in Toshiba's award-winning CT product line.

2 Feb 2011

Innovative diabetes management concept can significantly reduce HbA1c values, improve glycemic control

An innovative diabetes management concept including structured self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), data visualization, pattern analysis and derived therapy adjustments can significantly reduce HbA1c values, improve glycemic control and enhance patients' quality of life. These are the key findings of the 12-month data from the Structured Testing Protocol (STeP) Study, newly published in Diabetes Care.

2 Feb 2011

Cognitive behavioral therapy more effective than antidepressant medications for bulimia nervosa

A new evidence report by ECRI Institute comparing the effectiveness of various treatments for bulimia nervosa indicates that cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than antidepressant medications and supportive therapies in improving eating disorder symptoms.

2 Feb 2011

MedAssets' products receive 'Peer Reviewed by HFMA' designation

The Healthcare Financial Management Association recently reviewed CDM Master, CDM Manager, CDM Enterprise, Charge Capture Audit, Comparative Rate Modeling, Strategic Pricing, KnowledgeSource, ABN Manager and Contract Manager using the Peer Review Process. After undergoing the rigorous review, these MedAssets' products have met the standards to receive the "Peer Reviewed by HFMA" designation.

2 Feb 2011

Steps to protect security and privacy of protected health information

Gaps in the security and privacy of healthcare data still exist, even though the Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act's (HIPAA) rules for security and privacy safeguards were extended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

2 Feb 2011

Four new fact sheets address impact of combat injury on intimacy

The impact of combat injury on intimacy is an important and often neglected aspect of healthcare communication. Four new fact sheets addressing the impact of the injuries of war, both physical and psychological, on intimacy have just been released for healthcare providers and affected military families.

2 Feb 2011

Clay County and Paris Community Hospitals select HMS EDIS software suite

HMS EDIS, powered by MEDHOST, a software suite that automates patient care processes for the emergency department (ED), has been selected by Clay County Hospital and Paris Community Hospital.

2 Feb 2011

Multi-national group of researchers announce launch of International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project

The launch of the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) - a collaboration formed to discover and map the genes that contribute to Alzheimer's disease - was announced today by a multi-national group of researchers including Drs. Lindsay Farrer and Sudha Seshadri at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). The collaborative effort, spanning universities from both sides of the Atlantic, will combine the knowledge, staff and resources of four consortia that work on Alzheimer's disease genetics.

2 Feb 2011

Swine flu shots linked to narcolepsy: Investigation continues

The vaccine used against swine flu has been linked to a disorder called narcolepsy among those aged four to 19. Narcolepsy involves people falling asleep without warning or sleeping excessively in the daytime. A preliminary study also “observed [an] increase in incidence of narcolepsy” among those given the vaccine.

2 Feb 2011

CDH first hospital in New England to use Xenex PX-UV disinfection system

Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) today announced it is the first hospital in New England to use the Xenex PX-UV disinfection system to disinfect its patient and operating rooms.

2 Feb 2011

Antares initiates dosing in VIBEX MTX clinical study for rheumatoid arthritis

Antares Pharma, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a clinical study evaluating the VIBEX™ MTX product which is being developed for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The clinical study will evaluate several dose strengths of VIBEX MTX delivered with a proprietary autoinjector versus conventional needle and syringe administration by a healthcare professional.

2 Feb 2011

Senate GOP leaders advance efforts to force health law repeal vote

Politico: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told Republicans Tuesday that he plans to force a vote on repealing the health care reform law this week. The plan is to tack the amendment onto the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill this afternoon, a Republican aide told POLITICO. McConnell told Republicans of the plan in their weekly policy lunch" (Haberkorn, 2/1).

2 Feb 2011