Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Study shows Strattice TM is safe for single-stage hernia repair

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. today announced that its LifeCell Strattice Reconstructive Tissue Matrix achieved highly favorable one-year outcomes in an ongoing clinical study of single-stage repair of contaminated or infected ventral incisional hernias.

6 Oct 2010

FEHBP premium costs to increase next year, just not as much as this year

The Washington Post reports that the price federal employees pay for health insurance next year won't go up as much as it did this year, but that the 7.2 percent increase for 2011 is "much greater than inflation or any pay increase or cost of living adjustment they might get."

6 Oct 2010

Mass. hospital sale talks seeking to protect employee retirement plans; Conn. Gov. ask for waiver in preexisting insurance plan

Representatives of Caritas Christi Health Care, the private equity firm seeking to buy it, and the attorney general's office are working on a tentative agreement to protect the retirement plans of 13,000 employees and keep the chain's hospitals open for at least five years.

6 Oct 2010

Scott & White's Breast Cancer Clinic program achieves NAPBC accreditation

The Scott & White Cancer Center's Breast Cancer Clinic program has earned a three-year Full Accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons.

6 Oct 2010

Xeomin botulinum toxin for cervical dystonia now available in the U.S.

Merz Pharmaceuticals today announced that Xeomin (incobotulinumtoxinA), a new botulinum toxin type A for the treatment of adults with cervical dystonia (CD)or blepharospasm, is now commercially available in the U.S. XEOMIN was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 30, 2010.

6 Oct 2010

CDC grant to support community-based public health project in RI and CT

A $250,000 grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will support a Rhode Island Hospital research study aimed at reducing the state's leading cause of accidental death among adults. Researchers will explore the use and effectiveness of statewide prescription monitoring programs (PMP) in reducing the number of accidental overdose deaths involving prescription opioids like OxyContin and Vicodin in both Rhode Island and Connecticut.

6 Oct 2010

HHS adds 1,000 companies to early retiree benefit program

Congress Daily: The federal government added 1,000 companies to the "early retiree benefit program established under the healthcare overhaul law, bringing the total number of companies participating to 3,000. The $5 billion program is a stopgap measure meant to help cover retired Americans over the age of 55 who are not eligible for Medicare."

6 Oct 2010

CCHIT certifies Allscripts Professional EHR Version 9.2

Allscripts announced today that Allscripts Professional™ EHR, Version 9.2 is 2011/2012 compliant and was certified as a Complete EHR on Sept. 30, 2010 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT®), an Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB), in accordance with the applicable eligible provider certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

5 Oct 2010

ISTO announces completion of enrollment in NuQu Phase I clinical study for discogenic back pain

ISTO Technologies, Inc., an orthobiologics company with a cell-based platform for cartilage regeneration, announced today the completion of patient enrollment in the Phase I clinical study for NuQu™, an injectable formulation of juvenile chondrocytes designed for the treatment of discogenic back pain. The study included 15 patients enrolled at two clinical sites. All patients enrolled in the trial suffered from persistent discogenic back pain and disability despite undergoing previous traditional conservative therapy.

5 Oct 2010

TMNG Global and Scientia Advisors partner to offer strategic consulting services for home health sector

TMNG Global a leading provider of professional services to the global communications, digital media, technology, and financial services industries, and Scientia Advisors, a global management consulting firm specializing in healthcare, life science, nutrition and biotechnology, today announced a partnership to offer strategic consulting services for the emerging home health sector.

5 Oct 2010

HighPoint Solutions launches ICD-10 Appliance for healthcare systems

HighPoint Solutions announced today the launch of its ICD-10 Appliance, a master data solution that helps hospitals, healthcare systems, and payers with ICD-10 compliance. The ICD-10 Appliance employs master data management principles and tools to create a central business management layer with ICD-9/ICD-10 mappings, translations, and business rules that can be utilized by all applications.

5 Oct 2010

GE Healthcare launches first human cellular assay product

Geron Corporation today announced that GE Healthcare has launched the first human cellular assay product for use in drug discovery and toxicity screening, developed under a license and alliance agreement between the two companies.

5 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 5, 2010

Today's headlines include reports on the midterm elections and recent polls as well as the latest developments related to Medicaid expansion.

5 Oct 2010

Consumer Reports Health publishes rankings of 227 HMOs, POS plans

With open enrollment season now underway, consumers with employer-based health insurance can take advantage of the once-a-year opportunity to switch plans. To help consumers compare health insurance plans, Consumer Reports Health is today publishing rankings of 227 HMOs and Point of Service (POS) plans.

5 Oct 2010

Care Improvement Plus releases 2011 Medicare health plan benefits to improve quality of care

Care Improvement Plus, operator of one of the largest special needs plans in Texas, is standing by its commitment to serve chronically ill and underserved Medicare beneficiaries with the release of its 2011 Medicare health plan benefits in preparation for the upcoming Medicare annual election period, which begins November 15th.

5 Oct 2010

Covidien to showcase innovative surgical products at 96th ACS Clinical Congress

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, will preview new devices and showcase some of the Company's most innovative products at the 96th Annual Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

5 Oct 2010

Octapharma USA launches wilate replacement therapy Web site for von Willebrand Disease

Octapharma USA has launched a comprehensive Web site for wilate® at www.wilateusa.com to provide von Willebrand disease healthcare professionals and patients with easily accessible information, news and updates. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug exclusivity for wilate® (von Willebrand Factor/Factor VIII Concentrate, Human), the first replacement therapy developed specifically for von Willebrand Disease (VWD).

5 Oct 2010

Nasal CPAP machine may cause craniofacial changes

The use of a nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) machine for more than 2 years may cause craniofacial changes in adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

5 Oct 2010

Novo Nordisk announces $73M expansion of Clayton insulin delivery systems manufacturing facility

Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company and leader in diabetes care, today announced a $73 million expansion of its Clayton, NC manufacturing facility to accommodate increased production capacity for the Company's insulin delivery devices.

5 Oct 2010

Carolinas HealthCare System to launch new cancer institute with $20M gift from Leon Levine Foundation

Officials at Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS), today announced a major gift from the Leon Levine Foundation that will support major innovations in the delivery of cancer care in communities served by CHS, which comprises 32 affiliated hospitals in North and South Carolina.

5 Oct 2010