Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Recent releases in Global Health

Innovative Health Financing Can Benefit Global Health, Pharma: "The launch of pneumococcal vaccination in Nicaragua under AMC [advance market commitment] has shown that innovative approaches to health financing can benefit both global health and pharmaceutical companies," according to a Lancet Infectious Diseases editorial that describes how the roll-out of GAVI initiative is helping to provide developing countries with low-cost pneumococcal vaccines.

28 Jan 2011

NCQA to release new standards for Patient-Centered Medical Home program

On January 31, the National Committee for Quality Assurance will release new standards for its Patient-Centered Medical Home program. The new standards call on medical practices to be more patient-centered, and reinforce federal "meaningful use" incentives for primary care practices to adopt health information technology.

28 Jan 2011

EHSI examines business plans and product lines of OceanBASIS

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. is examining the business plans and product lines of German biotech firm OceanBASIS as part of the company's due diligence towards a potential profit sharing agreement.

28 Jan 2011

New research shows employer-sponsored plans to decline more slowly than commonly thought

Contrary to fears that recent health care legislation will trigger a rapid decline in employer-sponsored health coverage in the U.S., management consulting firm Booz & Company today published new research that shows employer-sponsored plans will decline more slowly and less steeply than commonly thought.

28 Jan 2011

PHM updates customer pipeline for investors and research analysts

Patient Home Monitoring, a company focused on in-home cardiology healthcare services, today announced an update to their customer pipeline. Ed Berenblum, CEO of PHM, will be conducting meetings in and around Toronto to provide an update to investors and research analysts.

28 Jan 2011

Effective fusion of consumer technology and front line medicine needed

Government spending cuts and the high cost of distributed healthcare provision could mean a major shift toward home-based patient care. Lack of resource, increased travel time and an aging population is leading some to consider a more viable alternative. However, limited broadband Internet access in remote areas means that joined up policy changes are needed to ensure an effective solution is achieved.

28 Jan 2011

Study identifies gaps in primary health care for seniors with multiple chronic conditions

The number of health care services seniors use is determined more by the number of chronic conditions they have than by their age, according to a new study from the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

28 Jan 2011

Soligenix and CU enter definitive license agreement for novel vaccine thermostabilization technology

Soligenix, Inc., a late-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive license agreement with the University of Colorado (CU) for novel technology for use in the development of subunit vaccines with long-term stability, including stability at elevated temperatures.

28 Jan 2011

Endo and Orion enter oncology R&D collaboration

Endo Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with European-based Orion Corporation for the discovery, development and commercialization of assets in Oncology.

28 Jan 2011

Georgia Hospital Association selects onFocus enterprise performance management solution

onFocus Healthcare, Inc. today announced that it is the exclusive enterprise performance management solution to the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) and its more than 200 hospitals. This partnership allows onFocus to extend its web-based software, onFocus|epm™, and performance optimization service programs through increased collaboration with GHA member hospitals and management teams.

28 Jan 2011

EHIL creates new software tool to protect health research participants' privacy

In recognition of Data Privacy Day 2011, the Electronic Health Information Laboratory is making a new software tool freely available to the medical research community to protect personal privacy while helping to advance medical research.

28 Jan 2011

GOP focuses health law attacks during two House hearings

The hearings represent the first of what will likely be a long list of hearings and new legislation designed to question and denounce the new health law. With the measure in the spotlight, the debate surrounding its fiscal impact also is a "hot topic." Meanwhile, some Democrats who last year opposed the health overhaul are starting to find value in it.

27 Jan 2011

NHS reforms & proposed spending questioned

According to John Appleby, Chief Economist at the King’s Fund, deaths from heart attacks and cancer in the UK are falling despite lower spending on health than in countries such as France. This, he said calls attention to the Government’s claim that poor outcomes justify a £1.4 billion restructuring of the NHS that will pass control of budgets from managers to GPs. He said, “Comparing health outcomes across countries is complex and not simply down to healthcare spending, but these trends must challenge one of the government’s key justifications for reforming the NHS.”

27 Jan 2011

Appalling report on Victoria’s mental healthcare services

In a new revealing report, a Victorian Government official – from the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA), spoke about the declining level of care and protection provided to those with a mental disability. The OPA report entitled “Violence against People with Cognitive Impairments” analyzed 86 cases of abuse in government-funded and private support facilities over four years and reported mistreatment including instances of physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse - sometimes by carers themselves. The report said police often believe the perpetrator of the abuse, rather than the mentally impaired victim.

27 Jan 2011

Premera Home Visit Program helps reduce unneeded ER visits

When a physician's office is closed or an urgent care facility is not available, many people in need of non-emergency medical care turn to the very place they shouldn't have to - the emergency room of the closest hospital. There they may face long waits while life-threatening conditions take precedence. It's inconvenient and uncomfortable, and it results in potentially higher than needed treatment costs for patients - and for employers who provide health benefits.

27 Jan 2011

GE to establish Global Pathology Imaging Centre of Excellence in Ontario

GE announced an agreement to establish its first Global Pathology Imaging Centre of Excellence in Toronto, Ontario. GE and its digital pathology joint venture, Omnyx™, will invest $7.75M along with a $2.25M grant from the Health Technology Commercialization Program created by HTX and funded by the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

27 Jan 2011

Blue Shield of California implements MedeAnalytics' Medical Management Analytics

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, announced today that Blue Shield of California is now live with MedeAnalytics' Medical Management Analytics for use within its Healthcare Services Division. Blue Shield's goal is to provide its medical directors and case managers with actionable information to drive improvements in how clinical services are utilized.

27 Jan 2011

PHDcic, Aetna receive Health Service Journal award for programme to create systemic change in primary care

An innovative group of GPs in the West Midlands is proving that starting small can produce big changes — and their efforts are not going unnoticed. Pathfinder Healthcare Developments cic (PHDcic) together with Aetna Health Services UK (Aetna) have secured their latest award from the Health Service Journal for a programme that aims to create systemic change in primary care.

27 Jan 2011

ASTRO continues commitment to 6-point patient protection plan

The American Society for Radiation Oncology is continuing its commitment to Target Safely, a six-point patient protection plan developed in January 2010, to improve the safety and quality of radiation therapy treatments and reduce the chances of medical errors.

27 Jan 2011

NQF endorses outcome measures to improve quality of care for people with mental illnesses

The National Quality Forum has endorsed outcome measures to assess the results and thereby improve the quality of care provided to people with mental illnesses. The 4 endorsed mental health measures focus on depression and patients' satisfaction during an inpatient psychiatric hospital stay.

27 Jan 2011