Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

NIH funds $1.5M for research into prediction of stroke risk in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease

A researcher from the biomedical engineering department operated by Georgia Tech and Emory University has received a $1.5 million NIH Director's New Innovator Award to support a project aimed at reducing the incidence of stroke in children with sickle cell disease. Manu Platt, an assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to develop models for identifying which children with the disease are at risk for stroke.

1 Oct 2010

HHS announces $473 million grant to help people make effective healthcare decisions

HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today announced the award of $473 million in grants and contracts to support projects that will help people make health care decisions based on the best evidence of effectiveness. The funding announced today covers all of AHRQ's allocation and $173 million administered for the HHS Secretary by AHRQ.

1 Oct 2010

Medicare now required check for fraud before paying claims

The Miami Herald: "The behemoth Medicare bureaucracy will have to act more like a credit card company in flagging suspicious bills under a new federal law that could save taxpayers billions of dollars a year in wasteful government healthcare spending.

1 Oct 2010

RN expert provides an overview on healthcare quality measurement

Students at Louisiana State University today heard an executive with Baton Rouge-based Amedisys talk about how quality is measured in health care and why it should matter to all Americans. Amedisys is the largest home health care and hospice company in the U.S., providing care to more than 35,000 patients every day.

1 Oct 2010

Maven Semantic updates gastroesophageal reflux research database

The new database is now available to marketing, business development, competitor intelligence, KOL, medical affairs and related departments in the life sciences sector.

1 Oct 2010

New reports underscore a litany of health law implementation obstacles

Obstacles to the implementation of the health overhaul abound, including lawsuits, regulatory issues, concerns about patients' choice, and, of course, costs.

1 Oct 2010

APhA urges consumers to discuss proper medication usage with pharmacists

In honor of American Pharmacists Month, the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) encourages consumers to hold an open dialogue with their pharmacists about a growing problem in the United States, the proper usage of and adherence to medications.

1 Oct 2010

NHS makeover not welcomed by the BMA

The British Medical Association (BMA) has expressed doubts about the radical makeover of the NHS and how it would affect patient care. The reorganization of the NHS in England was unveiled in health secretary Andrew Lansley's white paper in July. The BMA says that the plans are potentially damaging, risk setting groups of clinicians against each other and are not a good use of public money when the NHS has to save £15 to £20 billion.

1 Oct 2010

'Intraluminal protection' IV needleless connector more effective in preventing CLABSIs: Study

A lengthy study performed at Methodist Extended Care Hospital resulted in the elimination of potentially deadly infections. The study findings were reported in a scientific poster presentation at the recent annual meeting of the Association for Vascular Access (AVA), a leading national organization focusing on patient safety and best nursing practices.

30 Sep 2010

Erchonia launches Zerona body-contouring laser in South East Asia

Erchonia, the global leader in low level laser healthcare applications, today announces the launch of the Zerona® body-contouring laser in South East Asia's SAARC. Erchonia Asia will exclusively market and sell the Zerona throughout the region. This new expansion coincides with the recent U.S. FDA-approval of the Zerona Laser, a non-invasive, painless treatment that guarantees the removal of fat.

30 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 30, 2010

In today's news, McDonald's may stop providing employee health benefits unless a new health law requirement is waived.

30 Sep 2010

Rotech Healthcare prices $230 million Senior Secured Notes offering

Rotech Healthcare Inc. announced today the pricing of its offering of $230 million in aggregate principal amount of Senior Secured Notes due 2015. The notes will be sold to investors at a price of 97.189% of the principal amount thereof and will bear a coupon rate equal to 10 ¾ % per annum. The offering is expected to close on October 6, 2010.

30 Sep 2010

Best P.A.D. Research Awards honor investigators for research on peripheral arterial disease

The Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) Coalition presented the Coalition's second annual Best P.A.D. Research Awards to the top three research papers on P.A.D. published in 2009 at the organization's Seventh Annual Meeting in Alexandria, VA last week. The Best P.A.D. Research Awards honor the work of investigators and acknowledge the creation of new clinical research relevant to the understanding and/or treatment of peripheral arterial disease.

30 Sep 2010

Canadian Cancer Society alarmed by government inaction to establish national catastrophic drug insurance program

A large majority of Canadians - 85 per cent - say if they were diagnosed with cancer the cost of drugs would have a negative impact on their personal finances, according to poll results released today by the Canadian Cancer Society.

30 Sep 2010

Kaiser Permanente donates Convergent Medical Terminology to IHTSDO

Kaiser Permanente today donated its Convergent Medical Terminology (CMT) to the International Healthcare Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO) for U.S. distribution through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) so that all health care providers arge and small can benefit from the translation-enabling technology.

30 Sep 2010

Tobira completes $31 million Series B financing

Tobira Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative antiviral compounds to treat HIV disease, today announced the completion of a $31 million Series B financing. New investor Novo A/S is leading the round, joined by original investors, Domain Associates, L.L.C., Frazier Healthcare Ventures, Montreux Equity Partners and Canaan Partners.

30 Sep 2010

Scientists use NMR technology to improve protein purification in drug development

The purification of drug components is a large hurdle facing modern drug development. This is particularly true of drugs that utilize proteins, which are notoriously difficult to separate from other potentially deadly impurities. Scientists within the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to understand and improve an important protein purification process.

30 Sep 2010

Trial demonstrates improved outcomes in unsedated colonoscopy by water method

The October issue of GIE Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), features the results of two randomized controlled trials of unsedated colonoscopy comparing water infusion versus air insufflation to distend the colon.

30 Sep 2010

Stericycle announces merger agreement with Healthcare Waste Solutions

Stericycle, Inc., today announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Healthcare Waste Solutions, Inc.

30 Sep 2010

Senate Democrats defeat GOP effort to reopen health care debate over HHS regulation

"Senate Democrats held together and beat back an attempt from Republicans to begin a piece-by-piece repeal of the healthcare law, defeating a resolution that would roll back an HHS rule on how new regulations apply to health insurance plans that existed before the overhaul bill was signed into law," Congress Daily reported.

30 Sep 2010