Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart wins 2010 Kerrin Rennie Award

On Sept. 15, the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart was awarded the 2010 Kerrin Rennie Award for Excellence in Medical Technology by the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA).

23 Sep 2010

LWW and Ovid enter collaboration with Joanna Briggs Institute

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy, has announced an exclusive partnership with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), a recognized global leader in evidence-based healthcare resources based at the University of Adelaide, Australia, as part of an expansion of the nursing, allied health, and medical content delivered to customers of products in the Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) journals and Ovid brands.

23 Sep 2010

NextGen Healthcare becomes CCHIT Certified for Dermatology and Behavioral Health

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and a leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced that NextGen® Ambulatory EHR version 5.6, a CCHIT Certified® 2011 Ambulatory EHR, has been additionally certified for Dermatology and Behavioral Health in the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology's (CCHIT®) certification program.

23 Sep 2010

Elsevier's new online surgical journal publishes case reports

Elsevier, the world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services together with Surgical Associates Ltd the Owner of the International Journal of Surgery, announced today the launch of the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports (IJSCR) a new author-pays online general surgical journal dedicated to publishing case reports only.

23 Sep 2010

Vaxonco initiates Phase I clinical trial of novel DNA-based polyepitope vaccine against malaria

Vaxonco Inc., a Korean company specializing in peptide-based vaccines and Ichor Medical Systems (Ichor), whose advanced TriGrid™ Delivery System (TriGrid™) is being tested worldwide for its ability to enhance delivery of DNA drugs and vaccines, announced today the initiation of a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate a novel DNA-based polyepitope vaccine against malaria.

23 Sep 2010

Polls show continued confusion over health law as battle for public support continues

A new AP poll has found that more than half of Americans believe in error that the health law will raise their taxes this year. The law is also muddying up the minds of many struggling to figure out what the provisions mean to them.

23 Sep 2010

Doctors misuse antibiotics to treat patients with respiratory tract infections: Study

Doctors frequently misuse antibiotics when treating patients hospitalized with respiratory tract infections (RTIs), according to a study to be published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

23 Sep 2010

Signal Genetics, Array BioPharma partner to advance personalized medicine in multiple myeloma

Signal Genetics, a privately held predictive genetic testing company focused on oncology, today announced the company will work with Array BioPharma to help push forward both companies' goals of markers for patient selection, helping bring personalized medicine and companion diagnostics to patients with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow and antibody producing cells.

23 Sep 2010

Merck expands patient assistance programs to provide medicines to needy people

Today, Merck announced that it has significantly expanded the number of Merck medicines available through its Merck Helps patient assistance programs, which include the Merck Patient Assistance Program, the Merck Vaccine Patient Assistance Program, the ACT Program for Oncology and Hepatitis C medicines, and the SUPPORT Program for HIV/AIDS medicines.

23 Sep 2010

HealthCare Insight awarded URAC accreditation in HIPAA Privacy for Business Associate and HUM modules

HealthCare Insight (HCI) announced today that it has been awarded full accreditation in HIPAA Privacy for Business Associate and Health Utilization Management (HUM) modules from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based healthcare accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

23 Sep 2010

Medical loss ratio debate drags on, drags down stock prices

The failure to clearly define the key health law requirement that many insurers must spend at least 80 percent of premium dollars on health services has left investors tepid about health plan stocks and has complicated corporate decisions in the sector, Bloomberg reports. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a group of state regulators, were supposed to offer a definition to federal policy makers by June, but their deadline was pushed back to October.

23 Sep 2010

Covidien launches Puritan Bennett 560 ventilator in Europe

Covidien, a leading global healthcare products company and recognized innovator in mechanical ventilation and respiratory care devices, today announced that the Puritan Bennett™ 560 ventilator is now available in Europe. The Puritan Bennett 560 ventilator is compact and portable, weighing just 4.5 kg. This lightweight device provides mobile respiratory support, enabling ventilated adult and pediatric patients to pursue regular activities with peace of mind.

23 Sep 2010

Health overhaul offers many flavors of campaign fodder

As the campaign season continues, conflicting narratives emerge about how the health law will factor in to voters' decisions.

23 Sep 2010

Generex presents study results of Oral-lyn insulin spray at EASD Annual Meeting

Generex Biotechnology Corporation, the leader in drug delivery for metabolic diseases through the inner lining of the mouth, today announced that it is presenting study results at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes being held in Stockholm, Sweden, 20 - 24 September, 2010.

23 Sep 2010

Congress examines health care payment issues and high costs

Congress is preparing to tackle health care issues including reforming the payment system and addressing the high costs of Alzheimer's care, Medicare fraud and long-term disability.

23 Sep 2010

A guide to Sept. 23: Health law's big day

Kaiser Health News has gathered a collection of resources to coincide with Sept. 23 -- health reform's big day.

23 Sep 2010

Scientists create human liver cells using stem cells

Emerging Healthcare Solutions President and CEO Cindy Morrissey said Tuesday that a recent study at the University of Cambridge seems to indicate that realistic stem cell therapies to replace diseased or damaged tissues may be closer than ever.

23 Sep 2010

U.S. joins whistleblower suit against Pfizer for drug marketing

The Wall Street Journal: "The Justice Department is trying to take the lead in a lawsuit accusing Pfizer Inc.'s Wyeth unit of improperly promoting an organ-transplant drug for unauthorized uses and paying illegal kickbacks to doctors. The lawsuit was filed by two former Wyeth sales representatives who were responsible for promoting Rapamune, an immunosuppressant used to prevent the body's rejection of transplanted kidneys.

23 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Coloradans' insurance concerns, contraception and New York's Medicaid burden

For years, Coloradans have lived with uncertainty about their health insurance: lifetime caps, recisions, coverage for life-saving screenings. New provisions that begin Thursday, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, address some of the biggest concerns consumers had about the failing health system (Dede de Percin, 9/22).

23 Sep 2010

Abbott's Humira gains first-line biologic use for psoriasis treatment: Report

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that while Amgen/Stiefel/Pfizer's Enbrel is the most popular biologic across all lines of therapy for psoriasis treatment in newly diagnosed patients, Abbott's Humira is gaining increasing use as a first-line biologic at Enbrel's expense.

23 Sep 2010