Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Ion Torrent extends deadline for European Ion PGM Sequencer Grant Program

Ion Torrent today announced that the deadline for the Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM™) Sequencer Grant Program in Europe has been extended to Nov. 22 to give more scientists the opportunity to win a DNA sequencer for their own labs.

15 Sep 2010

Quick-Med receives patent for MultiStat technology to treat Rosacea

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc., a life sciences company that is developing innovative technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued U.S. Patent No. 7,795,302 entitled "Use of Compositions for Treating Rosacea."

15 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 15, 2010

Today's headlines include news that a Florida judge has indicated the 20-state legal challenge to the new health law is likely to advance.

15 Sep 2010

Boston Software Systems to deliver four presentations at InSight 2010 Annual Conference

Boston Software Systems, winner of the 2010 McKesson Automation Supplier of the Year Award for Customer Focus, today announced that Product Manager Thom Blackwell and Reese Walker, financial systems analyst at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, will deliver four presentations at InSight 2010 Annual Conference, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, CO, September 14 - 17.

15 Sep 2010

In Calif., breakaway union creates schism with SEIU; Poor patients will continue to receive dialysis in Georgia

"The S.E.I.U.'s national leadership ousted [Sal] Rosselli last year after a power struggle that ended with a jury finding that he had improperly used member dues to form a breakaway union. Shortly after being ousted, Mr. Rosselli did create a rival union, and now he is trying to lure many of his former members — 43,000 workers at Kaiser Permanente, the largest health care provider in the state. On Monday, workers at 331 Kaiser facilities across California began voting by mail on whether to bolt the S.E.I.U. and join Mr. Rosselli's group, the National Union of Healthcare Workers. A victory would give a vital boost to Mr. Rosselli's fledgling 6,000-member union, all but assuring its long-term survival" (Greenhouse, 9/13).

15 Sep 2010

FDA-cleared LaserTouchOne device for chronic and acute pain treatment available without prescription

The American Pain Foundation reports that despite the fact that the majority of the U.S. population looks healthy, statistics tell a different story: Approximately 1 in 3 Americans suffer from chronic pain. This chronic pain could be related to an illness like cancer or rheumatoid arthritis, or a condition such as arthritis, migraine headaches, fibromyalgia or back pain from a car accident.

15 Sep 2010

Educational intervention likely to probe for contextual issues in standardized patient encounters

Fourth-year medical students who participated in an educational intervention were more likely to seek, identify and incorporate into care patient circumstances that may require variation from standard care, compared to students in a control group, according to a study in the September 15 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on medical education.

15 Sep 2010

Helping smokers quit also benefits states economically

A new study released today by the American Lung Association, and conducted by researchers at Penn State University, finds that helping smokers quit not only saves lives but also offers favorable economic benefits to states. The study, titled Smoking Cessation: the Economic Benefits, provides a nationwide cost-benefit analysis that compares the costs to society of smoking with the economic benefits of states providing cessation (quit-smoking) coverage.

15 Sep 2010

Omnicell's medication management systems selected by Sentara Healthcare

Omnicell, Inc., a leading provider of system solutions to acute healthcare facilities, today announced that Sentara Healthcare has selected Omnicell OmniRx® automated medication dispensing systems and Omnicell's SecureVault™ to monitor and streamline medication management throughout its facilities. Sentara serves a patient population of more than two million, and chose to replace its current vendor with Omnicell for its solution reliability and customer service.

From Omnicell, Inc. 15 Sep 2010

Automated Triage and Treatment solution will slash wait times at Canadian hospital EDs

NCR Corporation, and PharmaTrust have joined with Stayhealthy, Inc. to develop and deploy a self-service kiosk solution to help speed the triage and treatment of patients at Canadian hospital emergency departments (ED) and rural healthcare facilities.

15 Sep 2010

Democrats who voted 'no' on health overhaul face campaign fire, calls to 'de-fund' reform grow louder

The Hill: Labor unions are living up to their pledge to target and spend campaign dollars against Democrats who voted against the health overhaul. "The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), for instance, has spent almost $300,000 on direct mail and other activities in support of union activist Mac D'Alessandro's primary challenge to Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.)." The primary in that race is Tuesday (Miller and D'Aprile, 9/14).

15 Sep 2010

Biomedical informatics is essential part of medical education

In an article published in the Sept. 15 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, (JAMA), author Edward H. Shortliffe, MD, PhD, points out that although information underlies all clinical work, and despite the growing role that information management and access play in healthcare delivery and clinical support, there is a dearth of informatics competency being developed in America's future corps of physicians.

15 Sep 2010

Survey reveals inadequate provision for women with secondary breast cancer

57% of breast care nurses who took part in a UK survey for the charity Breast Cancer Care feel that there is inadequate provision for women with secondary breast cancer, a progressive incurable disease that kills half a million women worldwide every year after the cancer spreads to other organs. Many said that they felt ill equipped to care for women with secondary breast cancer and that their time was dominated by meeting the needs of women with primary breast cancer.

15 Sep 2010

UK HealthCare announces successful kidney transplant surgery in 16-year-old

UK HealthCare announces the revitalization of its pediatric kidney transplant program with the successful transplant surgery of 16-year-old Courtney Stroud, of Carlisle, Ky. Courtney's transplant was performed Aug. 31 at Kentucky Children's Hospital.

15 Sep 2010

K-V secures $20 million loan from U.S. Healthcare

K-V Pharmaceutical Company announced today that it has entered into an agreement with U.S. Healthcare I, L.L.C. and U.S. Healthcare II, L.L.C. for a $20 million loan secured by assets of the Company. K-V will utilize the proceeds of the loan for working capital and general operating purposes.

15 Sep 2010

EHSI applauds Sen. Specter's support for Stem Cell Research Advancement Act

Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. cheered Sen. Arlen Specter's (D-Penn.) statement of support for the Stem Cell Research Advancement Act on Monday.

15 Sep 2010

MVI agrees to provide fund for evaluating Inovio's malaria DNA vaccine candidate in non-human primates

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today that the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) has agreed to provide follow-on funding to continue evaluation and development of Inovio's malaria DNA vaccine candidate in non-human primates.

15 Sep 2010

Senate amendments to strike health reform tax reporting provision fail

The Associated Press/Bloomberg Business: "The Senate failed Tuesday to repeal or ease an arcane tax reporting provision of the new health care law. ...Tucked into the health law is a requirement that businesses file tax forms called 1099s with the Internal Revenue Service for every vendor that sells them more than $600 in goods.

15 Sep 2010

NBCA arms healthcare professionals to 'Stop the Clot'

The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) is making available an easily accessible, no-cost online curriculum for nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists to help increase understanding about the diagnosis and treatment of blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

15 Sep 2010

Wintherix announces WX04554 molecule can cause bone healing

Wintherix, LLC, a privately held biotechnology company focusing on bone healing and regenerative medicine, today announced that WX04554, a potent small molecule activator of the Wnt pathway, has been designated as a lead drug for clinical development in bone healing and repair indications.

15 Sep 2010