Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Health IT Roundup: Digital divide, a VA contract, the open data movement

Computerworld: The digital divide is alive and well when it comes to health care technology. Although President Barack Obama has made it a priority to have medical facilities deploy electronic health records (EHR) over the next four years, the people most likely to benefit -- those in poor and minority communities -- are unlikely to see them anytime soon.

28 Oct 2010

Sandoz initiates voluntary recall of Methotrexate Injection

Sandoz Inc. announced today it has initiated a voluntary recall in the US of all 50mg/2mL and 250mg/10mL vials of Sandoz and Parenta brand Methotrexate Injection, USP product ("methotrexate") to the consumer/user level. Consistent with its commitment to quality and patient safety, Sandoz is initiating this voluntary recall of all 24 lots of the affected product following the finding of small glass flakes by Sandoz quality control in a limited number of vials in four lots.

28 Oct 2010

£600 million cancer drug fund for UK cancer patients

Good news for cancer patients in England, the government has announced that it would fulfill a pledge to set up a drugs fund. Earlier the Department of Health promised the extra funding after a report revealed the low level of spending in the UK on cancer medication compared to the rest of Europe.

27 Oct 2010

Public and private investment approaches carry potential for eliminating health disparities

According to Dr. Calvin B. Johnson, former PA Secretary of Health, there have been far too few meaningful, public discussions with regard to the substantial economic costs being borne by the U.S., as a result of its lengthy pattern of race – and gender – based health disparities. Johnson is planning to address that issue and the ability to eliminate disparities by investing in businesses, communities, and people, specifically, when he leads a panel, titled “Using Public and Private Equity Investment to Strengthen and Sustain Our Communities: Can we strategically invest our way out of health disparity and into health equity?”, at the Fourth Annual National Conference on Health Disparities, November 12, 2010, at 2:45pm, at the Philadelphia Marriott Hotel.

27 Oct 2010

Mastech Holdings 2010 third quarter revenue increases 9.4% to $18.9 million

Mastech Holdings, Inc. a national provider of Information Technology and Specialized Healthcare staffing services, announced today its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2010.

27 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 27, 2010

Today's headlines note that the new health law has Democrats playing defense, while Republicans offer few new alternatives to the sweeping measure.

27 Oct 2010

MedLearn and Panacea launch coding, compliance, and reimbursement system for pharmacy departments

Medical Learning, Inc. also known as MedLearn, a company specializing in Hospital Coding, Compliance, Reimbursement and Financial Systems and Services, today announced that, together with its business partner Panacea Healthcare Solutions, LLC, it has introduced PharmAuditor.com as the industry's newest and most comprehensive coding, compliance, and reimbursement system and service for hospital based Pharmacy Departments.

27 Oct 2010

Scientists develop new imaging technique that can detect breast cancer treatment response

Cancer Research UK scientists have developed a new imaging technique that can show when breast cancer treatment is working, weeks before current methods. The research is published in the British Journal of Cancer today1 (Wednesday).

27 Oct 2010

Sharps Compliance first quarter retail billings increase 22% to record $1.9 million

Sharps Compliance Corp., a leading full-service provider of cost-effective management solutions for medical waste and unused dispensed medications generated outside the hospital and large healthcare facility setting, today reported $5.2 million in revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2011 ended September 30, 2010.

27 Oct 2010

Preventive health programs reduce employee health risks

With employers and individuals continuing to struggle with rising health care costs, a new study shows there is one strategy that is proven to slow the pace of this ever increasing burden: preventive health. Published today in Population Health Management, "The Impact of The Prevention Plan on Employee Health Risk Reduction" reveals that prevention programs based on the clinical practice of preventive medicine are able to achieve measurable health risk reduction in just one year.

27 Oct 2010

The Beryl Institute Survey finds patient experience as an emerging priority among hospitals

In Spring 2010, The Beryl Institute surveyed more than 200 hospitals and other healthcare providers to learn where improving patient experience fell on their list of strategic priorities and what patient experience efforts they had implemented within their organizations. The findings of the survey are reported in the research brief, Insights into the Patient Experience, just released by the Institute.

27 Oct 2010

Scientists discover MSMB protein in urine can predict prostate cancer risk

British scientists have identified a protein in urine that can help indicate which patients are at an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute and The Institute of Cancer Research found that the level of MSMB protein in urine could provide a fast and accurate prostate cancer diagnosis for doctors and patients, potentially replacing the currently painful and more costly approach a blood sample.

27 Oct 2010

Study finds passive safety engineered devices effective for NSI prevention

A landmark study of 22 million safety devices used in 61 French hospitals over a two-year period has confirmed the theory that passive, fully automatic safety devices offer significantly better protection against accidental needlestick injuries (NSIs) than early generation active safety technologies such as semi-automatic (push-button) devices or those with manually sliding shields or hinged caps.

From B. Braun Melsungen AG 27 Oct 2010

PSA test helps detect prostate cancer before it spreads

In addition to saving lives, a new study indicates routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing improves quality of life by substantially reducing the risk that prostate cancer will spread to other parts of the body.

27 Oct 2010

CJPS Medical releases VitalPoint device to improve healthcare

CJPS Medical Systems releases VitalPoint this week, a medical device capable of measuring patients' vital signs from home, while allowing direct communication with their caregiver, and generating and saving HIPAA-compliant electronic medical records.

27 Oct 2010

CHI releases new white paper on 510(k) review process

California Healthcare Institute today announced the release of a new white paper titled "Upcoming Changes to the 510(k) Process: New Approval Pathways and the Impact on Medical Device Development and Innovation." CHI is a non-profit public policy research and advocacy organization, representing leading California academic institutions, biotechnology, medical device, diagnostics and pharmaceutical firms.

27 Oct 2010

Elan 2010 third quarter total revenue decreases 2% to $281.4 million

Elan Corporation, plc today reported its third quarter and first nine months 2010 financial results.

27 Oct 2010

USAID announces LAUNCH: Health innovators

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, NIKE, Inc. and the U.S. Department of State are pleased to announce those selected to participate in the LAUNCH: Health Forum. The innovators selected will participate in an event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida October 30-31, followed immediately by the launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery on November 1.

27 Oct 2010

Myriad signs agreement with Abbott for BRACAnalysis test

Myriad Genetics, Inc. today announced that it has signed an agreement with Abbott Laboratories, a global health care company, to conduct BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation testing on patients to be enrolled in a Phase III multi-center, multi-national clinical study of a novel drug candidate for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

27 Oct 2010

Political picture still dreary for some Dems who backed health reform

National Journal: "Just over half of Americans likely to vote in next week's midterms want the next Congress to repeal this year's health care overhaul if Republicans gain power on Capitol Hill, according to a new poll, a dramatic rebuke to a sitting president and freshly minted statute.

27 Oct 2010