Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Insurance companies denied policies to 1 of every 7 applicants, probe finds

The Wall Street Journal: The four largest for-profit health insurers in the U.S. -- Aetna Inc., Humana Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and WellPoint Inc. -- "on average denied policies to one out of every seven applicants based on their prior medical history," according to a congressional investigative report released yesterday by Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.).

14 Oct 2010

Stony Brook professor receives NIH grant to optimize cardiovascular devices

Danny Bluestein, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Stony Brook University, has been awarded a five-year, $7.5 million grant by the National Institutes of Health. The award marks the first time a Stony Brook professor has received a Phase II Quantum Grant, given by The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), a division of the NIH, to make a profound improvement or quantum leap forward—in health care.

14 Oct 2010

NextGate and NextGen Healthcare partner to advance health information exchange

NextGate, the Enterprise Master Index leader, today announced a partnership with NextGen Healthcare, a leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, aimed at improving healthcare organizations' ability to combine data from disparate systems and create a unified, complete record for each patient.

14 Oct 2010

Today's Opeds: Individual mandate in court, on ballot and in campaigns

The first federal court decision on the constitutionality of the new health care reform law upheld its validity and dealt a well-deserved setback to opponents who are trying to overturn it.

14 Oct 2010

Agfa HealthCare to install first DX-D 500n direct radiography system in Canada at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces today that it will be installing its DX-D 500n Direct Radiography X-Ray Suite at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada. Building upon Agfa HealthCare's expertise and history in imaging, the DX-D 500n completes Agfa HealthCare's digital imaging portfolio.

13 Oct 2010

AusBiotech 2010 set to demystify the impact of US Healthcare Reforms on Australian biotech

Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies are seeking to understand the implications of the US Healthcare Reform Bill, says Australia’s biotechnology industry organisation, AusBiotech. In order to remain compliant and globally competitive, biotechs need to identify and work within a gamut of new requirements, complications and hurdles imposed by this new regulatory environment.

13 Oct 2010

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services awards HP $26M task order to maintain IDR

HP Enterprise Services today announced it has been awarded a task order worth up to $26 million by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to maintain its Integrated Data Repository (IDR) and provide data quality services to improve the accuracy of Medicare payment data.

13 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 13, 2010

Today's early morning highlights from major news organizations looks at the number of people denied health coverage by major insurers, arguments before the Supreme Court on the right to sue vaccine makers, concerns about the FDA's plans on reviewing medical devices and doctors moving from private practice to hospital work.

13 Oct 2010

Beryl technology improves relationship between health care providers and consumers

Amongst the many priorities spelled out in the healthcare reform law, one is that hospitals will need to find ways to forge closer relationships with patients. One way to accomplish this is by proactively managing care outside of the hospital setting. Hundreds of hospitals nationwide are using Beryl, a technology-focused patient experience services company dedicated to improving relationships between health care providers and consumers, to proactively contact former and potential patients to encourage them to access free screenings, new service offerings and to schedule annual exams.

13 Oct 2010

IOM report recommends sweeping changes for improving the nursing profession

Still hampered by workforce shortages and barriers that impede their ranks from delivering health care to the full extent of their education and training, nurses may have gotten the much-needed shot in the arm they need to transform their profession with the release of an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report recommending sweeping changes for improving their profession.

13 Oct 2010

Nurses can advocate for better healthcare and services for LGBTIQ teenagers

Five American teenagers, all bullied because they were gay, have committed suicide over the past few weeks. The deaths have caused a media storm and raised a critical question: Did the social or healthcare system fail these adolescents? "Absolutely," says Concordia University Professor Deborah Dysart-Gale. "Bullying and such resulting suicides are avoidable. Healthcare workers have tools that can help queer teens - no one needs to die because of their sexual orientation."

13 Oct 2010

Quality Systems wins TechAmerica's 52nd annual Innovator Awards

Quality Systems, Inc. announced today that its chairman of the board and founder, Sheldon Razin, was named the winner in the software category of TechAmerica's 52nd annual Innovator Awards, which honors eight innovators representing different industry segments for their contributions to the technology industry.

13 Oct 2010

Detect-Ready MRSA assay receives first independent validation

Molecular Detection Inc. a company developing Detect-Ready assays designed to increase the speed and accuracy of infectious disease diagnosis, today announced that its Detect-Ready MRSA assay has received its first independent validation in a study conducted at St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust, a leading teaching hospital in the UK.

13 Oct 2010

2010 edition of The AHLA/BVR Guide to Healthcare Valuation

Business Valuation Resources (BVR) and the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) are pleased to announce The AHLA/BVR Guide to Healthcare Valuation, 2010 Edition, edited by Mark Dietrich, CPA, ABV.

13 Oct 2010

Employees need to review health insurance plans during open enrollment

Open enrollment, starting in October for most companies, allows employees to make changes to their benefits for the coming year. It's often the only time during the year that employees can make changes to their health insurance plans, and the passage of the recently enacted healthcare reform means that Americans could be facing more changes to their existing health insurance plans.

13 Oct 2010

Researchers investigate statin drugs to treat lung disease

Researchers at Queen's University Belfast are investigating a potential new treatment for lung disease that could save many lives each year. The research team is studying how statins, drugs which are commonly used to treat high cholesterol, can be used to treat lung disease.

13 Oct 2010

ViiV Healthcare to expand Patient Assistance Program

ViiV Healthcare will expand its Patient Assistance Program effective January 1, 2011 and continue its Patient Savings Card program to help maintain access to HIV medicines for those most affected by the economic downturn in the United States. Specifically, ViiV Healthcare will launch the ViiV Healthcare Patient Assistance Program with an increased maximum household income level for enrollment and is piloting membership in the Welvista program, a nonprofit program to facilitate access to HIV medications for individuals currently on ADAP waiting lists.

13 Oct 2010

Bariatric surgery reduces healthcare costs for morbidly obese diabetics

New data presented today at Obesity 2010, the 28th annual scientific meeting of The Obesity Society, find that bariatric surgery is associated with reduced healthcare costs for diabetes patients who are morbidly obese.

13 Oct 2010

Study finds increase in hospitalizations for children due to ATV-related injuries

All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are associated with a significant and increasing number of hospitalizations for children in the U.S., according to a new report by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Over a nine- year period (1997-2006) hospitalizations for ATV injuries increased 150 percent among youth younger than 18 years, with important demographic variations.

13 Oct 2010

Physicians anticipate new oral therapies for multiple sclerosis patients

Physicians are anticipating the arrival of new oral therapies for multiple sclerosis patients, with initial research showing very high awareness of oral candidates, particularly Novartis' Gilenya, which received FDA approval for relapsing forms of the disease in late September. The majority of neurologists expect Gilenya to be very useful as a therapy and trial of the drug is predicted to be strong, according to new research by GfK HealthCare.

13 Oct 2010