Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

DHHS awards Medicare fraud contract to TerraMedica

Healthcare Technology firm TerraMedica LLC announced today that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. TerraMedica will conduct an assessment of fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicare claims utilizing a pre-payment predictive scoring system.

12 Oct 2010

Woman’s socioeconomic status impacts clinicians' decisions for contraception: Study

A woman's race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status impact whether health care providers recommend one of the most highly effective forms of contraception, a UCSF study confirms. The results also indicate that the interaction of both factors plays a role in clinicians' decisions.

12 Oct 2010

Older people who do not get vaccinated rely on indigenous health practices

Eating steamed pears, having a soothing massage or bathing in a herbal mixture are just some of indigenous health practices used by older people to ward off or treat influenza, according to research published in the October issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

12 Oct 2010

New data-driven strategy helps to reduce healthcare costs

As rising health care costs continue to outpace inflation, some companies are trying a new data-driven strategy, reports the October Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

12 Oct 2010

Most men with prostate cancer not referred to hospice care early enough

More than half of men dying of prostate cancer use hospice care - a significant increase over the last two decades - but most wait too long to enroll so they can't take full advantage of the palliative care that could make their deaths easier, a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.

12 Oct 2010

Covidien presents hernia and abdominal wall repair products at EHS Meeting

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, announced that its hernia and abdominal wall repair products were featured in 18 podium presentations at the 32nd International Congress of the European Hernia Society (EHS).

12 Oct 2010

Cerner, MedAssets announce reseller agreement to increase revenue capture

Cerner Corporation and MedAssets announced a reseller agreement that increases the interoperability of Cerner's revenue cycle offerings and gives Cerner clients access to a broader suite of solutions to increase revenue capture, accelerate cash flow and reduce administrative costs.

12 Oct 2010

Microsoft to shift part of health care costs to workers

Dow Jones Newswires/The Wall Street Journal: "Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the world's largest software company, said on Friday it will trim its generous healthcare benefits for employees starting in 2013 because of rising coverage costs. In a staff meeting, the Redmond, Wash. company told employees they will be required to contribute some portion of their annual healthcare insurance premiums, although it didn't detail what portion staff members would be asked to shoulder.

12 Oct 2010

Loyola continues mandatory employee flu-vaccination policy for second straight year

The best way to prevent the spread of the flu to patients in a medical setting would be to require all health-care workers to get an annual flu shot, says the American Academy of Pediatrics.

12 Oct 2010

Proper treatment for scoliosis may help children to lead active lives

Scoliosis may sound like a frightening diagnosis, but proper treatment enables children with the condition to lead normal, active lives. Scoliosis refers to an abnormal curvature of the spine. Small curves are a normal part of spine anatomy and are not cause for concern, according to Dr. Daniel Green, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. But when the curvature exceeds a certain range, children require medical attention.

12 Oct 2010

Fertility concerns of cancer survivors inadequately addressed, study finds

Many cancer survivors experience changes in sexual function that leave them feeling guilty and a longing for intimacy, Australian researchers told at the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Milan, Italy. The researchers say that these sexuality and fertility concerns are often not adequately addressed by doctors.

11 Oct 2010

ImaginAb and Imanet enter master service agreement for pre-clinical and clinical imaging

ImaginAb, Inc. and Imanet have signed a master service agreement for pre-clinical and clinical imaging. This agreement supports the development strategy for ImaginAb's pipeline of next generation diagnostic imaging agents based on recombinant antibody fragments. The Imanet™ network of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging sites provides assistance in all aspects of PET imaging-based clinical trials: from proof-of-concept radiochemistry to clinical imaging, with more than 40 PET research tracers.

11 Oct 2010

NCQA recertifies Lilly's online Health Education Answers program

Lilly's Health Education Answers program, an interactive online health and wellness tool, has received Health Information Product Recertification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

11 Oct 2010

Florida Governor issues Proclamation recognizing outstanding work of Healthcare Quality Professionals

Florida Governor Charlie Crist issued a Proclamation recognizing the outstanding work Healthcare Quality Professionals do for the people of Florida. This proclamation mirrors the sentiments of National Healthcare Quality Week, October 17-23rd, which celebrates the work of Healthcare Quality Professionals in improving patient outcomes and healthcare delivery systems.

11 Oct 2010

Sales of Merck's telcagepant and CoLucid's lasmiditan in world's major markets to reach $1.3 billion in 2019

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that two first-in-class agents — Merck's telcagepant and CoLucid's lasmiditan — will earn combined sales of approximately $1.3 billion in 2019 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan.

11 Oct 2010

Agilex named region's fastest growing company by Washington Business Journal

Agilex Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of mission and technology solutions to the national security, healthcare and public sectors, announced today it was named the region's fastest growing company by the Washington Business Journal. In the company's first year of eligibility, Agilex debuted at the top of the list with reported three year growth of 372.32% and total revenue of $38M (FY2009). This annual ranking covers the entire Washington, DC metro area.

11 Oct 2010

ArQule announces SPA with FDA for ARQ 197 Phase 3 trial design for NSCLC

ArQule, Inc. today announced a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the design of a Phase 3 trial of ARQ 197 in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of non-squamous histology.

11 Oct 2010

FDA approves Warner Chilcott's ACTONEL for postmenopausal osteoporosis

Warner Chilcott plc today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its next generation ACTONEL® (risedronate sodium) product for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in the United States. The product will be marketed as ATELVIA™ (risedronate sodium) delayed-release tablets.

11 Oct 2010

Class action lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics

The preeminent law office of Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy has filed a class action lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson's artificial joint replacement company DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., on behalf of clients who suffered damages resulting from the company's now-recalled hip replacement device. (Case No. 1:10CV02222, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division)

11 Oct 2010

The age wave could bust government budgets, rating agency says

The ratings agency Standard & Poor's has joined the chorus of concern about how the looming age wave will affect governments that must pay for escalating entitlement programs, The Wall Street Journal reports.

11 Oct 2010