Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Scott & White Healthcare recruits patients for Phase III lung cancer trial

Scott & White Healthcare in Round Rock, Texas is recruiting patients for a Phase III lung cancer trial aimed at preventing the disease's recurrence in previously treated patients. The trial will evaluate the potential of an immunotherapy called Antigen-Specific Cancer Immunotherapeutic (ASCI) for the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC).

17 Sep 2010

Poorer patients wait months for basic services in Minn.; Calif. unions criticize plan for state workers to pay more for benefits; Neb. Medicaid study questioned

Minnesota Public Radio: "Three months after the state implemented a scaled-back health care coverage program for its poorest residents, many patients are waiting months for basic medical services and hospitals have lost millions of dollars in uncompensated care. … The restructuring of the General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) program has forced thousands of low-income residents … to leave their medical providers and receive care through one of four Twin Cities-area hospitals.

17 Sep 2010

Sanofi-aventis US wins 2010 HBA ACE Award

The Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) has named sanofi-aventis US as the winner of the 2010 HBA ACE Award for the company's program aimed at building women's leadership across all levels within the company.

17 Sep 2010

Aerocrine directs issue of new shares, convertible bonds to Novo A/S

Aerocrine AB today announces that on 15 September 2010 the Board, by virtue of authorization by the shareholders' meeting, decided to carry out a SEK 225 million directed issue of new shares and convertible bonds to Denmark-based Novo A/S, as well as a SEK 155.5 million new share issue with preferential rights to existing shareholders.

17 Sep 2010

Democratic candidates spend more on ads against than for health reform

Politico: Democratic candidates are spending three times more — nearly $1 million — in advertising against health reform than for it. "Since the beginning of Congress's August recess, Democratic candidates have poured $930,000 into ads deriding the health overhaul but just $300,000 in pro-reform spots, according to Evan Tracey at Kantar Media."

17 Sep 2010

Diclectin's effectiveness for morning sickness: Report

In the latest issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a group of American and Canadian researchers report on the effectiveness of Diclectin(R) (the delayed-release formulation of doxylamine and vitamin B6) for morning sickness.

17 Sep 2010

New anti-pathogenic drugs render MRSA harmless without killing bacteria

Menachem Shoham, PhD, associate professor and researcher in the department of biochemistry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, has identified new anti-pathogenic drugs that, without killing the bacteria, render Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) harmless by preventing the production of toxins that cause disease.

17 Sep 2010

Defensive medicine costs U.S. healthcare system $45 billion

Lisa Maas, executive director of Californians Allied for Patient Protection (CAPP), issued the following statement in response to a recent study published in the 2010 issue of Health Affairs which found that costs related to medical liability account for more than $55 billion a year or 2.4% of the total costs to the U.S. healthcare system. According to the study, approximately 80%, or $45 billion of these costs are the result of defensive medicine, procedures performed to avoid unnecessary litigation.

17 Sep 2010

Rural hospitals in Minnesota contribute to insurance premiums for poor patients

News outlets report on rural hospitals in Minnesota, a new insurer contract for a Florida hospital and possible restrictions on a pending for-profit hospital system in Massachusetts.

17 Sep 2010

ImmunoCellular contracts with Averionto to execution ICT-107 cancer-vaccine Phase II study

ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd., a biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immune-based cancer therapies, today announced that it has contracted with the clinical research organization (CRO) Averion International Corp. to conduct its planned Phase II study of ICT-107, the Company's lead cancer-vaccine candidate for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

17 Sep 2010

Cytori Therapeutics extends distribution agreement with GE Healthcare

Cytori Therapeutics, Inc. has extended the term and modified the focus of its current distribution agreement with GE Healthcare. GE Healthcare's sales rights allow its sales force to sell Cytori technology in the research markets in select European markets and the US.

17 Sep 2010

AdvaMed fights back against increased FDA scrutiny

A report issued Wednesday by the industry's main trade association Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) "found that there were 101 of the most serious kinds of recalls of medical devices from Jan. 1, 2005 to May 1, 2010, a record that AdvaMed senior executive vice president David Nexon called 'remarkable' considering the number of devices on the market," CQ HealthBeat reports.

17 Sep 2010

China-Biotics files two new patent applications

China-Biotics, Inc., the leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of probiotics products in China, today announced that it has submitted two new patent applications to the State Bureau of Intellect Property.

17 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Repeal, constitutionality and the cost curve

And it will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal debt. No, I am not talking about the health care reform law. I'm talking about the Republican proposals to repeal it (Jonathan Cohn, 9/16).

17 Sep 2010

Roche Diagnostics introduces STAT immunoassays for cardiac biomarker testing

Roche Diagnostics announced today that it has introduced a complete battery of STAT immunoassays for cardiac biomarker testing on the cobas 6000 analyzer series, an integrated system designed for diagnostic labs with medium testing volumes.

From Roche Sequencing and Life Science 17 Sep 2010

First Edition: September 16, 2010

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, done in collaboration with The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn writes: "It will force a lot of people to pay higher premiums. It will lavish subsidies on the private insurance industry. It will put life-and-death decisions in the hands of bureaucrats. And it will add hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal debt" (Kaiser Health News).

17 Sep 2010

Continuum of Care program redesigns workflow, delivery of hospital-based care to maximize clinical effectiveness

The program named "Continuum of Care," and led by co-author Cordelia Sharma, M.D., a Geisinger critical care physician, involves redesigning the workflow and delivery of hospital-based care to maximize clinical effectiveness. Similar to the "patient-centered advanced medical home" model, the program emphasizes timely comprehensive and coordinated care that is personalized to the patient's needs and makes use of Geisinger's advanced electronic clinical information system.

16 Sep 2010

CDPAC to work with health ministers on concrete actions to address childhood obesity

The Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance of Canada (CDPAC), a coalition comprised of ten national organizations committed to integrated action for chronic disease prevention in Canada, commends the federal, provincial and territorial ministers of health for their commitment to address the issue of childhood obesity at their meeting in St. John's Newfoundland yesterday.

16 Sep 2010

Premier ranks 72 on 2010 InformationWeek 500 list

The Premier healthcare alliance and 26 of its more than 2,400 member hospitals have been named to the 2010 InformationWeek 500, a list of the top technology innovators in the nation. Premier was ranked 72 on the 2010 list, which was revealed last night at the InformationWeek 500 Conference in Dana Point, Calif.

16 Sep 2010

Cornerstone OnDemand to showcase Observation Checklist for evaluating performance

The ability to manage performance in industries such as healthcare, manufacturing and education can be a difficult task, especially when it comes to roles where employee performance is best monitored in real time and in relation to a very specific set of skills or competencies. With this in mind, Cornerstone OnDemand is adding an innovative new feature set to its comprehensive learning and talent management software solution, Observation Checklist.

16 Sep 2010