Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

At summit, AU leaders discuss funding challenges for maternal, child health

African leaders focused on the theme of the 15th African Union (AU) Summit on Sunday: maternal and infant mortality on the continent, PANA/Afrique en ligne reports (7/26).

28 Jul 2010

Aperio receives patent for image viewing technology

Aperio Technologies, Inc., (Aperio), a global leader in digital pathology for the healthcare and life sciences industry, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company patent No. 7,738,688 entitled, "System and Method for Viewing Virtual Slides."

28 Jul 2010

BMJ News reports on Russia's $15.1B health care overhaul

Russia will undergo a $15.1 billion overhaul of its health care sector, including changes to its medical insurance system as well as health care delivery across the country, according to BMJ News. It is "the biggest reform of its troubled healthcare sector - described by Vladimir Putin, the prime minster, as 'deplorable.'" Russian MPs approved the legislation calling for the change in a preliminary vote in in July.

28 Jul 2010

ITelagen to host, support and manage EHR for Allergy and Asthma Associates

ITelagen, a leading provider of electronic health record (EHR) hosting and management announced that it was selected by Allergy and Asthma Associates of Northern California, San Jose, CA to host, support and manage EHR for their medical practice. The solution includes hosting of patient data in ITelagen's SAS-70 Type II certified datacenter and unlimited IT support for staff members.

28 Jul 2010

AirStrip Remote Patient Monitoring solution receives FDA marketing clearance

AirStrip Technologies, a pioneer in mobile medical software applications, today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market the AirStrip Remote Patient Monitoring solution (RPM), including AirStrip RPM CRITICAL CARE and AirStrip RPM CARDIOLOGY.

28 Jul 2010

State governments expect tax collections to grow but still face budget gaps

The Wall Street Journal: "State governments expect tax collections to grow for the first time in two years as tax increases and a recovering economy lead to higher collections. But states are still likely to face at least two more years of financial troubles and about half will see gaps in this year's budgets if Congress doesn't extend special Medicaid payments that were part of the 2009 stimulus act, according to a report expected to be released Tuesday by the National Conference of State Legislatures.

28 Jul 2010

BioImagene collaborates with ten new academic medical centers to develop digital pathology solutions

BioImagene, Inc., the leading provider of innovative digital pathology solutions has added ten new academic medical centers to its roster of collaborators during the last quarter. Many of these collaborators have been named "America's Best Hospitals 2010-2011: The Honor Roll" by U.S. News and World Report.

28 Jul 2010

Abortion, other issues continue to stoke the politics surrounding health reform

Politico reports that "the issues of health care and abortion" are making the campaign tough for some Democrats. Among the vulnerable Democrats are Reps. Kathleen Dahlkemper, D-Pa.; Steve Driehaus, D-Ohio; and Indiana Reps. Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth, who is running for Senate. "'We are going to do everything we can to point out that Democrats who said they were pro-life caved on the big one,' said Marilyn Musgrave, a former Colorado congresswoman.

28 Jul 2010

DIATHERIX Laboratories opens rapid response diagnostic panels for STD, HSV

DIATHERIX Laboratories ,adds a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) panel and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) panel to its line up of highly sensitive, rapid response diagnostic panels. The HSV panel identifies herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 and the STD panel identifies 10 sexually transmitted diseases simultaneously, many of which cannot be accurately identified by current testing methods. These STD organisms, if not appropriately treated, can cause diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhoeae, chlamydia, bacterial vaginosis, etc. and may lead to blindness, infertility or complications during pregnancy.

28 Jul 2010

Seniors understand very little about health overhaul law, poll finds

The Hill: "The majority of the nation's seniors have little understanding of what the Democrats' newly enacted healthcare law actually does, according to poll results released Monday. The survey, sponsored by the National Council on Aging (NCOA), an advocate for seniors, found that only 17 percent of respondents could answer even half of the 12 questions about key provisions in the law selected by the NCOA.

28 Jul 2010

Maryland sees savings in federal health law, for a while at least

Maryland could spend $829 million less than expected on health care between next year and 2020 because of the federal health overhaul law, according to an analysis by a state-convened committee, The Associated Press/Washington Post reports. "The savings, however, last only until the end of the decade, when the federal law shifts a greater share of financial responsibility for Medicaid expansion to the states." The analysis was produced by the state's Health Care Reform Coordinating Council, a panel created by Gov. Martin O'Malley in March (Witte, 7/26).

28 Jul 2010

GE Healthcare completes new $15 million medical technology manufacturing facility in Cardiff, Wales

Life sciences giant GE Healthcare has opened a $15 million medical technology manufacturing facility in Cardiff, Wales. The new facility is based at the 30-acre Maynard Centre, where the company already employs over 400 people.

28 Jul 2010

Industry still making sense of federal e-health regs

Health care industry players are still sorting out the latest regulations on an up-to-$36 billion federal program to encourage doctors and hospitals to use electronic medical records.

28 Jul 2010

WWHI participates in joint meeting to explore barriers to wireless communications, health care solutions

The West Wireless Health Institute today announced its participation in the first joint meeting hosted by the Federal Communications Commission and Food & Drug Administration to explore the potential barriers that may slow the convergence of wireless communications and health care solutions.

27 Jul 2010

Millennium Laboratories urges for increase in physician reimbursement for POC urine drug screening

Millennium Laboratories, Inc., a national, research-based medication monitoring company specifically focused on clinicians who treat chronic pain, strongly advocated for an increase in physician reimbursement for point-of-care urine drug screening at the Annual Clinical Laboratory Public Meeting of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on July 22, 2010.

27 Jul 2010

MedClean Technologies announces support for The IMWTA with the launch of IMWTA.com

MedClean Technologies, the leading provider of on-site technology for the treatment and disposal of medical waste and the destruction of confidential documents and related media, today announced its support for The IMWTA with the launch of IMWTA.com, an online portal to complement Barnett Medical Services' recent formation of the Independent Medical Waste Transporters Association designed to provide members significant exposure and resources to compete nationally.

27 Jul 2010

SBHCS deploys MedeAnalytics platform to automate patient access process of health system

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, today announced that the Saint Barnabas Health Care System has selected MedeAnalytics Patient Access Intelligence solution to automate the complete patient access process of the health system.

27 Jul 2010

Quick-Med Technologies announces launch of new website

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc., a life sciences company that is developing innovative technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets, has recently launched a new website, www.quickmedtech.com, highlighting its innovative patented technologies.

27 Jul 2010

VillageReach announces $5.6M program to strengthen national health system in Mozambique

VillageReach, the Seattle-based social enterprise that increases access to healthcare for remote, last mile communities in low-income countries, today announced a $5.6 million program to strengthen the national health system in Mozambique. Contributions for the six-year program total $1.2 million to date.

27 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 27, 2010

Today's health policy news includes reports about the continuing Senate backlash to Dr. Donald Berwick's appointment to head the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as findings from a new poll that reveal seniors really don't understand health reform.

27 Jul 2010