Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

C-SSRS is effective for monitoring suicidality in clinical trials: ERT

ERT , a leading provider of centralized services to global pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, announces that a recent survey of over 250 respondents reported that all clinicians polled found the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to be an effective method for prospectively monitoring suicidality.

3 Jul 2010

Medical information on Internet may not be accurate or complete

The quality of online information about the most common sports medicine diagnoses varies widely, according to a study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Therefore, patients who use the Internet to help make medical decisions need to know that the web may not be giving the whole picture.

3 Jul 2010

Senate Democrats tax prosthetic limbs, other vital medical devices, refuse to exempt veterans

As the nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day with parades and barbecues, America's veterans face a new tax on prosthetic limbs and other vital medical devices.

3 Jul 2010

Gov. Patrick signs new law to stiffen penalties for assault on nurses and other health care workers

Surrounded by registered nurses and legislators, Governor Deval Patrick today signed a law that will stiffen the penalties for those who assault nurses and other health care workers, one of a series of measures the state's nurses are proposing to address the growing problem of workplace violence in health care settings. The vote follows unanimous votes to approve the measure in both houses of the legislature.

3 Jul 2010

State Roundup: Florida to investigate WellCare; Calif. budget cuts; Computer system helps states find Medicaid savings

Nextgov: "A 17-year-old computer data matching system designed to prevent welfare recipients from drawing benefits in more than one state at a time is now helping cash-strapped states save millions of dollars -- but not as originally intended.

3 Jul 2010

Coventry's Fitch ratings unaffected by Louisiana Court of Appeals' adverse ruling

Fitch Ratings commented today that its ratings on Coventry Health Care, Inc. (Coventry) are unaffected by the company's announcement this morning that it will take a $278 million charge against second-quarter earnings related to an adverse ruling by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the state of Louisiana.

3 Jul 2010

Blacks five times more prone to hypertension than Whites

The hospital admission rate for Blacks with hypertension was 161 per 100,000 people in 2006 - nearly 5 times the hospitalization rate for Whites (33 admissions per 100,000), according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

3 Jul 2010

Consumers examine government's new health care website, health insurers critical

News outlets continue to report on the federal government's new health care website, healthcare.gov, launched Thursday.

3 Jul 2010

Insurer stocks drop; Drugmakers shed 35,000 jobs

News outlets report on a drop in health insurance stocks and the elimination of 35,000 jobs in the drug industry this year.

3 Jul 2010

High-risk pools begin taking applications in some states

The Dallas Morning News: The federal government began accepting applications Thursday for coverage through high-risk insurance pools from people who have been unable to obtain insurance on the commercial market due to pre-existing conditions. "To be eligible, people must be uninsured for at least six months and have been turned down for coverage by a private insurer because of a medical problem. Applications for the insurance are available online at www.HealthCare.gov. Coverage starts Aug. 1" (Boderson, 7/2).

3 Jul 2010

ePlus subsidiary achieves HP PartnerONE Healthcare Elite status

ePlus inc. announced today that its subsidiary, ePlus Technology inc., has achieved HP PartnerONE Healthcare Elite status. HP partners who attain Healthcare Elite status are considered experts in the healthcare environment, with superior HP-validated industry qualifications in everything from small practices to large healthcare systems.

3 Jul 2010

Hospitals in Iowa, Kentucky and Massachusetts face new challenges, opportunities

Quad-City Times: "A proposed change in Medicare reimbursement could increase payments to Iowa hospitals by more than $12.5 million next year. At the same time, a rule change on reimbursement to doctors could boost their Medicare payments by 5 percent beginning next year. 'This will mean a great deal to Iowa hospitals that have been struggling for many years,' said U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

3 Jul 2010

Virginia challenge to health overhaul goes to court

Justice Department and the state of Virginia lawyers faced off Thursday in the first challenge of the federal government's authority to require people purchase health insurance.

3 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Insurance premium caps; Doc shortage; High-risk pool

The insurer's proposed premium hikes are staggering, but the problem is that medical costs have been growing considerably faster than inflation. AB 2578 would help put a check on unjustified hikes ... The Assembly passed the bill last month, and we urge the Senate to follow suit (7/2).

3 Jul 2010

PhenotypeIT launches integrated Corporate Health and Wellness Management Platform

PhenotypeIT, Inc. announced today the launch of its PhIT™ platform, the first truly integrated Corporate Health and Wellness Management Platform that predicts disease and chronic health conditions before their onset and provides critical aggregated data to employers to reduce costs. The PhIT platform accurately assesses the impact of current and future health conditions, and assesses the cost implications of these conditions and related loss of productivity for the employer.

2 Jul 2010

HMS acquires AMG-SIU for $26.2 million

HMS today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Allied Management Group (AMG-SIU), a leading provider of fraud, waste, and abuse prevention and detection solutions for healthcare payors, in an all-cash transaction. AMG-SIU is based in Santa Ana, California.

2 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 2, 2010

Today's health policy headlines include the latest developments regarding Virginia's legal challenge to the federal health care overhaul.

2 Jul 2010

MedAptus awarded U.S. patent for "Method and System for Processing Medical Billing Records"

MedAptus®, the market leader in charge capture technologies, announced today that it has been awarded U.S. patent number 7,685,002 entitled "Method and System for Processing Medical Billing Records." The patent pertains to MedAptus' automated process for completely and accurately capturing both professional and facility charges in outpatient settings.

2 Jul 2010

Sensor-augmented insulin-pump therapy effective for type 1 diabetes patients

Adding a continuous blood sugar level sensor to an insulin pump helps patients with type 1 diabetes achieve better blood sugar control compared to the common standard of care, multiple daily insulin injections, concludes a study published on-line today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

2 Jul 2010

Visually impaired people dose accurately with insulin pens: Study

Labels on the popular insulin pen used by people with diabetes warn against visually-impaired people using pens to measure out and administer their insulin dosage.

2 Jul 2010