Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

University College London neurology professor becomes first recipient of Lord Brain Memorial Medal

Andrew Lees, Professor of Neurology at University College London, is to be the first ever recipient of the Lord Brain Memorial Medal - awarded for the scientific contributions he has made to the field of movement disorders within the UK. He will receive the medal following his delivery of the inaugural Lord Brain Memorial Lecture; "Brainwashed by the Black Stuff," at Barts and The London Medical School on June 24, 2010.

1 Jul 2010

New and expectant moms do not discuss preterm birth with healthcare providers, shows survey

A new survey shows a majority of new and expectant moms have not discussed preterm birth with their healthcare providers, despite the fact that early prenatal care, including discussion about lifestyle habits and medical history, may give babies a better chance of a healthy, full-term birth. This new survey, titled SPEAKing About Preterm Birth, was conducted among moms and healthcare providers including obstetricians/gynecologists and maternal fetal medicine specialists, by the March of Dimes and BabyCenter, and sponsored by Ther-Rx Corporation.

1 Jul 2010

Lensless cell phone microscope

Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope.

1 Jul 2010

A-Life Medical named winner in Red Herring 100 North America award competition

A-Life Medical, Inc., the pioneer and leading provider of computer-assisted coding (CAC) products and services to the healthcare industry, announced today it was named a winner of Red Herring's Top 100 North America award, a prestigious honor recognizing leading private companies from North America, which celebrated these startups' innovations and technologies across their respective industries.

1 Jul 2010

Best practices issued to help hospitals manage challenging repercussions of healthcare reform legislation

API Healthcare, the leader in healthcare-specific workforce management solutions, today issued a set of best practices to help hospitals of all sizes effectively prepare for and manage the challenging repercussions of healthcare reform legislation. Industry experts expect this legislation to generate millions of new patients, create a severe nursing shortage and have a significant financial impact on hospitals and other healthcare providers.

1 Jul 2010

HHS Secretary to introduce www.HealthCare.gov consumer empowerment tool

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will introduce www.HealthCare.gov, a powerful new tool for consumers. The Secretary and Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer for HHS, will roll out the new site, called for in the Affordable Care Act, demonstrate some of its important features and answer questions from the media.

1 Jul 2010

Greenway receives U.S. Patent for clinical template builder module

Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc., provider of the integrated, single-database electronic health record (EHR), practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSuite®, has been awarded a patent for its innovative template builder module used to create custom clinical templates that can be integrated with financial and administrative workflows.

1 Jul 2010

Mass. reports on people who buy insurance only when sick; Wash. board considers aiding consumers get 'Plan B' referrals; ACLU sues R.I. over electronic records

The Boston Globe: "The number of people who appear to be gaming the state's health insurance system by purchasing coverage only when they are sick quadrupled from 2006 to 2008, according to a long-awaited report released yesterday from the Massachusetts Division of Insurance. The result is that insured residents of Massachusetts wind up paying more for health care, according to the report. … The report was released as state lawmakers consider proposals to make it harder for consumers to jump in and then dump their health insurance coverage" (Lazar, 6/30).

1 Jul 2010

Latest health disparity report examines trend of higher tobacco use among LGBT community

The American Lung Association's latest health disparity report, Smoking Out a Deadly Threat: Tobacco Use in the LGBT Community, examines the trend of higher tobacco use among the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the need for additional research specific to this community.

1 Jul 2010

Constituents of the U.S. healthcare system ready to adopt value-based insurance designs: Study

A new study commissioned by The TriZetto Group, Inc. finds that doctors, health insurers, consumers and other constituents of the U.S. healthcare system say they are ready and willing to adopt value-based insurance designs and related payment programs. Such designs encourage patients and clinicians to make better choices to improve care based on proven best practices, using both better information and financial incentives.

1 Jul 2010

Simbionix, USF Health receive BIRD Grant for development of Laparoscopic Hysterectomy simulation module

Simbionix Ltd., a subsidiary of Simbionix USA Corporation, the world's leading provider of medical education and simulation training products for medical professionals and the healthcare industry, and USF Health, an organization dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health, are proud to announce that together they received a BIRD (Binational Industrial Research and Development) Grant to support the development of a Laparoscopic Hysterectomy simulation module.

1 Jul 2010

California State Assembly eases doctor shortages by supporting SB 726

Citing a federal government estimate that more than 3 million Californians cannot find doctors who will provide them essential medical care, health care and social justice advocates challenge the Senate to show the same level of compassion and leadership demonstrated by yesterday's passage of SB 726 (Ashburn) on the Assembly Floor.

1 Jul 2010

CBO Director: Potential health law savings not enough to reduce long-term deficits

Congressional Budget Office findings that for the first time take into consideration "the new health care law, heralded by President Obama and Democrats for reducing deficits in the long run" were presented today before the president's bipartisan fiscal commission. Among the CBO conclusions is that savings that result from the overhaul "aren't enough to turn deficits around."

1 Jul 2010

Ecolab launches Virasept to treat Clostridium difficile spores

Ecolab Inc. today announced the launch of Virasept, Ecolab's first ready-to-use (no mixing required) hard surface disinfectant approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to be effective against Clostridium difficile spores.

1 Jul 2010

Roche, IBM announce agreement to develop nanopore-based sequencer for decoding human DNA

Roche and IBM announced today an agreement to develop a nanopore-based sequencer that will directly read and decode human DNA quickly and efficiently. Focused on advancing IBM's recently published "DNA Transistor" technology, the collaboration will take advantage of IBM's leadership in microelectronics, information technology and computational biology and Roche's expertise in medical diagnostics and genome sequencing.

1 Jul 2010

Report: Health spending outpaces economic growth in wealthy countries

Reuters on a report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development: The increase in health spending is "piling pressure budgets already hit" by the recession and is "likely to continue rising as populations age, technology improves and public expectations grow. ... Given the urgent need to reduce their budget deficits, many OECD governments will have to make difficult choices to sustain their healthcare systems: curb the growth of public spending on health, cut spending in other areas, or raise taxes," according to the report.

1 Jul 2010

Fero Industries closes acquisition of rights related to production, marketing and distribution of Sucanon

Fero Industries, Inc. is pleased to announce that it has closed the acquisition of certain intellectual property and other associated rights related to the production, marketing, and distribution of Sucanon, a treatment for Type II diabetes.

1 Jul 2010

Health reform's early retiree reinsurance program accepting applications; Other overhaul initiatives get attention

HHS announced Tuesday that it "has begun accepting applications for the early retiree reinsurance program created by the new health law. The law sets aside $5 billion that businesses, unions and state and local governments can use to cover the healthcare costs of their retirees — and their spouses and dependents — who are older than 55 but don't yet qualify for Medicare." Some are worried that money for that program won't last through 2014, when other parts of the law take effect.

30 Jun 2010

GE Capital supports Guardian Healthcare with $90 million in senior secured credit facilities

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services provided and serves as administrative agent for $90 million in senior secured credit facilities to Guardian Healthcare, a leading Medicare-certified provider of professional home healthcare services. The credit facilities will be used for a significant acquisition and to refinance existing indebtedness. The remaining funds will be used for additional growth capital and general corporate purposes. GE Capital Markets served as the lead arranger for the credit facilities.

30 Jun 2010

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals closes $40 million Series C financing

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the leader in the development of isoform-selective phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitors for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases, today announced it has closed a $40 million Series C financing. The financing was led by Quogue Capital, LLC along with existing investors Alta Partners, Amgen Ventures, Frazier Healthcare and Three Arch Partners and new investor Latterell Venture Partners.

30 Jun 2010

Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

University College London neurology professor becomes first recipient of Lord Brain Memorial Medal

New and expectant moms do not discuss preterm birth with healthcare providers, shows survey

Lensless cell phone microscope

A-Life Medical named winner in Red Herring 100 North America award competition

Best practices issued to help hospitals manage challenging repercussions of healthcare reform legislation

HHS Secretary to introduce www.HealthCare.gov consumer empowerment tool

Greenway receives U.S. Patent for clinical template builder module

Mass. reports on people who buy insurance only when sick; Wash. board considers aiding consumers get 'Plan B' referrals; ACLU sues R.I. over electronic records

Latest health disparity report examines trend of higher tobacco use among LGBT community

Constituents of the U.S. healthcare system ready to adopt value-based insurance designs: Study

Simbionix, USF Health receive BIRD Grant for development of Laparoscopic Hysterectomy simulation module

California State Assembly eases doctor shortages by supporting SB 726

CBO Director: Potential health law savings not enough to reduce long-term deficits

Ecolab launches Virasept to treat Clostridium difficile spores

Roche, IBM announce agreement to develop nanopore-based sequencer for decoding human DNA

Report: Health spending outpaces economic growth in wealthy countries

Fero Industries closes acquisition of rights related to production, marketing and distribution of Sucanon

Health reform's early retiree reinsurance program accepting applications; Other overhaul initiatives get attention

GE Capital supports Guardian Healthcare with $90 million in senior secured credit facilities

Calistoga Pharmaceuticals closes $40 million Series C financing

Industry Focus: Cell & Gene Therapy eBook

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Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Industry Focus: Cell & Gene Therapy eBook

How can super-resolution technology help study neurotransmission?

The Proteoform Puzzle: Unlocking the Next Frontier

Synthetic Biology and the Pursuit of Living Diagnostics

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