Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

New health care leaders named

News outlets report on new leadership appointments at key health care groups.

19 Jul 2010

GE Capital serves as sole lender to Mitralign for $5 million senior secured credit facility

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services announced today that it served as agent and sole lender to Mitralign, Inc. for a $5 million senior secured credit facility. Mitralign will use the credit facility for working capital as the company advances development of its mitral valve repair device.

19 Jul 2010

Sharps Compliance enters new $5.0M Credit Agreement with Wells Fargo Bank

Sharps Compliance Corp., a leading full-service provider of cost-effective management solutions for medical waste and unused dispensed medications generated outside the hospital and large healthcare facility setting, announced today that it has entered into a new $5.0 million, two-year Credit Agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association.

19 Jul 2010

Oncolytics Biotech receives Canadian approval for combination REOLYSIN Phase 3 trial in head, neck cancer

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. today announced that it has received a No Objection Letter from Health Canada to conduct its Phase 3 trial examining REOLYSIN in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin in patients with platinum-refractory head and neck cancers.

19 Jul 2010

AMAC declares special cash dividend for second time

American Medical Alert Corp. a healthcare communications solutions provider, today announced that its Board of Directors has approved the payment of a special cash dividend of $0.10 (ten cents) per common share. The dividend will be paid on or about October 1, 2010 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on September 13, 2010.

19 Jul 2010

On Assignment acquires Sharpstream

On Assignment, Inc. announced today the acquisition of Sharpstream, a privately owned provider of search services for executive to middle managers in the life sciences sector globally.

19 Jul 2010

Microarrays acquired from Vanderbilt University

Microarrays, Inc. (MI), an innovator of array-based technologies for biological research, detection and diagnostics, today announced that the company's management team and a group of independent investors have purchased MI from Vanderbilt University. The new company structure will allow MI to more quickly and nimbly respond to client's rapidly expanding needs, especially within the diagnostic and health care arenas.

19 Jul 2010

Erie County Medical Center to implement Allscripts EHR

Allscripts announced today that Erie County Medical Center Corporation, a 550-bed academic medical center in Buffalo, has selected the Allscripts Electronic Health Record (EHR) for 100 of its physicians to enhance the quality of patient care, improve physician and patient communications, and better manage the cost of care delivery in 24 outpatient clinics.

19 Jul 2010

EndoStim raises $6M in Series B equity financing round

EndoStim, Inc., a medical device company developing minimally-invasive interventional therapies to treat gastrointestinal and urological neuro-muscular disorders, today announced it has raised $6 million in Series B equity financing. Santé Ventures, a life science venture capital firm, led the round and was joined by the Prolog Ventures, Vectis Healthcare & Life Sciences Fund II and returning angel investors.

19 Jul 2010

Sen. Roberts lashes out at recess appointment of Berwick

"Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts is taking aim at President Barack Obama for making a recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick as the new head of the federal agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid," CNN reported.

19 Jul 2010

Businesses, states seek solutions to rising health insurance costs

News outlets, including The New York Times, reported on health insurance in light of the new law: "the country's biggest insurers are promoting affordable plans with reduced premiums that require participants to use a narrower selection of doctors or hospitals.

19 Jul 2010

AHRQ: 12M people with mental health, substance abuse problems visited emergency department in 2007

Nearly 12 million visits made to U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2007 involved people with a mental disorder, substance abuse problem, or both, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This accounts for one in eight of the 95 million visits to emergency departments by adults that year.

17 Jul 2010

Percentage of nursing home residents kept physically restrained declined to 5% in 2007: AHRQ

The number of residents at nursing homes who were kept physically restrained dropped by more than half from 1999 to 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

17 Jul 2010

Report on current state of research in information security and privacy in healthcare

Information security and privacy in the healthcare sector is an issue of growing importance but much remains to be done to address the various issues raised by healthcare consumers regarding privacy and security and the providers' perspective of regulatory compliance.

17 Jul 2010

Patient advocacy groups, home medical associations call for end to Medicare competitive bidding program

In a letter signed by 58 patient advocacy groups and home medical equipment associations, the American Association for Homecare urged Congress to pass H.R. 3790, a bill to repeal the Medicare competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment in a budget-neutral manner. The bill currently has 252 cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.

17 Jul 2010

Medicaid directors worried over expansion, Indiana's says federal government is not giving enough guidance

The new health law calls for dramatic increase in Medicaid programs, the joint federal-state health coverage for low-income residents. Some state Medicaid directors say they are worried about how that expansion will work and some are complaining that they are not getting enough guidance from federal officials.

17 Jul 2010

New microfluidic device for effective HIV diagnosis

UC Davis biomedical engineer Prof. Alexander Revzin has developed a "lab on a chip" device for HIV testing. Revzin's microfluidic device uses antibodies to "capture" white blood cells called T cells that are affected by HIV. In addition to physically binding these cells the test detects the types and levels of inflammatory proteins (cytokines) released by the cells.

17 Jul 2010

InformedDNA named finalist for Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards

Informed Medical Decisions, Inc. (InformedDNA) has been selected as one of 30 finalists for the Best Practices in Health Care Consumer Empowerment and Protection Awards. URAC, the nation's leading accreditation organization, will honor the finalists during their 11th Annual Quality Summit, October 5-7, 2010 in Chicago, IL.

17 Jul 2010

ICON opens purpose-built clinical pharmacology unit within CMFT campus

ICON plc,, a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced the official opening of a purpose-built clinical pharmacology unit within the Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust (CMFT) campus in Manchester, UK. Initial studies in the unit utilising translational medicine methodologies to expedite drug development projects began in June, and already 110 volunteers have participated in studies there.

17 Jul 2010

HealthCare Appraisers opens new office in Wayne, Pennsylvania

HealthCare Appraisers, Inc. (HAI) announced today that the firm has opened a new office in the Philadelphia area. The new office, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, is part of HAI's continued office expansion to provide fair market value (FMV) analysis and valuation services to the healthcare and life sciences industries nationwide.

17 Jul 2010