Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

CCP introduces Concierge Choice Cardiology for non-invasive cardiologists

The nation's leader in hybrid concierge medicine, Concierge Choice Physicians, has introduced the first targeted and viable concierge program for non-invasive cardiologists who also provide other internal medicine services to patients. Called Concierge Choice Cardiology, the new program employs the CCP hybrid model to offset many of the economic and professional challenges that recent changes in reimbursement rates have created.

12 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 12, 2010

Among today's headlines are stories about House lawmakers facing the music back home regarding their health votes.

12 Apr 2010

Stupak to retire, Republicans continue to hit Democrats on health care

CBS News reports that Rep. Bart Stupak, a lightning rod holdout on health care reform who eventually voted for the law, will retire this year. "Had Stupak sought re-election, he would have faced challengers from both the left and the right backed by interest groups angered by Stupak's health care vote" (Condon, 4/9).

12 Apr 2010

Kaiser Health News examines health innovations from developing countries

Kaiser Health News examines several health care innovations that started out in developing countries and were then brought to the U.S.

12 Apr 2010

New CZT-based cardiac nuclear imaging system now at Mount Sinai Medical Center

The Mount Sinai Medical Center has become the first in the United States to commercially use a new cardiac nuclear imaging system by GE Healthcare, a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT)-based high-speed, high-resolution camera that drastically reduces imaging time for patients while also reducing radiation exposure compared to previously used technologies.

12 Apr 2010

Internet-based CBT as effective as group therapy for treating panic disorder

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) via the internet is just as effective in treating panic disorder (recurring panic attacks) as traditional group-based CBT. It is also efficacious in the treatment of mild and moderate depression. This according to a new doctoral thesis soon to be presented at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet.

12 Apr 2010

Health Alliance Medical Plans licenses Thomson Reuters Treatment Cost Calculator

Health Alliance Medical Plans, a provider-sponsored health insurer in the Midwest, has licensed Thomson Reuters Treatment Cost Calculator, an application that tells health plan members how much they will pay out-of-pocket for upcoming healthcare services.

12 Apr 2010

Ness Technologies led consortium to provide Electronic Healthcare Services system for Slovak Republic

Ness Technologies, Inc., a global provider of information technology solutions and services, announced today that Ness, as the leader of a consortium with its partner Lynx, Ltd., has won a public tender with the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic to provide the first phase of an Electronic Healthcare Services system, valued at EUR32.4 million, or approximately $44 million, excluding VAT. The term of the initial phase is 24 months.

12 Apr 2010

Health insurance and new laws: Questions still abound

In Massachusetts, individuals and small businesses are in limbo about their future rates, The Boston Globe reports: "Hundreds of individuals and owners of small businesses seeking to buy health insurance this week were turned away from the state's Health Connector website as the standoff between insurers and Massachusetts regulators dragged" on.

12 Apr 2010

World first - newborn receives xenon gas in bid to prevent brain injury

In a world first, xenon gas has been successfully delivered to a newborn baby in a bid to prevent brain injury following a lack of oxygen at birth. This pioneering technique was developed by Professor Marianne Thoresen of the University of Bristol and carried out at St Michael’s Hospital, part of University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust.

12 Apr 2010

New TIVR telephone system to teach pain management skills to patients with arthritis

Joan Broderick, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stony Brook University, has received a $606,000 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.

12 Apr 2010

GE Healthcare to present results of phase 2 study of flutemetamol at HAI Meeting

GE Healthcare will today present results from its multicenter phase 2 study of flutemetamol at the 4th annual Human Amyloid Imaging Meeting in Toronto, Canada. Flutemetamol is a positron emission tomography imaging agent in development by GE Healthcare, in the field of brain imaging.

12 Apr 2010

Elmendorf: Health reform will reduce deficit, warns of fiscal crisis

In remarks to reporters Thursday, Congressional Budget Office director Doug Elmendorf warned of a looming budget crisis that "cannot be solved through minor tinkering." The nation's "unsustainable" spending could increase the national debt from $7.5 trillion at the end of 2009 to 20.3 trillion in 2020, when the debt would total 90 percent of gross domestic product, Elmendorf noted (Allen, 4/8).

12 Apr 2010

Massachusetts Health Connector renews contract to serve Commonwealth Care members

Centene Corporation today announced that the Massachusetts Health Connector has renewed its contract with Celtic Group's subsidiary, CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts, to serve Commonwealth Care members, effective July 1, 2010.

9 Apr 2010

List of MCEG's Annual Top Ten issues

Likely to be the first professional healthcare group to meet immediately after healthcare reform legislation passed, the Managed Care Executive Group held its annual forum in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida last week.

9 Apr 2010

Mass. judge could rule on health insurer dispute by Monday

"Lawyers for health insurers and the state sparred in court yesterday over regulators' rejection of 235 proposed rate increases, and a judge said he would decide by Monday whether the companies will be allowed to charge the higher prices." The insurers are arguing that the state's insurance commissioner overstepped his authority in rejecting the 235 of 274 requests to increase premiums (Weisman, 4/9).

9 Apr 2010

Updated Safe Practices for Better Healthcare manual

To improve the quality and safety of healthcare in the United States, the National Quality Forum is releasing its updated manual Safe Practices for Better Healthcare. The 34 Safe Practices outlined in the manual are tools to prevent healthcare errors and address common issues like healthcare-associated infections, medication errors, surgical errors, and pressure ulcers

9 Apr 2010

FDA grants 510(K) clearance to market Vitala Continence Control Device

ConvaTec, a world-leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted 510(K) clearance to market Vitala, an exceptionally innovative, non-intrusive ostomy continence control device, for people with an end colostomy.

9 Apr 2010

Research roundup: The effects of health IT, doctor-owned treatment centers, long-term care issues

Physician-Ownership Of Ambulatory Surgery Centers Linked To Higher Volume Of Surgeries - The authors analyzed data from Florida, using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State Ambulatory Surgery Databases, revealing "a significant association between physician-ownership of surgicenters and greater use" of certain outpatient procedures.

9 Apr 2010

Medtronic named 2010 MDEA winner for excellence in medical device design

Medtronic announced today that the company was named a 2010 Medical Device Excellence Award winner for excellence in medical device design for its Hydrodebrider System, manufactured by the company's Ear Nose and Throat business unit.

9 Apr 2010