Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

HHS officials to discuss new healthcare disparities and quality reports

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard K. Koh, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Director Dr. Carolyn Clancy will host a conference call and discuss new reports on health care quality and health care disparities faced by racial, ethnic or income groups.

15 Apr 2010

HHS quality report 2009 shows increase in hospital-acquired infections

"The Health and Human Services department's 2009 quality report to Congress found 'very little progress' on eliminating hospital-acquired infections and called for 'urgent attention' to address the shortcomings — first brought to light a decade ago." Specifically, the report found that, for three out of the five major types of serious hospital-related infections, the rate of illness increased.

15 Apr 2010

New cardiac CT technology promises low radiation exposure and improved image quality

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally and a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. Better detection of hardening or clogging of arteries and other blood vessels before symptoms occur is needed.

15 Apr 2010

Investigational treatment with IGIV reduces brain atrophy in Alzheimer's patients

An investigational intervention using naturally ocurring antibodies in human blood has preserved the thinking abilities of a group of mild- to moderate-stage Alzheimer's patients over 18 months and significantly reduced the rate of atrophy (shrinkage) of their brains, according to a study performed at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

15 Apr 2010

Comparing effectiveness of PET and other molecular imaging techniques: SNM receives $48,000 AHRQ grant

SNM has been awarded a $48,000 grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to hold a conference to develop research on the comparative effectiveness of positron emission tomography (PET) and other molecular imaging techniques. The primary emphasis will be on the diagnosis and management of cancer patients, but both cardiology and neurology questions will also be addressed.

15 Apr 2010

CDHP applauds dental coverage in health care reform legislation

The Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP) today applauded the historic dental health care provisions that were recently enacted as part of the health care reform legislation signed into law by President Obama. The provisions contained in the legislation represent an unprecedented investment in the oral health of all Americans, especially children.

15 Apr 2010

New version of FICO Insurance Fraud Manager now available

FICO, the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, today announced the general availability of FICO™ Insurance Fraud Manager 3.1. With this newest version, FICO continues to build upon and strengthen its proven solution for detecting healthcare claim fraud, abuse and errors before claims are paid, and also for identifying suspicious providers as soon as aberrant patterns emerge.

15 Apr 2010

Massachusetts judge denies insurers' requests for double-digit rate hikes

The Boston Globe: "A Suffolk Superior Court judge yesterday denied a request that would have let six Massachusetts health insurers go forward with double-digit rate hikes for tens of thousands of small businesses and individuals, setting up a protracted battle that could become a test of government's role in controlling health care costs.

15 Apr 2010

CWRU School of Medicine becomes OHIP's REC for Ohio

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine has received $7,942,500 million in federal stimulus funds from the Ohio Health Information Partnership (OHIP), the state designated entity for health information exchange development. The funding will position CWRU School of Medicine as a regional extension center (REC) which allows it to help 1,765 health care providers in Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties advance the use of health information technology (HIT) in their practices.

15 Apr 2010

Senate clears way for COBRA vote

Laid-off workers are waiting to hear if a subsidy for health insurance will continue to be available as part of a jobless benefits package working its way through the Senate.

15 Apr 2010

FICO's Insurance Fraud Manager to be incorporated in Emdeon's healthcare revenue and payment cycle solutions

FICO, the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, and Emdeon Inc, a leading provider of healthcare revenue and payment cycle management solutions, today announced a commercial agreement aimed at preventing fraud, waste and abuse in the health insurance system.

15 Apr 2010

A renewed effort to reduce global toll of maternal and child deaths

Widespread global use of known and proven maternal and childcare techniques, practices, and therapies could save the lives of millions of women, newborns and children each year, according to a new analysis prepared for a mid-April meeting of world leaders and technical experts on maternal and child health.

15 Apr 2010

$SBUMC adds Toshiba Aquilion ONE \320-detector row CT system with pediatric imaging capabilities$

SBUMC adds Toshiba Aquilion ONE \320-detector row CT system with pediatric imaging capabilities

A new state-of-the art computed tomography (CT) scanner that provides physicians with precise images of internal organs with a single rotation of the gantry is now in operation at Stony Brook University Medical Center (SBUMC), adding to the hospital's advanced scanner technology.

15 Apr 2010

Health IT Roundup: Data exchange, personal health records on the rise

The Wall Street Journal: "Three leading health-care providers in Colorado's Front Range region recently teamed up in an electronic health-record exchange program that will allow them to share data on more than a million Colorado residents. … The three [health systems] have agreed to share their records on a secure network that will allow clinics, doctors' offices and hospitals to exchange data on common patients instantly, including lab reports, radiology images and medical history" (Landro, 4/13).

15 Apr 2010

NIH awards Corgenix Medical $600,000 grant to develop diagnostic tests for Ebola and Marburg virus

Corgenix Medical Corporation, a worldwide developer and marketer of diagnostic test kits, including innovative products for emerging pathogens and lethal viruses, today announced a major extension of the collaborative effort to combat important viral diseases.

15 Apr 2010

States examine role in health reform implementation, worry over scams

The federal government is turning to states to "to institute key components" of the health overhaul law, "some of which have never existed before."

15 Apr 2010

FDA approves Sagent Pharmaceuticals' two ANDAs to market granisetron

Sagent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the Company's two abbreviated New Drug Applications to market granisetron hydrochloride injection, USP (granisetron), an antiemetic used to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.

15 Apr 2010

Beckman Coulter awarded new agreement with Premier Purchasing Partners for laboratory systems and supplies

Beckman Coulter, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of products that simplify, automate, and innovate complex biomedical testing, announced that effective April 1, 2010, it has been awarded a new agreement with Premier Purchasing Partners, the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc., to provide a full range of core laboratory systems and supplies. Premier is one of the nation's largest healthcare purchasing networks, with more than 2,300 member hospitals and 64,000 additional healthcare sites.

From Beckman Coulter Diagnostics 15 Apr 2010

Scientists develop new guidelines to help doctors diagnose brain tumours in children

Scientists at Birmingham Children's Hospital and the Universities of Nottingham and Southampton have developed new guidelines that should help doctors to diagnose brain tumours in children more quickly.

15 Apr 2010

Guardian examines Africa's health worker shortage

The Guardian's "Katine Chronicles" blog examines the global shortage of health workers. According to the U.K.'s Department for International Development (DfID), more than 50 countries have a "critical shortage" of health workers and Africa needs an additional 800,000 health workers by 2015.

15 Apr 2010