Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

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

WHO pledges support to the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Campaign

The World Health Organization is pledging its support to the One Million Safe Schools and Hospitals Campaign launched yesterday in Manila. The goal of the new United Nations' global campaign is to protect health and educational facilities, and the millions of people who rely on them for healthcare and learning, from emergencies.

9 Apr 2010

IMAGE project to be launched for prevention of type 2 diabetes

Researchers and clinicians from across the UK have been part of a pan-European team that has developed the first Europe wide strategy for the prevention of type 2 diabetes. The project received substantial funding of -1.2 million from the European Union.

9 Apr 2010

Developing nations: Laboratories for health care innovation

9 Apr 2010

World Vision to construct transitional shelters for displaced Haitians

World Vision is supporting the first relocation of 7,500 displaced Haitians from camps in Port-au-Prince to a site on the outskirts of the city where transitional shelters will be built. In partnership with other agencies, World Vision will construct one-third of the 1,356 shelters planned for a 75 sq. kilometre plot of land recently allocated by the Government of Haiti for people most at risk from the upcoming rainy season.

9 Apr 2010

Cephalon acquires Mepha

Cephalon, Inc. announced that it has today completed its previously announced acquisition of Mepha, the Swiss-based pharmaceutical company. As a result of the acquisition, Mepha is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cephalon. The purchase price paid at closing, inclusive of certain closing adjustments, was CHF 662.4 million (or approximately US$615.4 million). The purchase price is also subject to further post-closing working capital and net debt adjustments.

9 Apr 2010

Hospitalists shape the future of American healthcare system

On March 21, 2010, Congress passed the most comprehensive healthcare reform bill since the formation of Medicare. While a monumental achievement, the bill leaves much of the critical work of healthcare reform unfinished, according to a new editorial by Dr. Robert Wachter, Chief of the Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and past president of the Society of Hospital Medicine, in the April issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine.

9 Apr 2010

A*STAR announces fifth major collaboration with Italian research centres and universities

Two research units under Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), the Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC) and Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), are collaborating with Italy's Siena Biotech S.p.A. to develop new drugs and targeted antibodies respectively, which will potentially help millions of cancer and bone loss patients across the world. This is the fifth major collaboration A*STAR has with research centres and universities in Italy .

9 Apr 2010

RED BOOK Drug References continue to provide current pricing, product information on drugs

Some vendors have announced they will stop publishing the Average Wholesale Price of drugs in 2011, but Thomson Reuters will continue to supply this needed information in RED BOOK.

9 Apr 2010

MedVentive announces completion of oversubscribed Series C fundraising

MedVentive announced today the completion of its oversubscribed Series C fundraising. The $10 million in capital is targeted to fuel the company's next phase of product innovation, which will expand the ability of its technology to reduce costs to purchasers while improving the quality of care to patients.

9 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 9, 2010

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jaclyn Schiff writes: A few months ago, GE Healthcare rolled out a portable electrocardiogram machine, trumpeting the new product's ability to help patients wherever they might need it. But the most interesting thing about the MAC 800 is not where it can go, but where it came from: China (Kaiser Health News).

9 Apr 2010

Clarian Health Partners selects MedVentive as technology partner

Clarian Health Partners, Indiana's largest healthcare system, has selected MedVentive as a technology partner for its clinically-integrated network, Clarian Quality Partners.

9 Apr 2010

Smokers prepared to "say no" to the raise of cigarette tax

As New York prepares to raise the cigarette tax to $3.75 per pack, smokers are prepared to "say no" as the price of a pack of smokes hits a record price of $8.79.

9 Apr 2010

Stimulating care homes can help people living with dementia

New research by Kingston University has revealed how design can improve the quality of life for people with dementia. The University hopes the new study will form a blueprint for future building, lay-out and management of care homes.

9 Apr 2010

BeaconEquity.com announces investment report featuring Avanir Pharmaceuticals

BeaconEquity.com announces an investment report featuring Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc. The report includes financial, comparative and investment analyses, and industry information you need to know to make an educated investment decision.

9 Apr 2010

Transcend Services submits $78.25M bid for acquisition of Spheris

TRANSCEND SERVICES, INC., the third largest provider of medical transcription services to the U.S. healthcare market, announced today that it has submitted a bid to acquire substantially all of the assets of Nashville, Tennessee-based Spheris, Inc. and the stock of its subsidiary for $78.25 million.

9 Apr 2010