Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Global Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration to identify solutions for shortage of nurse faculty

The global nursing shortage is due in part to a lack of faculty in nursing schools and to a phenomenon known as nurse migration, where nurses leave their country of origin to work elsewhere. In response, the International Council of Nurses and the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, supported by The Elsevier Foundation, will conduct the Global Summit on Nurse Faculty Migration-a meeting of nurse experts who will examine the problem, and identify realistic and measurable solutions.

7 Apr 2010

Study provides benchmark data to evaluate quality of management of sickle cell disease

The largest study to date of the use of acute care medical services by people with sickle cell disease found four of every 10 had to return to the hospital within 30 days of a previous hospitalization or go to the emergency department for treatment of pain, according to a new study funded in part by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

Sickle cell disease: Rehospitalization rates high

7 Apr 2010

AHRQ: Women accounted for nearly 60% of 39.4M admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007

Women accounted for nearly 60 percent of the 39.4 million admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

7 Apr 2010

MEDEC adopts revised, restated Code of Conduct on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals

Effective today MEDEC membership has adopted a revised and restated Code of Conduct on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals.

7 Apr 2010

IZI Medical Products introduces Mammography Indicator Markers

IZI Medical Products today announced that the company has developed and begun distributing two new lines of flat mammography markers, which are being manufactured in the United States and sold worldwide under the brand, Mammography Indicator® Markers.

7 Apr 2010

Hospital charges for uninsured inpatient care grows by 88%

The amount that hospitals charge the uninsured for inpatient care grew by 88 percent between 1998 and 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The average charge for an uninsured hospital stay grew from $11,400 in 1998 to $21,400 in 2007 after adjusting for inflation.

7 Apr 2010

Media outlets examine urbanization, health ahead of World Health Day

Several media outlets examine the health risks associated with rapid urbanization around the world - the theme of this year's World Health Day, to be marked on Wednesday.

7 Apr 2010

Rome Foundation develops Diagnostic Algorithms to diagnose GI symptoms

New clinical algorithms will give physicians a practical, efficient and cost-effective aid to diagnose the frequent gastrointestinal symptoms that patients commonly bring to their primary care doctors and gastroenterologists--symptoms of functional GI disorders that are often difficult to diagnose.

7 Apr 2010

Publicis Groupe announces acquisition of In-Sync

Publicis Groupe announced today that it has acquired Toronto-based In-Sync, a recognized thought leader in the customer insight space. In-Sync will become part of Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG). In-Sync, with 75 employees, is a market research consultancy offering a fully integrated suite of innovative, quantitative and qualitative branded products to top biopharma companies worldwide. The acquisition of In-Sync will strengthen PHCG's edge by providing clients with greater customer insight in the healthcare space.

7 Apr 2010

Avastin approval to drive ovarian cancer drug market to $1.5 billion in 2018

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the ovarian cancer drug market -- driven by the approval and rapid uptake of Roche/Genentech/Chugai's Avastin -- will more than triple from $449 million in 2008 to just under $1.5 billion in 2018 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

7 Apr 2010

Patients with sickle cell disease require acute care: Study

Patients with sickle cell disease average about 2.5 hospital visits per year, with 18- to 30-year old patients more likely to require acute care or rehospitalization, according to a study in the April 7 issue of JAMA.

7 Apr 2010

Sebelius vows implementation of health law will be clear, transparent

"U.S. health officials aim to move swiftly and clearly to implement newly enacted healthcare reforms, the nation's health secretary said in remarks on Tuesday aimed at selling Americans on the benefits of the controversial changes," Reuters reports. In excerpts of a speech to be delivered today at the National Press Club, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius explained health officials would work "to be as clear and transparent as possible" as the law is implemented. "

7 Apr 2010

Medicare advantage insurers won't see increase in 2011

Payments for Medicare Advantage plans, which are operated by private health insurers, will be frozen at this year's rates in 2011, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports.

7 Apr 2010

$13,000 per year AIDS drugs Reyataz: AHF calls upon BMS to lower price

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is pressing New York-based drug firm Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) to lower the price of its key AIDS drug, Reyataz—currently priced at over $13,000 per year—for lifesaving, but financially hard-hit AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) nationwide.

7 Apr 2010

FDA grants 510(k) clearance for STERIS SYSTEM 1E Liquid Chemical Sterilant Processing System

STERIS Corporation today announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for the STERIS SYSTEM 1E® Liquid Chemical Sterilant Processing System.

7 Apr 2010

Insurers sue Mass. regulators over rejected rate hikes

Massachusetts insurers are suing the state government after regulators rejected proposed double-digit premium rate increases that would have gone into effect April 1. The move would spell hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for the six insurers that joined the suit, the firms said.

7 Apr 2010

Berwick, Blumenthal may form dream team at CMS

Healthcare IT News: "If Donald Berwick, MD, is confirmed as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, he and David Blumenthal, MD, the national coordinator for health IT, would be a 'dream team' in pursuing a coherent national healthcare and health IT strategy. At least that's the assessment of Kerry Weems, who spent 25 years in senior roles at the Health and Human Services Department and was acting administrator of CMS from Sept. 2007 until the Obama administration took over.

7 Apr 2010

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services supports CCS Medical with $35M revolving line of credit

GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services today announced it has provided a $35 million revolving line of credit to CCS Medical, Inc. The loan will be used to refinance existing debt, provide working capital and support growth initiatives following CCS Medical's exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 31, 2010.

7 Apr 2010

Today's OpEds: Harkin, Coleman, Leavitt and others

Despite all the talk recently about how our nation has become divided and ungovernable, we have proved not only that we are governable, but also that we still have the capacity to act with boldness and vision (Sen. Tom Harkin, 4/6).

7 Apr 2010