Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Compliance Jumpstart introduces healthcare compliance program

Compliance Jumpstart, a privately held compliance consulting firm assisting medical companies with implementing healthcare compliance programs addressing areas such as the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law, announced the introduction of their healthcare compliance program.

23 Jun 2010

A*STAR physicist receives prestigious 2010 IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology

Physicist David William Townsend will be honoured with the prestigious 2010 IEEE Medal for Innovations in Healthcare Technology for the design, commercial development and clinical implementation of the PET/CT scanner. Prof Townsend will receive the medal jointly with his co-inventor, engineer Ronald Nutt, on 26 June 2010 at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. IEEE is the world's largest professional association advancing technology for humanity.

23 Jun 2010

Insurers will receive Presidential warning while administration to release regulations to protect consumers

President Obama will warn health insurance executives at a White House meeting Tuesday against trying to increase premium rates before the new law takes effect, The New York Times reports. "The White House is concerned that health insurers will blame the new law for increases in premiums that are intended to maximize profits rather than covering claims."

23 Jun 2010

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine develops RAALI for healthcare providers

The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the nation's leading medical school recipient of research funds from the National Institutes of Health and a recognized center for "Best Practices" by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, discussed the development of a unique medical education initiative - the Rheumatoid Arthritis Action Lab Initiative - to give healthcare providers connectivity to much-needed information on rheumatoid arthritis.

23 Jun 2010

GSK, Medivir sign exclusive agreement for commercialization of Xerclear

GlaxoSmithKline and Medivir today announced an exclusive agreement for the commercialization of cold sore treatment, Xerclear (acyclovir and hydrocortisone) for non-prescription use (OTC) in key global markets. Xerclear is the first and only topical herpes labialis (cold sores) treatment clinically proven to help prevent cold sore lesions appearing.

23 Jun 2010

Healthcare technology innovation projects to receive $3M in CIMIT medical research grants

A wide variety of early-stage, healthcare technology innovation projects in NeuroHealth, Traumatic Stress Disorders, and integrated clinical environments were among those chosen to receive more than $3 million in CIMIT seed grants for FY11.

23 Jun 2010

Mass. weighs overhaul's effects; Conn. first state to add adults to Medicaid under new health law

"In most states, the passage of the sprawling federal health care overhaul legislation means the poorest will have a better shot at affording health insurance. But in Massachusetts, the law might have the opposite effect. Senator John. F. Kerry, state leaders, and health care advocates met yesterday to discuss a new report that highlights the major differences between the federal and state health care models. The focus of the event quickly turned to the hurdles of implementation and the need to protect the gains Massachusetts has made since 2006. ... The report reveals that ... some Massachusetts residents might end up facing higher premiums" (Lee, 6/22).

23 Jun 2010

Walmart, Eli Lilly to provide affordable insulin option for people with diabetes

Walmart and Eli Lilly and Company announced today they're teaming up to provide an affordable insulin option for people with diabetes.

23 Jun 2010

Politics surround Berwick, no hearings scheduled for CMS nominee

"Hospital executives who have worked with Dr. Berwick describe him as a visionary, inspiring leader. But a battle has erupted over his nomination, suggesting that Dr. Berwick faces a long uphill struggle to win Senate confirmation. Republicans are using the nomination to revive their arguments against the new health care law, which they see as a potent issue in this fall's elections, and Dr. Berwick has given them plenty of ammunition. In two decades as a professor of health policy and as a prolific writer, he has spoken of the need to ration health care and cap spending and has confessed to a love affair with the British health care system."

23 Jun 2010

Certification rule opens door for health IT vendors, but other regs lag

A final regulation for a temporary program to certify organizations to sell health IT systems will be published Thursday in the Federal Register, NextGov reports. "Certification is important because it gives health care providers the confidence that products will function properly, meet meaningful use criteria and improve quality of care, the article states.

23 Jun 2010

Survey: MegaRed Omega-3 Krill Oil recommended for overall cardiovascular health

With America focused on the future of healthcare, a recent survey provides Americans added confidence in the ability of supplements like MegaRed Omega-3 Krill Oil to support their overall cardiovascular health.

23 Jun 2010

Obama warns health insurers against using reform to boost premium rates, unveils new patient bill of rights

Today, during an address in the East Room of the White House following a meeting with executives of leading health insurance companies and state insurance commissioners, "President Barack Obama warned insurance firms … not to use his healthcare overhaul as an opportunity to enact big rate increases and said the federal government would work with states to monitor them."

23 Jun 2010

GHX cuts over $155.6M in healthcare costs during first-quarter

GHX and its participating suppliers and providers are on target to cut a total of $5 billion in healthcare costs in the next 5 years by improving supply chain efficiencies, visibility and trading partner collaboration. GHX provides technology and services to automate and optimize business processes throughout the healthcare supply chain, and has achieved its first-quarter goal of cutting more than $155.6 million in healthcare costs.

23 Jun 2010

HHS, insurers, health systems preparing for health law's impact

Politico reports on the Department of Health and Human Services' HealthCare.gov, "the new Web portal that goes live July 1 and is designed to give consumers a place to research and compare health insurance plans. Since it will be the most tangible link to the health reform law for many Americans, health policy experts and administration officials say it's crucial that the site is well-designed, easy to navigate and free of the jargon that makes the field of health insurance so unintelligible to the public. ... When HealthCare.gov launches next Thursday, it will have information about insurance plans that users can sort based on their own situation and their eligibility for public insurance programs, like Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the new high-risk pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions" (Kliff, 6/22).

23 Jun 2010

FDA approves Hospira's meropenem for injection, USP (I.V.)

Hospira, Inc., the world leader in generic injectable pharmaceuticals, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for meropenem for injection, USP (I.V.) 500 mg and 1 g vials. The medication, a carbapenem that belongs to the beta-lactam class of antibiotics, is a generic version of AstraZeneca's Merrem® I.V. Sales of the name-brand product in the United States were approximately $200 million in 2009.

23 Jun 2010

Health reform includes changes to denied claims, health savings accounts

News outlets examine some changes to the health care system that health reform will bring, including help for those with denied insurance claims and health savings account modifications.

23 Jun 2010

iCAD image analysis software program used in DCE-MRI studies demonstrated at ASCO 2010

ACR Image MetrixTM, an imaging contract research organization with expertise in imaging trial design, techniques and data extraction, in conjunction with its software partner, iCAD, gave demonstrations of the iCAD image analysis software program used in DCE-MRI studies at the ACR Image Metrix booth during the 2010 Annual American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting, which took place June 4-8, 2010, in Chicago, IL.

23 Jun 2010

Baxano closes $30M Series C round of venture funding

Baxano, Inc. today announced the closing of a $30 million Series C round of venture funding, led by new investor CMEA Capital. Funds were also contributed by new investors Kaiser Permanente Ventures and Affinity Capital Management and existing investors Prospect Venture Partners, Three Arch Partners, and Kearny Venture Partners.

22 Jun 2010

First Edition: June 22, 2010

In this Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "High-deductible health plans and the health savings accounts (HSAs) that link to them are becoming a familiar fixture on the insurance landscape, even though they get mixed reviews from many consumers and health-policy experts" (Kaiser Health News).

22 Jun 2010

Ohio Third Frontier helps drive innovation and opportunity in biomedical industry

Ohio Third Frontier, and the strategic investments made by the program to bolster Ohio's biomedical imaging industry, serve as a national model for success and are the primary reason behind Ohio's position as a national hub for innovation and opportunity in the thriving biomedical industry.

22 Jun 2010