Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Patient advocates ask state legislators to reconsider budget cuts to state's Medicaid program

More than 20 patient advocates from across Virginia descended on the Capitol in Richmond today as part of the National Patient Advocate Foundation's Virginia State Lobby Day to ask state legislators to reconsider budget cuts to the state's Medicaid program with particular attention to maintaining full funding for children and pregnant women covered through FAMIS.

4 Mar 2010

OSMA expands preferred partner agreement with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, today announced that the Ohio State Medical Association has expanded its preferred partner agreement with the company.

4 Mar 2010

Urinary catheterization of men and women: NAFC releases new consumer educational resource

The National Association For Continence (NAFC) has released a new consumer educational resource, focusing on catheterization procedures and care in the United States. The Urinary Catheterization of Men and Women pamphlet is the newest addition to NAFC's library of educational materials available to consumers seeking knowledge of management and treatment options for medical problems related to incontinence. It is also helpful as an educational supplement to nurses giving instructions to patients regarding their self-care.

4 Mar 2010

Longer wait for radiation treatment after breast cancer surgery increases risk of recurrence in older women

The longer older women wait for radiation treatment after undergoing surgery for breast cancer, the greater the chances of the disease coming back, an international team of scientists has warned.

4 Mar 2010

Low-income children and adults at several California sites to receive free dental care

Nearly 28 percent of California's children have untreated tooth decay, according to the 2006 California Smile Survey, Mommy It Hurts to Chew. Families with low incomes and people with complex medical conditions face considerable barriers to obtaining dental care and have significantly worse oral health than other segments of the population.

4 Mar 2010

Medical ID thefts can harm patients' health; Prosecutors go after Medicare fraud

NPR/KSMU: "Experts say a different type of identity theft is on the rise -- one that could compromise both the victim's credit and physical safety. Patients using someone else's name, Social Security number or insurance card to get health care could risk their victim's health if inaccurate information, such as blood type and medications, is recorded on the victim's chart."

4 Mar 2010

Also in Global Health News: U.S. Ambassador to U.N.; Male circumcision; River blindness in Ecuador; Nursing shortage in Caribbean; Maternal health in Bolivia; Drug-resistant TB in North Korea; Cholera vaccine

Betty King reported to her new position as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports. "Washington's Geneva mission had been without an ambassador since Warren W. Tichenor left his post on Jan. 20, 2009 - when Barack Obama was sworn in as president," according to the news service (3/3).

4 Mar 2010

Women face VA obstacles in treatment for war disorders

Women are saying they face roadblocks to care when they seek treatment at Veterans Affairs hospitals, even as they return in record numbers from battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, ABC News reports.

4 Mar 2010

Bozeman Deaconess Hospital enters into affiliation agreement with SCCA Network

Bozeman Deaconess Hospital in Bozeman, Montana, has joined the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Network to become the ninth Northwest community healthcare facility to enter into an affiliation agreement with the SCCA. The SCCA Network provides a structured program for supporting community-based oncology services to advance the level of care, including making leading-edge clinical trials available to local patients and offering continuing medical education to local health care providers.

4 Mar 2010

Recurrence of breast cancer in older women: Delaying post-surgical radiation treatment increases risk

Older women who have had breast cancer surgery have a greater risk of the cancer returning if they delay their post-surgical radiation treatment, report Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.

4 Mar 2010

Study on role of recorded ODLs in improving clinical care for low-weight babies: RWJF awards $480,000 grant

Researchers at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science and UC Irvine will monitor the day-to-day health of low-birth-weight babies and their parents as part of a comprehensive initiative designed to combat chronic illnesses associated with low-weight births.

4 Mar 2010

New Verizon Medical Data Exchange platform launched

In a significant step toward accelerating the adoption of electronic health records, Verizon Business has launched an information technology platform that enables the digital sharing of physician-dictated patient notes.

4 Mar 2010

Senate gridlock ends, COBRA and Medicare fees extended

Los Angeles Times: "Senate leaders Tuesday night resolved an impasse over emergency aid to the jobless that had driven a wedge into Republican ranks and given Democrats a political weapon. The deal overcame the continued objections of a single senator, Republican Jim Bunning of Kentucky, who for days had held up short-term extensions of unemployment and COBRA benefits over concerns that the bill would increase the federal deficit." The measure passed with a 78-19 vote (Oliphant, 3/2).

4 Mar 2010

South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas grapple with Medicaid cuts to help balance budget

States consider major cuts to Medicaid services and reimbursement rates to help fill gaps in the budget.

4 Mar 2010

PCF: PSA screening remains valuable tool for identifying potential prostate disease

Responding to continued debate over PSA screening, and today’s American Cancer Society statement, the Prostate Cancer Foundation reiterated its position that PSA screening remains a valuable tool, in combination with other tools, for identifying potential prostate disease, including cancer.

4 Mar 2010

Foodborne illness raises U.S healthcare costs

Acute foodborne illnesses cost the United States an estimated $152 billion per year in healthcare, workplace and other economic losses, according to a report published today by the Produce Safety Project (PSP).

4 Mar 2010

Obama presses forward in health overhaul efforts

The Wall Street Journal: "President Barack Obama made a final push for comprehensive health-care legislation, calling on lawmakers to schedule a vote in the next few weeks." Obama urged Congress to "press ahead with a comprehensive bill," which will involve using reconciliation. "But he didn't use the term reconciliation, instead calling for a simple 'up or down vote.'" He appealed to public frustration with insurance companies and emphasized that he had included GOP ideas into his plan (Meckler, 3/3).

4 Mar 2010

Negative results from latrepirdine Phase III clinical trial: Alzheimer's Association disappointed

"The Alzheimer's Association is disappointed to learn of the negative results from the Phase III clinical trial of latrepirdine (Dimebon)," said William Thies, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association Chief Medical and Scientific Officer. "People with Alzheimer's, their families and caregivers desperately need more and better treatment options for this devastating, fatal brain disease."

4 Mar 2010

Covidien: Mallinckrodt launches Oral Transmucosal Fentanyl Citrate

Covidien, a leading global provider of healthcare products, today announced that Mallinckrodt Inc., a Covidien company, has launched its Oral Transmucosal Fentanyl Citrate (CII) to distributors serving retail pharmacies across the country.

3 Mar 2010

House expanding inquiry of health insurance rate hikes

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, which held a hearing last week on a California insurer's rate increases, is expanding its investigation.

3 Mar 2010

Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Patient advocates ask state legislators to reconsider budget cuts to state's Medicaid program

OSMA expands preferred partner agreement with NextGen Healthcare Information Systems

Urinary catheterization of men and women: NAFC releases new consumer educational resource

Longer wait for radiation treatment after breast cancer surgery increases risk of recurrence in older women

Low-income children and adults at several California sites to receive free dental care

Medical ID thefts can harm patients' health; Prosecutors go after Medicare fraud

Also in Global Health News: U.S. Ambassador to U.N.; Male circumcision; River blindness in Ecuador; Nursing shortage in Caribbean; Maternal health in Bolivia; Drug-resistant TB in North Korea; Cholera vaccine

Women face VA obstacles in treatment for war disorders

Bozeman Deaconess Hospital enters into affiliation agreement with SCCA Network

Recurrence of breast cancer in older women: Delaying post-surgical radiation treatment increases risk

Study on role of recorded ODLs in improving clinical care for low-weight babies: RWJF awards $480,000 grant

New Verizon Medical Data Exchange platform launched

Senate gridlock ends, COBRA and Medicare fees extended

South Carolina, Oklahoma and Arkansas grapple with Medicaid cuts to help balance budget

PCF: PSA screening remains valuable tool for identifying potential prostate disease

Foodborne illness raises U.S healthcare costs

Obama presses forward in health overhaul efforts

Negative results from latrepirdine Phase III clinical trial: Alzheimer's Association disappointed

Covidien: Mallinckrodt launches Oral Transmucosal Fentanyl Citrate

House expanding inquiry of health insurance rate hikes

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Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Industry Focus: Cell & Gene Therapy eBook

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