Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

MAXIMUS announces the acquisition of Canadian-based DeltaWare Systems

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services, announced today that it has acquired Canadian-based DeltaWare Systems, Inc. (DeltaWare), a premier developer of health administration management systems for the government health care market. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

15 Feb 2010

Administration rejects Anthem Blue Cross' defense of premium hike

WellPoint Inc., the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross of California, is defending its rate hike for customers with individual health insurance, but critics, including the Obama administration, are dubious.

15 Feb 2010

Federal health care tax credits going unclaimed

"Federal healthcare benefits are going unclaimed by an estimated 17,000 Californians whose jobs were moved overseas or retirees whose pensions are being paid by the government after their former employers terminated their retirement plans," the Los Angeles Times reports."

15 Feb 2010

GOP looks to make its case at health summit while Democrats remain skeptical

Politico reports that the White House's Feb. 25 health care summit with Democrats and Republicans "gives the GOP a venue to accomplish something it hasn't been able to do since President Barack Obama took the oath of office: Sell voters on Republican solutions to big problems." But Republicans have so far failed to capitalize because of the lack of a visible figure to champion their causes.

14 Feb 2010

Biden promises to listen to GOP's health care ideas, but some Republicans are not convinced

The health care reform legislation may have been eclipsed recently by the jobs bill and the war in Afghanistan for top billing on the Sunday morning news shows. But Democrats and Republicans still found time to push their positions on health policy Sunday.

14 Feb 2010

U.S. Court rules in favor of Perrigo over Mucinex patent litigation

Perrigo Company announced today that a federal court has granted summary judgment in its favor in patent litigation involving Guaifenesin Extended-Release Tablets, 600 mg, a generic version of Mucinex® tablets. Perrigo had been sued by Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, Inc., (a subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc.) the New Drug Application holder and patent owner. The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan ruled today that Perrigo does not infringe the patent in the suit. Perrigo's ANDA is awaiting FDA approval.

12 Feb 2010

BSC extends agreement for MedeAnalytics' Claims Transparency solution

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, announced that Blue Shield of California (BSC) has extended its agreement for MedeAnalytics’ Claims Transparency solution, which powers BSC’s successful Partnership in Operational Excellence and Transparency (POET) program. BSC has partnered with nearly 100 California hospitals to improve claims performance metrics, streamline business processes and accelerate revenue cycles. The POET program has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of claims denials and appeals.

12 Feb 2010

New book on hospitalist recruitment and retention

Recruitment and retention of physicians in all specialties is a national challenge, and it is expected to become even more difficult due to an impending physician shortage. As relative newcomers to the long line of medical specialists, hospitalists pose special challenges. What will convince a hospitalist to join one organization over another? What might prevent a hospitalist from considering a certain assignment?

12 Feb 2010

Bluewater Health licenses Medworxx LMS and PDMS

Medworxx Inc., provider of healthcare solutions for patient flow, compliance and education, announced that Bluewater Health has licensed the Medworxx Learning Management System and Policy and Document Management System. With the addition of Bluewater Health, every hospital within the Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (ESC LHIN) is a Medworxx customer.

12 Feb 2010

VR technology plays important role in treating patients with PTSD

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) threatens to overload healthcare and social support systems worldwide as the number of cases rises and existing treatments are not sufficiently effective.

12 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 12, 2010

Today's headlines highlight the continuing flap over Anthem Blue Cross' planned rate hike as well as GOP and Democratic responses to President Obama's proposed health summit.

12 Feb 2010

MSNJ participates in multi-payer health care common portal project

Health plans today launched a landmark initiative to make delivering and getting health care easier for patients and their physicians by reducing the time, effort, and expense for the "paperwork" required for each patient office visit. The initiative, which will simplify information flow between health plans and doctors' offices, and between health plans and hospitals, is comparable to what ATMs did for banks and consumers.

12 Feb 2010

HIV transmission among male partners: CFAR scientists discover origin of strains

A team of scientists, led by a virologist from the University of California, San Diego's Center for AID Research (CFAR), has discovered the origin of strains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men. The study, which may be important in developing prevention strategies for HIV, will appear in Science Translational Medicine on February 10, 2010.

12 Feb 2010

ISMPP announces opening of registration for 6th annual meeting on medical publications

The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) is pleased to announce the opening of registration for its 6th annual meeting, "Delivering Value and Driving Advocacy in Medical Publications." The meeting will run from April 19 to 21, 2010, in Arlington, VA, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott.

12 Feb 2010

Healthcare thought leaders and experts to meet in MCEG 2010 Annual Forum

The Managed Care Executive Group has gathered some of healthcare's most distinguished thought leaders and experts on healthcare reform to meet March 21-24 in Fort Lauderdale Florida for their Annual Forum entitled "Reform + Evolution = Revolution".

12 Feb 2010

Harris Interactive poll: Half of U.S. adults want major reform in healthcare system

A new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll finds that reducing unemployment and creating new jobs are clearly considered the top immediate priorities for President Obama and Congress, but healthcare reform is still important. Half of U.S. adults say it will be a “bad thing” if there is no major reform of the healthcare system in the next two years.

12 Feb 2010

Embark Health launches Advance Directive Solution to improve healthcare practices

The huge gap between current healthcare practices and patients' wishes for end of life care is finally resolved, as Embark Health today launches the Advance Directive Solution: the first easy, affordable and comprehensive system to make advance directives work the way they were intended.

12 Feb 2010

Sun Knowledge to attend Annual Drug Benefit Conference in Phoenix

Sun Knowledge, Ltd., a leading Healthcare Insurance provider of Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) services, will attend the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute’s Annual Drug Benefit Conference in Phoenix, Az., from February 17-19.

12 Feb 2010

Also in Global Health News: China's health care system; Breastfeeding practices in Pakistan; HIV transmission in MSM; Abu Dhabi joins malaria fight

The Los Angeles Times examines China's transition to "Western-style privatized medicine" through the government's "$124-billion overhaul, chiefly to improve service in rural areas." The article details the efforts of a woman from Inner Mongolia to get care in Beijing for her ailing father and looks at climbing health care costs and the growing "black market for medical care" (Pierson, 2/11).

12 Feb 2010

Wolters Kluwer Health releases optimized mobile website for Facts & Comparisons eAnswers

Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, announced today that it has released an iPhone®/iPod touch® optimized mobile website for its industry leading drug information reference, Facts & Comparisons® eAnswers. The site, Facts & Comparisons Mobile, was developed in response to customer demand for convenient access to drug information via smart phones.

12 Feb 2010