Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Senate Finance Committee proposes cuts for home medical equipment

This morning, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) issued his recommendations for healthcare reform in his long-awaited "Chairman's mark" version of the bill.

17 Sep 2009

GTESS Corporation's revenue for the first six months of 2009 increases 9% over the same period in 2008

GTESS Corporation, a provider of claims pre-adjudication technology and services to the healthcare industry, today announced strong financial performance in the first half of 2009, as well as new client contracts and extensions.

17 Sep 2009

New legislation protects healthcare coverage for rare disease clinical trial participants

Four members of the United States Senate introduced legislation today to allow patients with rare diseases to participate in clinical drug studies without losing their eligibility for public healthcare coverage, echoing a move by the House of Representatives last month.

17 Sep 2009

Blue Mountain Hospital implements OpenVista to improve clinical outcomes

Medsphere Systems Corporation, the leading provider of open source healthcare IT solutions, today announced the successful implementation of OpenVista, the company's flagship electronic health record (EHR) at the 11-bed Blue Mountain Hospital in Blanding, Utah.

17 Sep 2009

Workshop to educate women on urinary incontinence

UCSF and the National Association For Continence (NAFC) are holding a public workshop on October 3 to help women understand how they can control and treat incontinence.

17 Sep 2009

Three senior analysts appointed by Jefferies for healthcare equity research

Jefferies today announced the expansion of its Healthcare Equity Research effort with the hiring of three senior analysts. Corey Davis, PhD has joined as a Managing Director covering Specialty Pharmaceuticals, Thomas Wei will join next month as a Managing Director covering Biotechnology, and Jon Davis Wood will join later this month as a Senior Vice President covering Life Sciences Tools. All three professionals will be based in New York.

17 Sep 2009

Bayer HealthCare to present its clinical trial data at a joint Multidisciplinary Congress

Bayer HealthCare today announced that data from more than 30 clinical trials evaluating three products in the company's oncology portfolio - Nexavar(R) (sorafenib) tablets, regorafenib (BAY 73-4506) and Alpharadin(TM) - will be presented at the joint 15th European CanCer Organisation (ECCO) and 34th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Multidisciplinary Congress, September 20-24, 2009 in Berlin, Germany.

17 Sep 2009

Urovalve files patent for new universal catheter-inserter

Urovalve announced today that the Company has filed a patent to protect its new product offering in development that facilitates insertion of catheters, such as a Foley catheter.

17 Sep 2009

Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights opposes cuts to Medicare

The doctor-led Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights (Coalition) urged caution to legislators and the public as they consider Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus’s healthcare reform proposal, America's Healthy Future Act of 2009, which was released today.

17 Sep 2009

Weis Markets to hold low-cost flu shot program

Beginning this month, Weis Markets will hold more than 100 low-cost flu shot clinics in its Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia stores. In addition, as part of its WEISCARE Adult Immunization program, many Weis Markets' pharmacies will offer flu shots as an on-going service.

17 Sep 2009

Today's selection of opinions and editorials

Health care is a complicated and deeply personal issue; it takes time and effort to get reform right. Legislating every piece of this puzzle would be impossible and counterproductive.

17 Sep 2009

ColoMarker assay achieves 100 percent detection rate for colon cancers

Marking a major milestone in the early detection and management of colon cancer, EDP Biotech Corporation (EDP), a developer of immunodiagnostic tests for humans and animals, announced today that its ColoMarker assay achieved 100 percent detection rate for colon cancers presented at stages I through III in pre-clinical trials.

17 Sep 2009

Unemployed and uninsured to have easy access to free medicines from GSK

GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) today announced that it is making free medicines easier to obtain for patients who are unemployed, uninsured or struggling to make ends meet.

17 Sep 2009

Survey: Average cost of employer health plan up 5%

The average cost of an employer-provided family plan is now $13,375, up 5 percent from 2008, according to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation and Health Research & Educational Trust.

17 Sep 2009

Clinical trial focuses on healing diabetic foot ulcers with stem cells

Fortis Healthcare, one of India's leading private hospital groups, has announced it will broaden inclusion criteria for its upcoming diabetic foot clinical trial. The study will use stem cells derived from peripheral blood to treat critical limb ischemia (diabetic foot).

17 Sep 2009

OAO attempting to protect Ontarians from Great Glasses' illegal eye examinations

The Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) is warning the public to ensure their eye examinations are only conducted by a physician or optometrist.

17 Sep 2009

AF Stat Call to Action for Atrial Fibrillation document released

A diverse collaboration of healthcare leaders today released the AF Stat Call to Action for Atrial Fibrillation to serve as a roadmap for reducing the burden of atrial fibrillation (AFib) in the United States. The document outlines critical issues surrounding the management of AFib, and recommends priority actions in the areas of policy, management, education and quality.

17 Sep 2009

Insurers say seniors in Medicare Advantage spend less time in hospital

Insurers say seniors in Medicare Advantage spend less time in the hospital. CQ HealthBeat reports: "A new study issued Tuesday by the health insurance industry touts the benefits offered by Medicare Advantage, just as Congress contemplates slashing bonus payments to the managed-care program to help pay for the health care overhaul."

17 Sep 2009

Youngsters with continuous pain to look as old as those two decades older

Younger people with pain look similar in terms of their disability to people who are two to three decades older without pain, according to a study published in this month's issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society.

17 Sep 2009

HMS to provide third-party liability services to Medicaid agencies

HMS today announced that it had been awarded a contract by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to provide additional third-party liability services. With the addition of Minnesota, HMS now provides third party liability services to 39 state Medicaid agencies.

17 Sep 2009