Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Canadians have mixed emotions about their priorities for national healthcare system, finds survey

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announces today that Canadians have mixed emotions about their priorities for the national healthcare system.

9 Dec 2009

TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare test PHA-848125ac drug for thymic cancer

The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare are testing a new drug specifically for thymic cancer based on early promising results at Scottsdale Healthcare.

9 Dec 2009

State and national medical societies join to oppose the 'Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act'

Tens of thousands of physicians in America, who are deeply concerned over the direction of health reform legislation, have joined forces to deliver a strong message to Congress: it’s not too late to get it right; slow down and change course.

9 Dec 2009

Doctors around the world join the battle against human trafficking

Doctors At War, a newly formed 501(c)3 organization, is putting out a call-to-action for doctors worldwide to join them in the fight against the global sex trade. The long-term healthcare ramifications of the estimated 27 million victims throughout the world include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks, depression, and a host of other mental health issues along with countless physical health problems including HIV, STD's, malnutrition, sterility, and the effects of repeated physical trauma.

9 Dec 2009

Despite rising costs of U.S. health care, quality lags in ambulatory care

Most primary care physicians active in the Medicare program work in practices with too few patients to reliably measure significant differences in common measures of quality and cost performance, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA.

9 Dec 2009

Riverside Medical Center offers new volunteer program to promote healing

Riverside Medical Center has always strived to be a forerunner in providing remarkable healthcare experiences to those who need Illinois healthcare. To further exemplify their determination, Riverside is now offering a new volunteer program that brings the love of music to promote healing.

9 Dec 2009

Also in Global Health news: Rotavirus vaccine; guinea worm eradication; health systems; Zulu King calls for male circumcision

The West African Rotavirus Advisory Board is calling on governments to vaccinate children against rotavirus, IRIN reports. At a recent meeting in Dakar, Senegal, which was "financed by GlaxoSmithKline, makers of one of two rotavirus vaccines" the board issued a document recommending that governments "immediately recognize the magnitude of the rotavirus problem and make vaccination against the virus a priority" (12/8).

8 Dec 2009

Acesis Performance Improvement Platform provides digital performance assessment capabilities for hospitals

Acesis, the enterprise software firm, headquartered in Silicon Valley and focused on healthcare, today announced its expanded technology solution, the Acesis Performance Improvement Platform that provides hospitals digital performance assessment capabilities that can be easily set up for each hospital’s unique vision of quality care.

8 Dec 2009

Public option 'compromise' may rest on private insurers

The Associated Press/The Washington Post reports that "private insurers - not the government - would offer coverage under a compromise Democrats are considering ... the latest idea bears little resemblance to the original vision outlined by liberals, and embraced by Obama, during the 2008 presidential campaign. That called for the government to sell insurance to workers and their families in competition with industry giants like UnitedHealthcare" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/8).

8 Dec 2009

Drug reimportation emerges again in health debate

The Hill reports that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "has agreed to allow Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) to bring an amendment to a vote this week that would allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from abroad despite the fact that it could blow up a truce between the White House, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) on healthcare reform." Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) is among the amendment's co-sponsors.

8 Dec 2009

Senate staff raise idea of taxing indoor tanning salons

Roll Call: "The concept of an excise tax on tanning services, which could include salon walk-ins or tanning beds and sunlamps sold for residential use, was floated in a weekend Senate staff meeting on the health bill. Officials described the idea as preliminary and not being seriously considered at this time.

8 Dec 2009

Veran Medical Technologies' SPiN Drive System receives FDA marketing clearance

Veran Medical Technologies announced today that it received clearance (K091934) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a product for the delivery of instruments through the pulmonary tract. "Veran is excited about this clearance as it allows the company to address a huge unmet clinical need in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment," said Jerome R. Edwards, Veran president and chief executive officer.

8 Dec 2009

New report: CBO underestimates savings from health bills but economists worry savings aren't enough

"Previous analyses have underestimated the potential cost-saving effects of the House and Senate health reform bill, according to a new report co-authored by the Center for American Progress Action Fund and the Commonwealth Fund," Modern Healthcare reports.

8 Dec 2009

QuantRx Biomedical launches its new flagship POC diagnostic reader device at MEDICA 2009

QuantRx® Biomedical Corporation, a broad-based diagnostic company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative diagnostic products, announced today the successful debut of its new flagship point-of-care (POC) diagnostic reader device, Q-Reader™, at MEDICA 2009 on November 18-21, 2009, in Düsseldorf, Germany.

8 Dec 2009

Health IT: W.Va. savings forecast; federal official foresees private-sector dominance

West Virginia could save $1.1 billion in health spending by government agencies, private insurers and consumers, if the health system would switch to electronic records and do a better job centralizing patient care, according to a new report by the West Virginia Health Care Authority, a governmental group, The Associated Press/New York Times reports.

8 Dec 2009

Brazil: The largest emerging pharmaceutical market for hepatitis C virus

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that at approximately $120 million, the hepatitis C virus drug market in Brazil is among the largest emerging pharmaceutical markets for the disease.

8 Dec 2009

Francisco Partners to acquire QuadraMed

QuadraMed® Corporation, a leading provider of healthcare information technologies and services that help turn quality care into positive financial outcomes, announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by Francisco Partners, one of the world’s largest technology-focused private equity firms.

8 Dec 2009

Moses Cone Health System to implement Streamline Health Solutions' enterprise technology

Streamline Health Solutions, Inc. a leading provider of document workflow solutions for hospitals, today announced that Moses Cone Health System has selected the Company's enterprise technology to improve quality and operating efficiency by providing their physicians with one view of the patient medical record across their healthcare enterprise.

8 Dec 2009

Nightingale Informatix to provide its EMR system to Uptown Health Centre

Nightingale Informatix Corporation, an application service provider (ASP) of electronic medical record (EMR) software and related services, announced today that it has been selected to provide its electronic medical record (EMR) system hosted at eHealth Ontario to all three Uptown Health Centre locations.

8 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 8, 2009

Today's headlines highlight how Senate consideration of the health bill could become even messier with amendments pending on abortion funding restrictions and the reimportation of prescription drugs. All the while, Senate Dems continue to work to find common ground on the public option.

8 Dec 2009