Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Insights and recommendations for transition to ASC X12 5010 transaction standard and ICD-10 code sets

Foresight Corporation’s Chief Technology Officer Ed Hafner testified Thursday, December 10, before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) Subcommittee on Standards, providing insights and recommendations to help the industry prepare for the upcoming transition to the ASC X12 5010 transaction standard and ICD-10 code sets, as mandated by HIPAA.

15 Dec 2009

New study shows healthcare spending is an investment rather than an expenditure

As the national discussion of health care focuses on costs, a new study from North Carolina State University shows that it might be more accurate to think of health care spending as an investment that can spur economic growth.

15 Dec 2009

Medicare power mobility remains a viable option for beneficiaries

Across America, seniors, together with their families and caregivers, are making difficult decisions about the future. Did that last emergency room visit after a fall mean it's time to consider nursing homes? How much longer can their loved one remain safely in their own home or apartment?

15 Dec 2009

GBC: Most federal executives lack confidence in government on taking new roles in health care

According to a new study by Government Business Council (GBC), the research division of Government Executive Media Group, most federal executives lack confidence that the government can successfully take on new roles related to health care.

15 Dec 2009

CDC has distributed 3,177,900 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to Pennsylvania till date

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has allocated a total of 3,177,900 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine to Pennsylvania to date, the state Department of Health said today.

15 Dec 2009

Department of Health regulates home care agencies and registries in Pennsylvania

For the first time, home care agencies and registries must be licensed to operate in Pennsylvania and the home care industry will be regulated by the Department of Health.

15 Dec 2009

Tech Rx Transformation Contest launched by CDW Healthcare and Cerner

CDW Healthcare, part of the public sector subsidiary of CDW Corporation, and Cerner Corporation, a global provider of healthcare solutions, today announced the launch of the Tech Rx Transformation Contest, which offers physician practices nationwide the opportunity to receive an end-to-end electronic health record (EHR) solution valued at up to $50,000.

15 Dec 2009

Molecular Partners closes its CHF 46 million Series B equity investment round

Molecular Partners AG, a pioneer in the development of DARPins as next generation protein therapeutics, has announced the closing of its Series B equity investment round securing CHF 46 million (€ 30 million, $ 45 million).

15 Dec 2009

INS cites FDA-approved Totect antidote for anthracycline extravasations

The third edition of Infusion Nursing: An Evidence-Based Approach, published by the Infusion Nurses Society (INS), includes Totect(®), the only FDA-approved treatment for anthracycline extravasation. Anthracyclines are a group of chemotherapy medications including daunorubicin, doxorubicin, idarubicin and epirubicin that have been used in the treatment of various types of cancer since the early 1970s.

15 Dec 2009

HealthPort's RACPro now holds the distinction of being RACTrac Compatible

HealthPort®, Inc., a top 25-company in the healthcare information technology industry, today announced its recovery audit contractor (RAC) management tool, HealthPort RACPro, now holds the distinction, through the American Hospital Association (AHA), of being RACTrac Compatible.

15 Dec 2009

Hospitals to find acceptable alternatives to STERIS System 1 sterile processing system

In response to an FDA notice issued on December 3, 2009, in which the Agency recommended that healthcare facilities discontinue use of the STERIS System 1® (SS1) sterile processing system, hospitals throughout the U.S. are faced with the task of finding acceptable alternatives to that product.

15 Dec 2009

Decision Resources: Atrial fibrillation drug market to increase more than sevenfold

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, owing to the launches of several new agents, the atrial fibrillation drug market will increase more than sevenfold from $790 million in 2008 to $6.1 billion in 2018 in the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Japan.

15 Dec 2009

Mediware Information Systems acquires two software companies

Mediware Information Systems, Inc. announced today that it has finalized the acquisitions of Healthcare Automation Inc. (HAI) and Advantage Reimbursement Inc. (ARI), which provides software and outsourcing solutions for home health providers.

15 Dec 2009

Teen smoking continues to decline, but mild increase in smokeless tobacco

New data announced in today's Monitoring the Future study shows that while teen smoking rates are continuing their slow decline, an old threat has once again emerged - the use of smokeless tobacco.

15 Dec 2009

New reports highlight health care costs

Several new studies on health care costs reveal interesting findings.

15 Dec 2009

Medicare buy-in plan's cost may deter centrist lawmakers, potential customers

Some Democrats' idea to open Medicare to certain people aged 55 and older raises the question of whether premiums would be affordable enough.

15 Dec 2009

Optiquant BKV Quantification Panel for MSSA DNA testing procedures

AcroMetrix, a leading provider of quality control standards for clinical diagnostic laboratories, announced today the launch of the first standardized quality control for MSSA molecular testing.

15 Dec 2009

White House: Health reform would curb cost growth

The White House's Council of Economic Advisers has released a report that finds health reform would slow the growth of health costs in the United States and buttress the economy.

14 Dec 2009

Data mining by drug companies raises concern

The Los Angeles Times examines a practice called data mining in which drug companies track how doctors prescribe medications by obtaining data from pharmacies and health insurers.

14 Dec 2009

NAMS recommends women to discuss osteoporosis with their OB/GYNs

According to a new survey distributed by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS), while 98 percent of women who participated consider bone strength to be an important health concern, nearly half (45 percent) of these women reported that osteoporosis was not addressed during their last routine OB/GYN visit, and more than a quarter (26.4 percent) of women surveyed have never discussed osteoporosis with their OB/GYN.

14 Dec 2009