Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

20th anniversary of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child today

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the international Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations on November 20, 1989. The CHU Sainte-Justine and The Montreal Children's Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre are joining forces to highlight the importance of this day, a reminder of the many injustices committed against children around the world.

20 Nov 2009

Increased computerization in U.S. hospitals hasn't made them cheaper or more efficient, say researchers

The increased computerization in U.S. hospitals hasn't made them cheaper or more efficient, Harvard researchers say, although it may have modestly improved the quality of care for heart attacks.

20 Nov 2009

PIPC commends CER language inclusion in health care reform bill

The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) today applauded Senator Reid’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for including strong patient-centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) language. The CER language is based on the approach taken by Senators Baucus and Conrad in their CER bill (S. 1213), which is supported by over 100 organizations across the country, representing patients, providers, people with disabilities, and minority health organizations.

20 Nov 2009

Significant increases in IT use have not reduced drug review process

Drug approvals are taking just as long as they ever did despite increased expenditure on new information technology at the Food and drug Administration. So says a statistical analysis of approval intervals from 1997 to 2006, published in the International Journal of Electronic Healthcare.

20 Nov 2009

WSNA highlights serious concerns about safety of nurses and patients during H1N1 pandemic

Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA), representing more than 1,600 registered nurses at Sacred Heart Medical Center, is holding a press conference today to highlight serious concerns about the safety of nurses and patients at Sacred Heart Medical Center during this H1N1 pandemic.

20 Nov 2009

H1N1: Bridging the knowledge gap

A commentary in the December issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases brings to light the gaps in knowledge on the transmission of a common pathogen - the influenza virus - and its impact on decisions about how best to protect health care workers. Infectious diseases specialist Leonard Mermel, DO, medical director of infection control for Rhode Island Hospital, looks at the ongoing debate in light of the H1N1 pandemic, what past research tells us about the spread of influenza, and what is missing in the debate. His commentary is currently available in an online first edition.

20 Nov 2009

ONI reports successful execution of MRI platform to GE Healthcare

ONI Medical Systems Inc. announced today that it successfully closed the sale of its MRI technology platform to the GE Healthcare division of General Electric Company on November 6, 2009. With the purchase of ONI’s high performance, low-cost dedicated purpose MRI technology, GE Healthcare is expanding its product line of comprehensive healthcare solutions to enhance its customers’ ability to deliver patient-centered healthcare.

20 Nov 2009

Two million enroll in Medicaid during first half of 2009

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, the leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that nationwide, Medicaid enrollment grew by two million lives in the first half of 2009 to more than 52 million, reflecting the economic downturn and exacerbating many states' budget concerns.

20 Nov 2009

Health organizations commend Alberta government for passage of bill to sue tobacco companies

A coalition of prominent health organizations is applauding the Alberta government for passing a bill that will hold tobacco companies accountable for their tremendous impact on the healthcare system.

19 Nov 2009

UNFPA report highlights relationship between family planning, women's health and climate change

"Providing access to contraception for 215 million women, mainly in developing countries, would help to stabilize population growth and significantly reduce the effects of climate change," according to a report released Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Nature News reports (Gilbert, 11/18).

19 Nov 2009

Senate health bill's abortion language triggers mixed reactions

The Hill reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "prefers abortion language in the Senate healthcare legislation to the House approach." Pelosi said she was pleased with the Senate bill's treatment of abortion, saying "'I think it's pretty clear no federal funds would be used to pay for abortion.'" Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid left out Rep. Bart Stupak's abortion amendment from his merged Senate health care reform bill, opting instead to "maintain current law where that is applicable and extend it to new programs created by the legislation."

19 Nov 2009

Senate health bill released, another step toward Democratic-backed reforms

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid set the stage for a climactic debate in the Senate over health care by unveiling a 10-year, $848 billion bill that would extend insurance to 31 million Americans without coverage," The Wall Street Journal reports.

19 Nov 2009

Aware to introduce its new AccuRad ImageShare Platform at the 2009 RSNA meeting

Aware, Inc., a global provider of imaging and biometrics software, today announced it will showcase its new AccuRad ImageShare Platform, a standards-based cross-enterprise image sharing platform for health information exchange (HIE), at the RSNA 2009 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting.

19 Nov 2009

Daschle still making voice heard on health care

The Hill reports that former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle helped Obama Administration officials strategize to win health care reform votes from Senators on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

19 Nov 2009

Lawmakers call for inquiry into pharmaceutical company price hikes

Congressional Democrats are seeking government investigations into recent price increases of brand-name prescription drugs, as Congress finalizes an overhaul of the healthcare system. Lawmakers are concerned the companies are trying to reap gains ahead of reforms aimed at lowering drug prices and forcing drugmakers to partly fund changes that aim to boost the number of Americans covered by health insurance.

19 Nov 2009

Emerging trends fuelling the US market for reprocessed electrophysiology diagnostic catheters

According to Millennium Research Group (MRG), the global authority on medical technology market intelligence, the US market for reprocessed electrophysiology diagnostic catheters will grow at a rate of over 15% through 2014. MRG's new US Markets for Electrophysiology Mapping and Ablation Devices 2010 report finds that although reprocessed catheters have existed for a number of years, it is only recently that this device type has begun to play a larger role in the electrophysiology diagnostic market.

19 Nov 2009

Cardiovascular Systems commences patient enrollment in CALCIUM 360° clinical trial

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., announces the first patient enrollment in its prospective, randomized CALCIUM 360° clinical trial, part of the company’s 360° Clinical Series. The CALCIUM 360° study will evaluate the treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) behind and below the knee using CSI’s Diamondback 360® PAD System, a minimally invasive catheter for treating PAD anywhere in the leg.

19 Nov 2009

Dicom Systems' latest API improves the Teleradiology network experience for healthcare professionals

Dicom Systems, consolidating their reputation for continued and groundbreaking innovation, are preparing to launch the latest addition to their DCMSYS family: API for Advanced Statistical reports and graphs, and for monitoring.

19 Nov 2009

Patterson announces second-quarter fiscal 2010 operating results

Patterson Companies, Inc. today reported consolidated sales of $814,951,000 for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 ended October 24, an increase of 7% from $759,461,000 in the year-earlier quarter. Acquisitions transacted over the past 12 months accounted for a substantial portion of the second quarter sales growth, while the impact of foreign currency adjustments was minimal.

19 Nov 2009

SinoFresh Nasal Spray effective against 'swine flu' in animal study

SinoFresh Healthcare Products, Inc. announced today the successful results of its initial pilot animal study testing the efficacy of the SinoFresh Nasal Spray product when used on animals infected with the H1N1 virus. The study data suggests that treatment with SinoFresh allowed the infected animals to recover more rapidly from H1N1 infection than did untreated animals. In addition, pre-treatment with SinoFresh Nasal Spray decreased the severity and/or incidence of infection.

19 Nov 2009