Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Diabetes represents a global health threat

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) released new data today showing that a staggering 285 million people worldwide have diabetes.

20 Oct 2009

Winner of first annual Healthcare Administrator Award announced

Deborah Friberg, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Raleigh, North Carolina, has been named the recipient of the first annual Healthcare Administrator Award, presented by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The award recognizes a healthcare facility's executive team member who has demonstrated significant support for infection prevention and control throughout their facility.

20 Oct 2009

Website answers questions about 'end of life'

Questions about end of life are as old as humanity, yet they can be new and overwhelming when someone we care about is dying.

19 Oct 2009

Baxa and SINOPHARM sign distribution agreement

Baxa Corporation, a US-based medical device company in Englewood, Colorado, has signed an exclusive four-year distribution agreement with SINOPHARM, a China National Pharmaceutical Foreign Trade Corporation, to promote sales of its products in China.

19 Oct 2009

More details emerging on health reform's proposed changes to Medicare

The Dallas Morning News reports on some of health reform's proposed changes to Medicare and local consumer reactions. "The 10.4 million beneficiaries with private insurers' Medicare Advantage plans will still get coverage at least comparable to regular Medicare, but some will see fewer extra benefits or higher out-of-pocket costs. For most of Medicare's 45 million beneficiaries, an overhaul will improve coverage by beefing up drug benefits, preserving access to physicians, paying for more preventive care and putting Medicare on firmer financial footing."

19 Oct 2009

Study on the economic impact of antibiotic overuse and antibiotic-resistant infections

The Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) and Cook County Hospital (currently John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County), today announced the release of an eye-opening study on the economic impact of antibiotic overuse and antibiotic-resistant infections (ARIs) sponsored by an unrestricted educational grant from bioMerieux and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

19 Oct 2009

A selection of today's opinions and editorials

"The American people deserve facts and a fair discussion of what's most important as Congress tackles healthcare reform. AARP and the American Medical Association are committed to preserving the best of our current system and to working to improve it with policies that expand coverage, improve quality and make insurance more affordable" (Jennie Chin Hansen and J. James Rohack, 10/19).

19 Oct 2009

SEIU opts out of ad campaign opposing tax on 'Cadillac' plans

The healthcare negotiator for one of nation's most powerful unions made clear that it opposes a tax on high-cost-insurance plans, despite abstaining from an multi-union campaign objecting to the plan," The Hill reports. "The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) was not among the 27 unions to sign on to an ad criticizing a proposed tax on 'Cadillac' insurance plans that was included in the Senate Finance Committee healthcare bill."

19 Oct 2009

Hatch-Waxman patent infringement litigation concerning Duac Gel dismissed

Perrigo Company announced today that the Hatch-Waxman litigation relating to Duac® Gel (clindamycin phosphate (1%) and benzoyl peroxide (5%) gel) filed by the Stiefel Laboratories division of Glaxo SmithKline has been dismissed with prejudice.

19 Oct 2009

Merge Healthcare to launch new anesthesia information management solutions at ASA 2009 Annual Meeting

As increased regulatory compliance and pay-for-performance models are leading to higher requirements for electronic data collection and professional fee billing of surgery-related procedures, Merge Healthcare, has responded with new anesthesia information management solutions (AIMS), which will be on display at the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) 2009 Annual Meeting.

19 Oct 2009

Hologic opens new facility in Hong Kong

Hologic, Inc., a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced the opening of its new Asia Pacific regional offices and the Hologic Asia Pacific Center for Health Sciences Education in Hong Kong.

From Hologic, Inc. 19 Oct 2009

AccuVein signs five-year agreement with the Ferrer Group

AccuVein LLC today announced a five-year agreement with the Ferrer Group, a leading international pharmaceutical and medical devices distribution company, providing the AccuVein AV300, the world's first hand-held, non-contact vein illumination device, to customers in Greece, Spain and Portugal.

19 Oct 2009

Vangent announces launch of the Health Information Exchange Open Source software tool

Vangent, Inc., a leading global provider of information management and strategic business process outsourcing solutions, announced today that it will provide an open source software tool known as Health Information Exchange Open Source (HIEOS™) making possible secure exchange of health information from multiple and disparate system and data sources.

19 Oct 2009

Health reform bills may not protect consumers from treatment denials

"Despite growing frustration with the way health insurers deny medical treatments, major healthcare bills pending in Congress would give patients little new power to challenge those sometimes life-and-death decisions," The Los Angeles Times reports.

19 Oct 2009

Insurers, other health businesses examine effect of reform bills

Health care industry CEOs are analyzing their wins and losses in the bills being considered in Congress.

19 Oct 2009

CSC's HealthSpace Advisor selected by GHHS to optimize revenue generation

CSC today announced that the Georgia Hospital Health Services (GHHS), a subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA), has selected CSC's HealthSpace Advisor, a Web-based benchmarking tool introduced earlier this year, to help member hospitals analyze how effectively they use space in key revenue generating areas.

19 Oct 2009

Amarin raises $70 million through private placement

Amarin Corporation plc today announced it has closed its $70 million private placement. The transaction was led by existing investor, Fountain Healthcare Partners, on behalf of funds affiliated with other existing investors Sofinnova Ventures, Orbimed Advisors and Longitude Capital. The new investor group was led by funds affiliated with Abingworth LLP and included APG Asset Management, Great Point Partners, Tavistock Life Sciences Company and RA Capital. Cowen and Company, LLC acted as the exclusive placement agent for the transaction.

19 Oct 2009

The Beryl Companies in Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies

The Beryl Companies, the nation's leading provider of outsourced call center services to healthcare organizations, has achieved a growth rate of 41 percent in the last three years, earning it a place in the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country for the third straight year.

19 Oct 2009

Yissum scientists invent new design of TeraHertz-ray

Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd., the technology transfer arm of the University, today announced that Professor L.D. Shvartsman and Professor B. Laikhtman, from the Racah Institute of Physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, have invented a novel design of TeraHertz-ray, or T-ray, lasers.

19 Oct 2009

SequelMed Patient Portal launched by Sequel Systems

Sequel Systems, Inc., a dynamic, service-oriented healthcare technology company, today announced the launch and general availability of SequelMed Patient Portal™, a new, Web-based tool that improves and speeds up communication between physicians and patients, giving patients instant access to their personal health information, and allowing physicians and other healthcare providers more time to focus on delivering the best possible care. SequelMed Patient Portal is the latest addition to Sequel Systems’ suite of healthcare solutions, which includes an electronic health record (EHR), practice and document management software, and e-prescribing technology. More than 12,000 physicians in all 50 states and representing all major specialties currently use the company’s solutions.

19 Oct 2009