Nursing News and Research

Latest Nursing News and Research

Texas leaders cut spending for Medicaid, Wyo. begins to set up state exchange

"State leaders, trying to dig out of a hole in the current two-year budget before the next one has to be whacked, ordered agencies Tuesday to further curb spending. Agency chiefs were told in a letter that they must reduce expenditures by 2.5% in the remaining nine months of the fiscal year. Managers of the state Medicaid program immediately announced they would cut another 1% from the fees paid to doctors, dentists and hospitals, along with 2% in payments to nursing homes and home health care providers. The decreases take effect Feb. 1, and they come on top of 1% cuts that kicked in just before Labor Day" (Garrett, 12/8).

9 Dec 2010

Expert panel explores how to engage pediatricians, primary care physicians in preventing childhood obesity

As the prevalence of childhood obesity approaches epidemic levels, physicians on the "front line" need to become more involved in obesity prevention and weight management to reverse this dangerous trend among their young patients. But several obstacles discourage pediatricians and other primary care physicians from taking a more active role in managing childhood obesity.

9 Dec 2010

Genetics in Medicine: Women who carry high-risk BRCA mutations opt for surgery

In women who test positive for BRCA 1/2 mutations associated with a high risk of breast or ovarian cancer, some key psychological factors influence the decision to undergo risk-reducing surgery, reports the December Genetics in Medicine, the official peer-reviewed journal of The American College of Medical Genetics.

8 Dec 2010

Aetna to acquire health information exchange firm for $500 million

Aetna, one of the largest U.S. insurers, is expanding its health information technology presence with its $500 million acquisition of technology firm Medicity, Bloomberg reports. "Medicity, based in Salt Lake City, offers technology that helps 760 hospitals and 125,000 physicians in the U.S. exchange medical data, according to the statement." Aetna said it financed the deal with "available resources" that wouldn't affect its financial results (Nussbaum, 12/7).

8 Dec 2010

Golden Living establishes in-house consulting pharmacy company

Golden Living has established a new, in-house consulting pharmacy company that will focus on improving medication safety and patient outcomes. Golden Clinical Rx Services is based on an innovative clinical pharmacist model that will make certified geriatric pharmacists (CGPs) part of the interdisciplinary clinical teams that care for Golden LivingCenter patients and will leverage technology to improve patient outcomes.

8 Dec 2010

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, UH College of Pharmacy earn national 'best practices' award

With antibiotic resistance on the rise worldwide, health care professionals are continually seeking to optimize how they combat drug-resistant infections.

8 Dec 2010

New approach points towards effective stem cell therapies for spinal cord injury

Initial experiments suggest a possible new approach to stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries—using biocompatible "channels" made of chitosan to guide regeneration of new spinal cord tissue, reports the December issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

8 Dec 2010

Sleep deprivation eliminates fear-associated memories

We commonly think of sleep as a healing process that melts away the stresses of the day, preparing us to deal with new challenges. Research has also shown that sleep plays a crucial role in the development of memories.

8 Dec 2010

Almost Family enters new 5-year $125 million revolving credit facility

Almost Family, Inc., a leading regional provider of home health nursing services, announced today it has entered into a new five-year $125 million revolving credit facility that increases its financial flexibility through 2015 (the Facility). J.P. Morgan Securities LLC acted as sole bookrunner and sole lead arranger, while Bank of America, N.A. acted as syndication agent under the Facility which replaced the Company's previous $75 million credit facility.

8 Dec 2010

IEEE members are transforming the future of medicine and healthcare

Members of IEEE, the world's largest technical professional association, are advancing the application of engineering sciences and technology with medicine and biology to make healthcare personal again.

8 Dec 2010

Short Jump training program may help lower risk of knee injuries in women basketball players: Study

A shortened, focused "jump training" program may help to lower the risk of knee injuries in women basketball players, according to a study in the December issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

8 Dec 2010

Loss of healthy bacteria may contribute to increasing rates of depression, say researchers

In an effort to pinpoint potential triggers leading to inflammatory responses that eventually contribute to depression, researchers are taking a close look at the immune system of people living in today's cleaner modern society.

8 Dec 2010

UC researchers launch clinical trial to study post-stroke brain injury

The largest clinical trial of therapeutic brain cooling after stroke has launched, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. This study looks at whether hypothermia can safely be used in elderly stroke patients.

8 Dec 2010

Jackson Health System selects MedAssets as its strategic partner

MedAssets, Inc. announced today that Jackson Health System has selected the Company as its strategic partner to implement MedAssets' transformational approach to significantly lower supply costs, drive operational efficiencies and engage physicians in the cost and clinical utilization management improvement process.

8 Dec 2010

Proactive therapies may prove to avert stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation

One evening last March, Larry Ambrose left his bed in the middle of the night to check the time. Much to the 71-year-old's surprise, he was only able to see three out of the four glowing numbers on the digital clock in his kitchen. Ambrose returned to bed, but within days was hospitalized for what was later diagnosed as a stroke. After extensive testing, his physicians told him they could not determine the cause.

8 Dec 2010

Lutheran Medical Center implements Medsphere's OpenVista EHR solution

Lutheran Medical Center (LMC) and Medsphere Systems Corporation today announced the successful implementation of Medsphere's OpenVista® electronic health record (EHR) solution throughout the hospital. The full service 476-bed teaching hospital is now on track to achieve meaningful use and qualify for millions of dollars made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

7 Dec 2010

John Theurer Cancer Center presents research findings at ASH meeting

The John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center announced today important research findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology taking place December 4-7, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. The ASH meeting is the world's leading scientific gathering of hematologists and hematology researchers.

7 Dec 2010

Data from comparative REVLIMID study in multiple myeloma presented at 52nd ASH

Celgene International Sàrl today announced that data from a randomised clinical study conducted by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) were presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology comparing REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) plus low-dose dexamethasone (Rd) to lenalidomide plus high-dose dexamethasone (RD) in both younger and older newly-diagnosed multiple myeloma patients (NDMM).

7 Dec 2010

Breast cancer patients taking tamoxifen anxious to have CYP2D6 genetic test

While the medical community continues to debate the benefits of CYP2D6 genetic testing for women on the breast cancer treatment tamoxifen, patients using the medication are anxious to have the tests. According to a new survey of more than 700 women with breast cancer currently taking tamoxifen, almost 80 percent of respondents would choose to have a genetic test that determines CYP2D6 genotype, yet only 14 percent of these women have been tested. CYP2D6 is an enzyme that influences how well the body processes tamoxifen into its more active form.

7 Dec 2010

FDA accepts for review Bristol-Myers Squibb's ORENCIA sBLA for severe RA

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for the subcutaneous formulation of ORENCIA® (abatacept), a treatment for adult patients with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) administered through an injection into the skin. Bristol-Myers Squibb submitted the sBLA to the FDA for the subcutaneous formulation of ORENCIA and received confirmation of its receipt on October 4, 2010.

7 Dec 2010