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Arizona lawmakers challenge health overhaul

A group of Arizona lawmakers has become the latest to challenge the federal health law as they "joined a conservative watchdog group Thursday in filing a 78-page lawsuit" challenging the law's mandate on Americans to carry health insurance and its Independent Payment Advisory Board in Medicare, Fox News reports.

13 Aug 2010

Legal scholar calls for FDA to regulate all health-related genetic tests

An opinion piece by a legal scholar from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics in this week's issue of Nature calls for the Food and Drug Administration to regulate all health-related genetic tests — whether available directly to consumers or through a health care provider — using an approach that imposes requirements proportionate to a test's level of risk.

13 Aug 2010

UT System Board of Regents approve plans for new University Hospital at UT Southwestern Medical Center

The UT System Board of Regents today gave its approval to plans for a new state-of-the-art University Hospital at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The project now will go to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for its review and final approval.

13 Aug 2010

Today's opinions: Rep. Ryan's plan to aid Medicare; The burden on health law supporters in Va.; Evaluating Medicare actuary's estimates

Only in Washington could the government raid one entitlement program to finance a brand-new one and still claim that deficits have been reduced and entitlements have been reformed (Rep. Paul Ryan, 8/13).

13 Aug 2010

BIOTRONIK DREAMS implanted in first patient as part of BIOSOLVE-I clinical study

A significant milestone has been reached in the development of a new therapy for patients suffering from coronary artery disease. On July 27, 2010 the BIOTRONIK DREAMS (Drug Eluting Absorbable Metal Scaffold) was successfully implanted in the first patient by Prof. Dr. Michael Haude at the Lukaskrankenhaus in Neuss, Germany as part of the first-in-man clinical study BIOSOLVE-I.

13 Aug 2010

Hospitals' 'bad debts' grow as even insured patients have trouble paying medical bills

A "local hospital group says the fastest-growing part of what hospitals call 'bad debt' -- basically, uncollectible bills -- is money owed by patients who have insurance. As employers dump costs onto workers, so now are workers dumping costs onto hospitals. Because of rising deductibles and cost-sharing rules, patients are increasingly faced with bills that would have been unusual for someone with insurance a few years ago. Growing numbers of them can't pay, or won't. Total bad debt grew 12 percent, from $490 million in fiscal 2007 to nearly $550 million in fiscal 2008, at 36 area hospitals that responded to a 2009 survey by the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council of HAP, a hospital association that released the data this week. But bad debt from insured patients grew twice as fast: 28 percent, from $76 million to $97 million."

13 Aug 2010

Researchers identify second type of complete sporadic disease

A new sporadic prion protein disease has been discovered. Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy, as it has been named, is the second type of complete sporadic disease to be identified since Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was reported in the 1920s. The landmark finding from the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University is published in the August issue of Annals of Neurology.

13 Aug 2010

Electromed prices 1,700,000 shares of initial public offering

Electromed, Inc., which is a leader in developing innovative airway clearance therapy products for use by patients with compromised pulmonary function, today announced pricing of its initial public offering of 1,700,000 shares of common stock at a price of $4.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions.

13 Aug 2010

Dyadic second-quarter 2010 total revenue decreases to $2.2 million

Dyadic International, Inc., a global biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development, manufacture and sale of specialty enzyme products and solutions for the bioenergy, industrial enzyme and biopharmaceutical industries, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

13 Aug 2010

KHN column: Medicaid rescissions worse than private insurers

On Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives interrupted their August vacation and returned to Washington to vote on a bill to send money to the states. The issue that dominated the news was saving the jobs of teachers, police officers and other public employees. But most of the money allocated will prevent the states from cutting off health benefits for millions of people.

13 Aug 2010

Nearly 1100 foodborne outbreaks reported nationally in 2007: CDC analysis

A total of 1,097 foodborne disease outbreaks were reported in 2007 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a CDC analysis. State investigators reported 21,244 illnesses and 18 deaths as a result of these outbreaks. The report also provides the most recent data on how many illnesses were linked to specific types of foods.

13 Aug 2010

ACAM, AAEM sign agreement to host joint conference in Portland

The American College for Advancement in Medicine and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine are excited to announce they have reached an agreement to host a joint conference and tradeshow, November 16 - 20, 2011 in Portland, Oregon.

13 Aug 2010

Quick-Med Technologies, Biosara sign development agreement

Quick-Med Technologies, Inc., a life sciences company that is developing innovative technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets, announced today that it has signed a development agreement with Biosara Corporation, a medical device company targeting wound dressings for major medical and healthcare providers, along with the multi-billion dollar organized sports athlete markets.

13 Aug 2010

Five tips for seniors researching MA or Medigap plan options

Health Plan One, a general agent in the online health insurance market, seeks to guide seniors to choose carefully when selecting their Medicare Advantage or Medicare supplement plan. Seniors will have only one opportunity to make changes to their Medicare plans during the Annual Enrollment Period this November 15 through December 31.

13 Aug 2010

Activists, care providers, patients protest against Senator Nelson's silence on AIDS drug program

While Florida continues to add up to 300 people each month to its waiting list for its AIDS Drug Assistance Program, scores of AIDS activists, care providers and patients will gather at a protest and press briefing hosted by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Friday, August 13th at 12:00 Noon outside the Tampa offices of United States Senator Bill Nelson (D, FL).

13 Aug 2010

Canadian Red Cross ramps up relief efforts in flood ravaged Pakistan

The Canadian Red Cross is ramping up relief efforts in flood ravaged Pakistan. A Red Cross distribution planned for Sunday will put much-needed emergency supplies into the hands of 400 families in the SWAT valley. The supplies, funded by Canadian donations, will include tents, blankets and hygiene kits.

13 Aug 2010

Management of therapy-resistant schizophrenia

The psychotic symptoms of up to 30% of schizophrenic patients do not respond adequately to treatment with antipsychotic drugs, other than clozapine. These refractory patients are generally among the most disabled of all people with schizophrenia and require special assessment and treatment.

13 Aug 2010

PROFIT magazine ranks Prollenium as one of Canada's Fastest Growing Companies

Ario Khoshbin, President of Prollenium Medical Technologies Inc., a privately held specialty medical device company, reported today that his firm will continue to record strong year on year gains in revenues and profitability for its 2010 Fiscal Year ending June 30th. Over the past five years, Prollenium has recorded aggregate revenue growth of more than 524% ranking it amongst Canada's fastest growing firms.

13 Aug 2010

THN President applauds FTC, State enforcement officials for crackdown on insurance scammers

Betty Heiman, Founder and President of Transparent Health Network, praised the announcement made today that the FTC and State enforcement officials will crackdown on scammers who target uninsured, unemployed and uninsurable individuals by peddling fraudulent medical discount plans. These plans, according to government officials, are marketed as health insurance but possess few or none of the features either of insurance or of actual plans.

13 Aug 2010

U.S. FDA purchases more licenses to Simulations Plus' DDDPlus software

Simulations Plus, Inc., a leading provider of software for pharmaceutical discovery and development, today announced that it has received a purchase order from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the number of licenses for the Company's DDDPlus™ simulation software.

13 Aug 2010