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Mass. rejects insurers' rate hikes

Massachusetts regulators denied 235 of 274 requests by health insurance plans to raise premiums because officials view the hikes as excessive, The Boston Globe reports. "The rulings, following a review process set in motion by emergency regulations [Gov. Deval] Patrick filed in February, mark the first time the state has used its authority to turn down health premium increases."

3 Apr 2010

Endovascular aortic abdominal aneurysm repair utilization associated with disease prevalence

While health policy researchers commonly suggest that geographic variations in the amount of medical care provided can be attributed to hospital costs or physician practice patterns, a new study examining regional utilization of a specific surgical procedure - minimally invasive aneurysm repair - shows that is not the case.

3 Apr 2010

AAPC's membership continues to grow

The American Academy of Professional Coders announced today its membership reached a record high 90,000. Donna Peters, from Yorba Linda, CA was the 90,000th member and to reward her, the AAPC is giving her a CPC® certification exam free of charge.

3 Apr 2010

Young adults with hyperthyroidism face increase risk of stroke

Young adults with overactive thyroid face a 44 percent increased risk of stroke compared to those with normal thyroid function, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Apr 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

"Achieving the [Millennium Development Goal] MDG 4 target of reducing newborn and child mortality will require concerted efforts to scale up evidence-based interventions, especially community-based preventive and therapeutic strategies in primary care," according to a Lancet comment that reflects on the challenges associated with developing "the appropriate mix of strategies" to improve maternal health.

3 Apr 2010

Scientific American features Echo Therapeutics' non-invasive, wireless Symphony tCGM System

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing its needle-free Symphony™ tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring (tCGM) system and its Prelude™ SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, announced today that its Symphony™ tCGM System has been featured in a March 31, 2010 online magazine article in Scientific American entitled "This Really Won't Hurt a Bit: Wireless Sensor Promises Diabetics Noninvasive Blood Sugar Readings," by Larry Greenemeier.

3 Apr 2010

Debate and skepticism over the healthcare reforms

A few years back a law that was meant to cover millions of elderly extending their prescription drug coverage backfired with many who could not access their medicines or were charged more all because of computer generated errors. Administration, industry and consumer groups are gearing up to prevent the same thing from happening after the healthcare bill became law last week.

2 Apr 2010

Verizon charges $970 million due to the health care bill

The recent health care reform bill has shown its impact on corporate tax structure this Thursday when Verizon Communications Inc. a phone company announced it will record a related $970 million non-cash charge in the first quarter.

2 Apr 2010

Premature fall in the swine flu vaccination rates worries health officials

Last fall there was a mad rush for the HINI vaccine for the deadly swine flu that had gripped countries across the world. H1N1 flu has killed about 12,000 Americans and put 265,000 into the hospital in the last pandemic. This year has seen a few signs of seasonal flu, which kills about 36,000 people in the United States each year and puts 200,000 in the hospital.

2 Apr 2010

EMA selected to staff RWJ Rahway's Emergency Department

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway (RWJ Rahway), a member of the Robert Wood Johnson Health System, has announced the selection of Emergency Medical Associates (EMA), one of the country's premier emergency physician groups, to staff its Emergency Department. EMA began staffing the Emergency Department on April 1, 2010.

2 Apr 2010

Renhuang Pharmaceuticals' Siberian Ginseng capsule patent application passes preliminary SIPO review

Renhuang Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a developer, manufacturer and distributor of botanical products, bio-pharmaceuticals and traditional Chinese medicines ("TCM"), today announced that on March 28, 2010, the Company's patent application for its proprietary Siberian Ginseng (Acanthopanax) Total Glucosides Total Flavonoids Soft Capsules and related formulation method passed a preliminary review conducted by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People's Republic of China ("SIPO").

2 Apr 2010

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

Using new one-of-a-kind "mouse models" that promise to have a significant impact on future Parkinson's disease research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are among the first to discover how mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause inherited (or "familial") Parkinson's disease, the most common form of the disease.

2 Apr 2010

NAFC supports PMAA of Uromedica's ACT device for SUI, speaks to FDA

On March 24, Nancy Muller, executive director of The National Association For Continence (NAFC), spoke to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in support of a Premarket Approval Application (PMAA) of Uromedica, Inc.'s Adjustable Continence Therapy (ACT®) device to approve its usage in the U.S. The ACT is designed to treat female stress urinary incontinence (SUI).

2 Apr 2010

DNA patent case: US District Judge rules in favor of AMP

The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical and professional association representing approximately 1,800 physicians, doctoral scientists, and medical laboratory scientists who perform laboratory testing based on knowledge derived from molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. AMP applauds US District Judge Robert Sweet's ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, Association for Molecular Pathology, et al. v. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, et al.

2 Apr 2010

Utilizing "synthetic population" in simulating spread of infectious outbreaks

Did you know that filling out your census card will help computer scientists model how diseases spread in the United States?

2 Apr 2010

Variant of ATG16L1 gene associated with higher risk for Crohn's disease

The ATG16L1 gene is located on chromosome 2 and encodes a protein involved in the formation of autophagosomes during autophagy. Autophagy is a cytoplasmic process that keeps a cell stable. Hampe et al first identified ATG16L1 as a Crohn's disease (CD) susceptibility gene in 2007, and many other studies have arisen since then. However, the definite relationship of variants of ATG16L1 with IBD remains unclear.

2 Apr 2010

Merge Healthcare completes private placement of preferred and common stock

Merge Healthcare, a health IT solutions provider, announced today that it has completed a private placement of preferred and common stock totaling $41.75 million, which is specified for use in funding a portion of the proposed acquisition of AMICAS, Inc., a provider of medical imaging software and services.

2 Apr 2010

Multnomah Court Judge denies I-Flow's request for new trial

Judge Youlee You today denied a request by defendant I-Flow for a new trial in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The ruling follows the January 22 jury verdict against the pain pump manufacturer. Jurors awarded $5.475 million for the destruction of Portland-area resident Matthew Beale's right shoulder. They found the damage was caused by the On-Q Painbuster infusion pain pump, manufactured and marketed by I-Flow.

2 Apr 2010

Practicing safer sex: New condom technology to keep partners "in the moment"

Each year there are an estimated 19 million new sexually transmitted infections (STIs) diagnosed in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Today, more than 68 million Americans live with STIs despite the fact that a condom could prevent them. A recent Kinsey Report points to disruption of "the mood" as a main barrier to condom use.

2 Apr 2010

Genome of Australian zebra finch decoded

Nearly all animals make sounds instinctively, but baby songbirds learn to sing in virtually the same way human infants learn to speak: by imitating a parent.

2 Apr 2010