Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

New Jersey hopsital chooses JAOtech's embedded Smart Terminals

Holy Name hospital of Teaneck, New Jersey has selected JAOtech Smart Terminals for its second generation bedside entertainment and communication system.

29 Sep 2009

Newsweek ranks Medtronic 2nd in the healthcare industry sector

Recognizing its leadership in meeting the needs of economic, environmental, and social stakeholders, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) has been named a member company in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for North America and the FTSE4Good Index Series.

29 Sep 2009

First edition: September 29, 2009

The Finance Committee will resume work today on its mark up of its health bill -- with some fireworks likely on the public plan and other wild cards.

29 Sep 2009

Oculus launches Microcyn Skin & Wound HydroGel OTC

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets a family of products based upon the Microcyn Technology platform, which is intended to treat chronic and acute wounds, today launched Microcyn Skin & Wound HydroGel for both the U.S. professional and over-the-counter markets. The Microcyn HydroGel received FDA 510(k) marketing clearance in May of this year.

29 Sep 2009

Benefits and harms of screening infants for hyperbilirubinemia still unclear

According to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening infants for hyperbilirubinemia to prevent chronic bilirubin encephalopathy. Hyperbilirubinemia is a condition marked by a high level of bilirubin in the blood, which is often apparent as yellow-colored skin and eyes (jaundice).

29 Sep 2009

Smart Card Alliance: Cybersecurity and healthcare identity to be prioritized in upcoming year

The Smart Card Alliance Identity Council will turn its attention to cybersecurity and healthcare identity in the upcoming year, the Council said today, while continuing its work to educate and make identity credentialing recommendations for corporate enterprise, healthcare, state and local governments, and more. The Identity Council also announced new officers and steering committee, and plans to attend the Smart Card Alliance 8th Annual Smart Cards in Government Conference in Washington, DC.

29 Sep 2009

NINDS: $50 billion spent each year for low back pain

A study by researchers at The George Institute for International Health in Australia found that it is rare for patients presenting to PCPs with acute lower back pain to have previously undiagnosed serious diseases. The most common serious disease cause documented was vertebral fracture, with half of the cases identified at the time of initial consultation.

29 Sep 2009

Changes to Louisiana's healthcare system can promote standardized care for patients

Before Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana's healthcare system was strained, with a quarter of the population living below the poverty line and an estimated 20 percent uninsured. Healthcare for this population was provided through the state-run Charity Hospital and financed through Medicaid DSH (Disproportionate Share Hospital) dollars.

29 Sep 2009

Biochemistry professor to discuss controversies in dietary strategies in diabetes treatment

Richard Feinman, PhD, professor of biochemistry and of family medicine at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, will speak at the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) on October 2, 2009. EASD is holding its annual conference September 28 - October 2 in Vienna, Austria.

29 Sep 2009

BDI Pharma's proprietary flu vaccine supply program SecuriFLU successful

BDI Pharma, Inc., the fastest growing national wholesale distributor of biotech therapies, announced today the success of its proprietary supply program SecuriFLU. The program provides ordering solutions for customers who require quick, easy access to online ordering for flu vaccine. Customers may access brands from multiple manufacturers offering a full range of age indications.

29 Sep 2009

Walk-in flu shots to lure customers into drugstores

Americans may be as likely to get a flu shot at one of the nation's largest pharmacy chains as in a doctor's office or clinic. That should not be surprising, according to healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information. The nation's major drugstores have been using flu shot programs to earn revenue and to draw customers in the store to make other purchases, an indirect revenue strategy that Kalorama Information predicted in its reports on the retail clinic phenomenon in recent years.

29 Sep 2009

Protection of front-line healthcare workers compromised

According to George Kappler, "If hospitals were subjected to the same protection standards as factories, many would have been shut down a long time ago." Those are tough words for healthcare workers to hear as they brace for an onslaught of H1N1 patients, but the CEO of Kappler, Inc., a 33-year veteran in the protective garment business, knows of what he speaks.

29 Sep 2009

IPayX and ARM Solutions partner to offer collection services for hospitals and physicians’ offices

Internet Payment Exchange, a provider of electronic billing and payment (EBP) technology and customer service solutions to healthcare providers, utility companies, municipal governments and other organizations, announced an alliance with Ventura, Calif.-based Accelerated Revenue Management (ARM) Solutions to offer clients soft collection capabilities through IPayX’s eInvoice Delivery ServiceSM and eCareView Healthcare Billing PortalSM.

29 Sep 2009

Researchers recommend hormone therapy prior to mammogram screenings

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are recommending that menopausal women on hormone therapy (HT) continue their treatment prior to having their annual mammogram screenings. These recommendations appear as an editorial in the current on-line issue of Journal of the North American Menopause Society.

29 Sep 2009

Public option issue likely to face Tuesday Senate Finance vote

The Senate Finance Committee is likely to vote when it reconvenes Tuesday on inclusion of a government-run public option for health insurance.

29 Sep 2009

Congressional reception raises awareness about breast cancer in young adult women

Testing for breast cancer risk was the subject of remarks by two featured speakers at a recent congressional reception on Capitol Hill. The event generated momentum to pass the EARLY Act and raise awareness about breast cancer in young adult women.

29 Sep 2009

International Medica Foundation sponsors rotavirus vaccine trial in Ghana

More than half a million children – or 1,400 to 1,600 each day – die from rotavirus, the most common cause of severe childhood diarrhea. Almost all of these deaths occur in developing countries, where lifesaving medical care may not be affordable or available to the families with the most critical needs. In addition, income loss due to the need for parents to take care of sick children can have a very significant economic burden on families that can least afford it.

29 Sep 2009

Medical experts explore future of health advancements at Military Medicine Symposium

Renowned military, government and civilian medical experts will discuss advances in posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, humanitarian assistance and global infectious disease and explore the collaborative future of health advancements at the Partnership for Military Medicine Symposium on Nov. 6 at the Omni Shoreham in Washington, D.C.

29 Sep 2009

Temps obtains assets of AIC's nurse staffing agency

Analysts International Corporation (AIC) (NASDAQ: ANLY), an information technology services company, today announced that it has sold the assets of Medical Concepts Staffing, a full-service nurse staffing agency and subsidiary of AIC, to Temps, Inc., a national provider of supplemental healthcare professionals.

29 Sep 2009