Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Lawmakers reconsider Town Hall format, continue to confront reform fervor

Some lawmakers are canceling town hall meetings or holding them over the telephone or with selected groups of people in an effort to avoid shouting confrontations over health care reform, which have greeted lawmakers returning home for the August recess, USA Today reports.

16 Aug 2009

Ratio of health lobbyists to lawmakers tops 6:1

"If there is any doubt that President Barack Obama's plan to overhaul U.S. health care is the hottest topic in Congress, just ask the 3,300 lobbyists who have lined up to work on the issue," Bloomberg reports, noting that the number amounts to six lobbyists for each member of Congress.

16 Aug 2009

Palin defends 'death panel' claim; Clinton, Dean, Giuliani, Murkowski weigh in

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin defends her "death panel" claim, which is sparking reaction from powerful people.

16 Aug 2009

Obama heads west to gain momentum for reform

President Barack Obama is again heading West in hopes of winning support for his health reform push, The Associated Press reports.

16 Aug 2009

Obama presses health overhaul case to country

President Barack Obama is continuing his anti-insurance, pro-health reform pitch to town hall meetings and in his weekly address to the country.

16 Aug 2009

Obama criticizes media coverage, insurance companies during Montana Town Hall meeting

Reuters: "U.S. President Barack Obama, pushing for healthcare reform during a trip to conservative Montana, said on Friday the country was 'held hostage' by insurance companies that deny coverage to sick people." In what Reuters described as a "half-work, half-play trip with his family," Obama will highlight the benefits of his "$1 trillion plan to overhaul the insurance industry, expand healthcare coverage and cut costs to consumers."

16 Aug 2009

Doctors overiding end of life counseling see benefit in current controversy

The paragraphs, buried deep in the 1,000-page House health reform bill, appear innocuous, but they have ignited a firestorm among critics predicting government-sponsored euthanasia.

14 Aug 2009

Verizon introduces new security capabilities for health care industry

As the health care industry moves from paper-based to electronic record-keeping, protecting confidential patient information becomes vastly more complex. To address this issue, Verizon is unveiling two new capabilities designed to help safeguard the growing exchange of electronic patient data between hospitals, clinics, physicians, insurers and patients.

14 Aug 2009

Gay people more likely to have mental health or substance use disorders

Members of ‘sexual minorities’ are around twice as likely as heterosexuals to seek help for mental health issues or substance abuse treatment. A model of treatment-seeking behavior, described in the open access journal BMC Psychiatry supports the idea that lesbian, gay and bisexual people may have specific treatment needs.

14 Aug 2009

Florida’s health centers filling critical gaps

Since its establishment, National Health Center Week has celebrated the work of community health centers that provide health services to the working poor, the uninsured, the medically underserved, and many high risk and vulnerable populations. This year’s National Health Center Week takes place from August 9 – 15.

13 Aug 2009

Polls: Protests fuel opposition to health reform bills

"The raucous protests at congressional town-hall-style meetings have succeeded in fueling opposition to proposed health care bills among some Americans," USA Today reports on USA Today/Gallup poll.

13 Aug 2009

MedPlexus announces creation of “Cash for Clunkers” program

MedPlexus today announced the creation of their “Cash for Clunkers” Program. The “stimulus package,” which is available September 1, 2009, grants cash payments of $3,000 to $5,000 to doctors who replace their previous EHR and/or practice management platforms with MedPlexus integrated platforms.

13 Aug 2009

Schwarzenegger: Health worker discipline delays 'absolutely unacceptable'

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger [of California] on Wednesday conceded that long-standing delays in disciplining errant health professionals were 'absolutely unacceptable' and promised broad reforms to better protect patients from dentists, pharmacists, therapists and others accused of misconduct," ProPublica/The Los Angeles Times reports.

13 Aug 2009

Arcadia resources announces Q1 2009 financials

Arcadia Resources, Inc. (NYSE Amex: KAD), a leading provider of home care, medical staffing, and pharmacy services under the Arcadia HealthCare(SM) brand, today announced results for its fiscal first quarter ended June 30, 2009.

13 Aug 2009

Medical imaging: The good, the bad and the ugly

In the political minefield of healthcare reform, medical imaging has emerged as a microcosm of this contentious debate. Congress has been charged with a high stakes, high wire balancing act: to create a bill preserving quality and access while trimming unethical and unnecessary spending. Medical imaging represents such a challenge, with its undeniable benefits tainted by inappropriate use.

13 Aug 2009

Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority marks one million report milestone

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority has collected over one million reports from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities since June 2004. Ninety-six percent of the events are near misses or events that did not cause harm to the patient.

13 Aug 2009

Pacific Biosciences raises additional $68 million in financing

Pacific Biosciences, a private company pioneering the development of a transformative DNA sequencing technology, announced today it has raised an additional $68 million in financing.

12 Aug 2009

Jobless, uninsured seek health care from COBRA and free clinics

Many people are going without health care in the current economy, but COBRA and free clinics can provide relief.

12 Aug 2009

Dynavax announces European development strategy for investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine in Europe

Dynavax Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq:DVAX) today announced that it has met with the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) to discuss its plans for continued clinical development of HEPLISAVTM Phase 3 investigational adult hepatitis B vaccine in Europe.

12 Aug 2009

Tiotropium - corticosteroid combination improves lung disease survival

Sufferers of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have a greater chance of survival when treated with a combination of drugs that includes tiotropium, according to research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

12 Aug 2009