News

In a multinational prospective study published in the BMJ, investigators demonstrated that parenteral medication errors are common occurrences in intensive care units (ICUs), but the number of errors can be reduced through the use of error-reporting and electronic prescribing systems.

In a pilot study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, investigators demonstrated that modafinil blocks dopamine transporters and increases dopamine levels in the brain, suggesting that this agent has the potential for abuse and addiction.

The headlines about contaminated heparin and tainted peanuts have put pressure on FDA to improve its methods for detecting unsafe medical and food products and to take swift action when problems emerge. The complaints are prompting the Obama administration to provide more resources for FDA while Congress weighs expanding agency operations and enforcement authority.

This article reviews the similarities and differences between albuterol (ALB) and levalbuterol (LEV) to provide P&T committees a concise summary of the available literature regarding efficacy, side effects, and cost of these agents.

Generic drugs approved by FDA (through April 2009) including malathion lotion, 0.5%

Recent FDA action (through April 2009) related to alglucosidase alfa, bosentan, cetuximab, doxepin, telavancin, quetiapine extended-release, oxycodone/niacin, and EUR-1073

Clevidipine is an intravenous (IV) dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker (CCB) that is approved for the reduction of blood pressure (BP) when oral therapy is not feasible or not desirable. Clevidipine is effective at reducing BP in the emergency room (ER), intensive care unit (ICU), and in the pre-, peri-, and postoperative settings.

New indication: Budesonide/formoterol (Symbicort), a corticosteroid/LABA combination, was approved on February 27, 2009, for the maintenance treatment of COPD

Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia, Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea, and complicated skin and skin-structure infections.

The reinvestment act contains more than $100 billion in federal funding for healthcare initiatives

MedPAC reports 2009 MA payments will be 14% above fee-for-service rates.

New preapproval safety data demands can mean millions of dollars and more years for development

There's a feeding frenzy in Washington as feds dole out the billions in funding from the reinvestment act

The White House is on track to place key thought leaders in pivotal positions to press healthcare reform

Commonwealth Fund State Performance Ranking (2007): 9

More than half of all hospitals use the hospitalist model to deliver inpatient care

The incentives and penalties for adopting EMRs might not help the small physician practices

The shortage of oncologists and the increasing numbers of cancer survivors combine to produce a classic case of demand exceeding supply

A new released by the Cooperative Exchange (CE) sheds new light on claims transactions, revealing just how big a footprint EDI has

Knowing what works will help the country direct its resources toward best buys in healthcare, according to economist Gail Wilensky

Employers use CDHPs to control costs but more focus needs to be on giving members more actionable information.

The number of uninsured hospitalizations increased, according to AHRQ, so the key now is to focus on ways to prevent preventable conditions.

Hospitals using emergency treatment strategies emphasizing evidence-based therapy and better communication among healthcare providers reduced heart attack patient deaths by 19% for up to one year after patient discharge, according to report.

WellPoint decision to sell off its PBM business is seen by experts as good, strategic move for the health insurer.

The CVS privacy settlement sends a clear message to executives that paper privacy and data security are insufficient.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius fills HHS secretary post, while Tennessee health commissioner Nancy Ann DeParle fills director of the White House Office for Health Reform.

A retrospective cohort study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association demonstrated that concomitant use of clopidogrel and a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) after hospital discharge for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and rehospitalization for ACS.

Apparently healthy people with normal cholesterol levels but elevated levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) demonstrated a significant relative reduction in stroke risk if treated with rosuvastatin rather than placebo in the Justification for Use of Statins in Prevention: An Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) study, according to data presented at the International Stroke Conference 2009.