News

Americans see alcoholic drinks nearly every day-on TV, at parties and even on the family dinner table.

Industry executives were grilled at congressional hearings and summoned to a White House meeting called by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to discuss rising premiums

The rapidly approaching shift from ICD-9 to ICD-10 is a massive system overhaul that many have underestimated.

Customize your obesity program for children, beginning as early as preschool

In a move toward accountable care, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Assn. (BCBSA) has established a policy that denies acute care hospitals reimbursement for certain never events.

Two of the major causes of blindness in the United States are glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which often can be controlled with medication.

In the arcane argot of antitrust, the debate between the American Medical Assn. (AMA) and the nation's health insurers is a case of he said/she said.

Eventually, the conversations attacking health insurers will tire out, and providers will become the next health-reform punching bag.

Congressional authority is not the same as the authority given to a court of law

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is underrecognized and undertreated in women, despite its prevalence

Retirees can expect to shoulder more than half of the cost burden of health benefits-51% to 54%-according to Towers Watson's 2010 Retiree Health Care Cost Survey.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Board of Directors has named Eric H. Schultz as its new president and CEO.

The pilot initiative is designed to make delivering and getting health care easier for patients and their physicians by reducing the time, effort, and expense for the paperwork required for each office visit.

One in four dollars spent on health care in America now pays for unnecessary tests and treatments that physicians order to keep from being sued, according to a new Gallup poll of the nation's doctors.

Alternative short-term coverage costs less and lasts six to 12 months to fill in the gap between jobless and finding new employments.

Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

New molecular entity: Tocilizumab (Actemra) was approved in January 2010, for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to one or more tumor necrosis factor antagonist therapies.

Recent FDA approvals (through March 2010) related to Iprivask, VPRIV, Mirapex ER, Cayston, Menveo, Lamictal XR, Rituxan, Oleptro, Xiaflex, Norvir, Benicar, Crestor.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a debilitating and potentially fatal condition, often seen in the aging population. VTE results from clot formation in the venous circulation and presents as either deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. A population-based study estimated that at least 201,000 new cases of VTE occur in the United States annually.

Etravirine is an HIV-1 specific, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) that was FDA approved for treatment-experienced adult patients with HIV-1 strains resistant to an NNRTI and other antiretroviral agents. In phase 3 trials of etravirine versus placebo, both in combination with darunavir/ritonavir, a background of nucleoside/nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors with or without enfuvirtide demonstrated potent antiviral activity that was sustained through 48 weeks.

The main objectives of gout therapy are to treat the acute attack, provide prophylaxis to prevent flares, and prevent complications associated with the deposition of urate crystals in tissues. Obesity, alcohol intake, and certain foods and medications can contribute to hyperuricemia and should be identified. Pharmacologic management remains the mainstay of treatment for chronic gout and acute attacks.

Recent FDA action (through March 2010) related to CPI-300, Ondansetron, Intravenous acetaminophen, Gabapentin enacarbil, Rifaximin, ENMD-2076, Ap301, CM-AT, Fingolimod, Nilotinib.

On February 18, 2010, FDA recommended drastic changes in the way long-acting beta2-adrenergic agonists are used in the treatment of asthma in order to limit their utilization.

Our current system puts private, third-party payers in a key position, because they provide the financial incentives that drive behavior through a large portion of the healthcare system.

Whether your organization has health information technologies (HIT) in place today or preparations for meaningful use are just beginning, the time is now to understand your environment, locate where patient information exists today and prioritize your needs.

In the alphabet soup of healthcare, nothing's garnering greater attention these days than accountable care organizations.

Timely access to treatment for HMO patients in California has been a long time in coming as HMOs, physicians, hospitals, and consumer groups battled it out.

Deborah Peel, MD, knows patient data can be protected as well as leveraged for analytical research, but the infrastructure must be redesigned for granular control