While the government claims to provide pricing for drugs and procedures, those listings only highlight what Medicare and Medicaid are willing to reimburse, not what those services actually cost. Hospitals, doctors and insurance companies provide patients with an itemized bill for care – but only AFTER the fact. The Healthcare Transparency Index, issued today by change:healthcare, is the first to provide healthcare consumers with ongoing trends data about actual healthcare costs – offering insight into critical opportunities for cost savings.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/changehealthcare/46792/
Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today is introducing the Halcyon™ system, an entirely new device for cancer treatment. Engineered to revolutionize clinical workflow, Halcyon simplifies and enhances virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). This new treatment system is designed to expand the availability of high quality cancer care globally and help save the lives of millions more cancer patients.
“The global cancer challenge is enormous,” said Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. “It is expected that there will be 24.6 million cancer cases diagnosed annually by 2030, and there is an acute shortage of equipment and trained clinicians. With the innovations in this new technology platform, the system will deliver high quality Halcyon treatments that empower clinicians to care for many more patients. At Varian we are very excited with the introduction of Halcyon to be taking another big step toward advancing cost-effective cancer care worldwide.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8065951-varian-medical-systems-halcyon-cancer-treatment/
A new survey from the Gout & Uric Acid Education Society (GUAES) finds many Americans with gout may be placing too much emphasis on diet when it comes to managing the disease and controlling painful flares. Of all the steps taken to manage gout, respondents cited changing their diet by eliminating or reducing consumption of certain foods as their top step taken (50 percent)—even ahead of taking medications to lower their uric acid levels (40 percent) and maintaining an overall healthy fitness level (33 percent). Furthermore, nearly one in three with gout incorrectly believes that the disease can be completely avoided by eliminating certain foods; and more than one in four said they would not take medications if they were making dietary changes.
“Physicians all too often see patients who believe they can successfully manage their gout with diet alone,” said N. Lawrence Edwards, M.D., a rheumatologist and GUAES chairman. “But even with extremely rigid diet restrictions, most gout patients will only be able to lower their uric acid levels slightly—not nearly enough to achieve a healthy level to control flares and reduce risk for long-term damage.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7835451-guaes-diet-survey/
New recommendations from the American Society of Clinical Rheumatologists (ASCR), published in Postgraduate Medicine, highlight updated management recommendations for patients with acute gout. These new recommendations come at a time when the incidence of gout is soaring; 8.3 million Americans are estimated to be gout patients.
Instead of challenging, restrictive dieting, patients are encouraged to consume a balanced diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, nuts and grains. More importantly, patients should limit their intake of high fructose corn syrup, a common ingredient in many processed foods and drinks, and purine-rich foods, particularly red meat, beer and shellfish.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/56234-gout-uric-acid-education-arthritis-lifestyle-change-treatment-options
TransCelerate BioPharma Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of people around the world by simplifying and accelerating research and development of innovative new therapies, has unveiled a new global campaign designed to help increase awareness of the growing need for clinical trial participants. The campaign, called “One Person Closer,” focuses on inspiring healthcare professionals (HCPs) to consider clinical research as a possibility for their patients, incorporate the topic into their daily practices, and have meaningful conversations with patients about opportunities to participate in clinical trials.
One Person Closer is designed to put a human face on research and development by sharing the personal stories of researchers, HCPs and patients who have contributed to clinical research and the development of medical breakthroughs. The photojournalist campaign aims to show doctors, nurses and other HCPs that they can help facilitate research that advances science and that may benefit their patients.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8268751-transcelerate-biopharma-one-person-closer/
Researchers have discovered that a subtype of leukemia characterized by a poor prognosis is fueled by mutations in pathways distinctly different from a seemingly similar leukemia associated with a much better outcome. The findings from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital — Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project (PCGP) highlight a possible new strategy for treating patients with this more aggressive cancer.
The work provides the first details of the genetic alterations fueling a subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) known as early T-cell precursor ALL (ETP-ALL). The results suggest ETP-ALL has more in common with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) than with other subtypes of ALL. The study appears in the January 12 edition of the journal Nature.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/46768-st-jude-cancer-genome-sequencing-project-combat-aggressive-leukemia
Symptoms improved significantly in adults with the bleeding disorder hemophilia B following a single treatment with gene therapy developed by researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and demonstrated to be safe in a clinical trial conducted at the University College London (UCL) in the U.K.
The findings of the six-person study mark the first proof that gene therapy can reduce disabling, painful bleeding episodes in patients with the inherited blood disorder. Results of the Phase I study appear in the December 10 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The research is also scheduled to be presented December 11 at the 53rd annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology in San Diego.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/46766-st-jude-children-s-research-hospital-gene-therapy-bleeding-disorder
GB Sciences, Inc. (OTCQB: GBLX) announces the success of its first annual, “Innovation in Medical Cannabis Therapies” (IMCT) Symposium, held on Friday, November 9th at the “Keep Memory Alive” Event Center at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada. Throughout the day’s program, there was an emerging sense of heightened responsibility on the part of the cannabis industry to better address medical cannabis patients' needs through research and development of medical cannabis products that are better standardized, more easily-dosed, and made more widely-available to cannabis patients at a fair price.
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8308958-gb-sciences-2018-medical-cannabis-therapies-symposium/
Having lost his mother to the disease, singer, songwriter Gavin DeGraw knows firsthand how devastating pancreatic cancer is for patients and their families. Gavin is turning his grief into action by helping the Lustgarten Foundation raise awareness by encouraging people to get involved with the Foundation.
“My mother didn’t make it and unfortunately right now that’s a common story. But it doesn’t have to be the story permanently,” DeGraw said. “By funding research, the Lustgarten Foundation is going to change the course of this disease. I encourage everyone to get involved in some way – join a walk or make a donation.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8213753-lustgarten-foundation-pancreatic-cancer-awareness/
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) today announced it has committed $40.3 million in new research investments to advance the most promising blood cancer science at leading academic and medical centers around the world, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston; Weill Cornell Medicine and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York; MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston; Fondazione Centro San Raffaele in Milan; and South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute in Adelaide.
This $40.3 million investment, comprised of 75 new research grants in LLS’s portfolio of 300 projects, will fund a diverse array of research to find better treatments and cures for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancers.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7554855-lls-invests-millions-new-research-treatment-cures/
Researchers presenting at ASTRO 2015, the premier radiation oncology scientific event in the world, unveiled new data this week that could fundamentally change the way that early stage breast cancer is treated.
Results from a landmark prospective, randomized, multicenter phase III study conducted in Europe demonstrated that APBI brachytherapy leads to equivalent overall survival and local cancer control rates as compared to WBI after breast conserving surgery for selected patients with early stage breast cancers. These data were presented during the ASTRO official press conference and published in The Lancet, a leading high-impact global peer-reviewed medical journal.
“We have been confidently offering APBI brachytherapy to selected women for years based on numerous phase II, single site and large registry studies that have confirmed the clinical utility of site-specific radiation delivered in a condensed timeframe,” said Frank A. Vicini, M.D., radiation oncologist, 21st Century Oncology, Royal Oak, Mich. and contributing author to the 2009 and 2013 ASTRO and ABS APBI guidelines. “The results from this landmark, multicenter, prospective randomized clinical study are the first to offer the critical level one evidence necessary to drive the fundamental changes in breast conserving cancer treatment that patients and healthcare professionals have been demanding for years.”
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/uk/7661231-new-apbi-brachytherapy-data-at-astro-2015/
Inspire Medical Systems, Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Inspire Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS) therapy for use in a subset of patients with moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) who are unable to use Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). Inspire therapy is a fully implanted neurostimulation device, the first of its kind for sleep apnea, that provides an alternative treatment that is proven, convenient and easy to use.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/7169651-fda-approves-inspire-upper-airway-stimulation-therapy-sleep-apnea
