Healthcare Sector

New Drugs and Medical Areas

07/08/2008  06:08 PM
Private equity groups are circling Southern Cross looking for signs the care home operator is vulnerable to a bid after losing three-quarters of its market value last week due to a profit warning and financing troubles (full story)

07/08/2008  12:50 PM
SkyePharma shares lost almost a third of their value after the drug-delivery specialist failed to renegotiate the terms of convertible bonds that mature next year (full story)

07/08/2008  08:34 PM
The UK's biggest drug and alcohol testing company has received several approaches and is exploring a number of options, including a sale of the business (full story)

Healthcare News

07/08/2008  02:40 PM
Data from a study published online in the Annals of Emergency Medicine , the peer-reviewed scientific journal for the Dallas-based American College of Emergency Physicians ( ACEP ) indicate that more than three-quarters of patients (78 percent) do not fully understand the care and discharge instructions they receive in the emergency department (ED), and the vast majority are unaware that they don’t understand what doctors have told them. According to the study, more than half (51 percent) did not understand fully what they were told in two or more categories. More than one-third (34 percent) of the comprehension deficiencies involved patients’ understanding of post-ED care, while 15 percent involved diagnosis and cause. Of those patients with comprehension difficulties, only 20 percent realized that their understanding was incomplete or inaccurate. The company says patients can help themselves by asking ED staff to repeat themselves or clarify points that remain unclear. (full story)

07/08/2008  02:39 PM
Memorial Health System (Springfield, Ill.) has deployed the document management and contract system from Chattanooga, Tenn.-based MediTract . According to the company, MediTract’s system enables Memorial to track compliance with HIPAA, state and federal regulations, and provides the staff with routine management and oversight of all contracts. The new system can also help ensure Memorial to ensure patient confidentiality and keep tabs on various insurance policies for permanent facilities and new construction projects. (full story)

07/08/2008  02:36 PM
Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI, Scotland) is implementing the BEDS real-time bed management system from Falkirk, Scotland-based ExtraMed Limited across its facility. According to the company, ExtraMed’s BEDS software replaces ARI’s traditional paper-based system whereby ward managers monitored and reported on bed status in their ward twice daily, with nurses using white boards to log which patients were in which beds. The software provides a screen image as a diagram of each individual ward’s bed configuration, and color coding information on screen for immediate recognition, says the company. (full story)