On August 23, 2016, the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR)www.phe.gov announced a $7 million contract with Orasure Technologies Inc. of Bethlehem Pennsylvania www.orasure.com to further develop a Zika virus test. Orasure’s test is a lateral flow serological test which is similar to a home pregnancy test but uses a few drops of blood instead of urine. (more…)
Medicaid Health Homes Update
The Affordable Care Act gives states the right for Medicaid to establish health homes to help manage beneficiaries with chronic illnesses. However, an individual must be a Medicaid beneficiary diagnosed with two chronic conditions or one chronic condition and risk for a second, or a serious mental illness. (more…)
Conducting Successful Trials
A seven year federal grant for $26.5 million was awarded to researchers at the Duke Clinical Research Institute (DCRI) www.dcri.org and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) www.mc.vanderbilt.edu to study how multisite clinical trials for new drugs and therapies can be conducted more rapidly and efficiently. (more…)
Report on Medical Device Exports
The forecast for the Medical Device Market in 2016 in the Americas is $166.6 billion and is expected to grow to $208.6 billion in 2020. The U.S medical device industry expects to remain highly competitive globally which is due partially to the fact that the U.S has been able to effectively bring new and innovative technologies to market, according to the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration’s report, “2016 Top Markets Report: Medical Devices” http://trade.gov. (more…)
Zeroing in on Rare Diseases
Michael York, a well-known British actor who has starred on the stage and in movies spoke at the National Press Club August 12, 2016, acting as a spokesman for a rare condition and a little known ailment called Amyloidosis. (more…)
Smartphones to Improve Eye Care
A University of Michigan https://umich.edu ophthalmologist is working to bring health applications plus the convenience and reliability of smartphones into the doctor’s office as well as to enrich eye care. (more…)
Healthcare in Montana
Montana’s Governor Steve Bullock’s Council on Health Care Innovation and Reform met in June to discuss the present state of healthcare and to review the Montana Health Care Innovation Plan http://dphhs.mt.gov/healthcare/innovation. The plan describes the Council’s efforts to improve community health while making healthcare more affordable. (more…)