Category:

Protecting Access to Pain Relief Coalition..launched to help ensure that American consumers continue to have access to, and choice of, safe and effective pain relief that is best suited to manage their condition....also advocates for education of consumers and healthcare professionals about the appropriate use of prescription and over the counter medicines.

Only a handful have finalized premiums for the coming year...Some analysts who have looked at health insurers' proposed premiums for next year predict major increases for policies sold on state and federal health exchanges. Others say it's too soon to tell. One thing is clear: There's a battle brewing behind the scenes to keep plans affordable for consumers.

144 deaths related to surgical robots,..1,391 patient injuries and 8,061 device malfunctions …"Despite widespread adoption of robotic systems for …surgery, a non-negligible number of technical difficulties and complications are still being experienced during procedures,"...

A group…leading cancer experts have developed a list of proposals designed to reduce the cost of cancer drugs,… recommendations...call for a new regulatory body that would help set prices once drugs win approval by the FDA...urging cancer specialist groups to consider cost when making treatment recommendations… want lawmakers to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices...

Shoppers Drug Mart saw revenue and same-store sales climb in the fiscal 2015 second quarter...sales totaled $2.689 billion, up 3.1% from $2.476 billion a year earlier. In the front end, sales rose 3.2% to $1.415 billion. Pharmacy sales edged up 2.9% to $1.274 billion.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co…reported far better than expected quarterly results thanks largely to delayed reimbursement for two hepatitis C treatments…and demand for other leading company medicines..

Policymakers in Medicaid expansion states likely will try to wring some cash from hospitals starting in 2017 when the federal government no longer pays the full tab… Higher-than-expected enrollment means expansion states will be on the hook for hundreds of millions more than…anticipated.. assessment fees already being collected by many states..

Empowering consumers to manage their own health is critical...The healthcare industry is more consumer-centered than ever, and hospital and health system leaders must strategize accordingly,...transition to value-based healthcare is one of the industry's top priorities,... providers must engage consumers to empower them to manage their own health..

ongoing safety and cost concerns, Intuitive Surgical, the maker of the da Vinci surgical robot, is rebounding financially from last year's sales slump… sharply higher earnings in the second quarter as shipments of the devices picked up… company finances aren't out of the woods. Attorneys representing patients claiming they were harmed by the devices have filed dozens of product liability lawsuits.

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by strength in its dermatology business...also raised its earnings and revenue forecast for the year to reflect sales of …. Xifaxan (rifaximin)