HealthContentAdvisors

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Headlines for Dec 15-26

  • Posted December 26th 2008
  • by Janice
  • » Online physician community-Sermo- to track infectious diseases

    Sermo joins the fray — along with Google — in using online tools to track spread of flu. Sermo has advantage of compiling clinical observations rather than inferring data from search queries as does Google.

  • » Consumer Health Information

    From Toronto Public Library Consumer Health Information Service, a list of top 10 health-related websites from 1999 and update on where they stand today, as well as some notable new sources.

  • » Google Watch - Failure to Launch : Google Research Datasets

    Google’s Research Datasets project is shutdown. Announced about a year ago, Research Datasets was seeking to aggregate large datasets that backed research projects. One 30 datasets were uploaded, but some were huge (Hubble project with 120TBs). Media focus has pointed to storage costs as problem, but the need to reduce # of early-stage projects at Google also contributed to the decision. Google says it will focus on G Scholar instead.

  • » Informa looks at cutting debt to below £1bn - Business News, Business - The Independent

    Informa plans to cut its debt, which will likely require selling off some assets. In Healthcare (with heavy emphasis on Pharma BI), Informa owns Taylor & Francis publishing,PJB (Pharmaprojects, Scrip, and other pharma bi databases, publications and events),Citeline TrialTrove, and recently acquired Datamonitor (see: www.informa.com/divisions/academic_and_amp_scientific/informa_healthcare for full list. In other divisions, Informa is known as the owner of Lloyd’s list, finance and insurance publications, and global events producer IIR.

  • » Elsevier to Review Senator’s Claim - NYTimes.com

    More on the investigation into undisclosed influence from Wyeth (purportedly hiring medical communications company to ghostwrite and article and finding an academic to put his name on it) in Elsevier’s American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Elsevier has launched its own investigation.

  • » HealthBlawg: Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council: Quality and cost transparency or veils?

    David Harlow takes the new Massachusetts’ online hospital database MyHealthCareOptions, for a spin. Reveals that cost data are only given in broad ranges and ratings in the form of star, which don’t provide sufficient data to make informed decisions.

  • » SEC Watch: WebMD To Cut Up To 5 Percent Of Staff | paidContent.org

    PaidContent on 8-K filing by WebMD that reports a 4-5% workforce reduction at WebMD, accompanied by $2.5M restructuring charge.

  • » Thomson Reuters to issue up to $3 bln in debt | Markets | Markets News | Reuters

    Thomson Reuters to issue up to $3B in debt to use for general corporate purposes. Thomson Healthcare is a division of Thomson Reuters.

  • » Insurers Seek Presence at Health Care Sessions - NYTimes.com

    Health insurers and other payers are organizing community meetings to provide input into Obama administration’s health policy.

  • » ProVation Medical Software Named Number One in Clinical Procedure Documentation Category, 2008 KLAS Top 20 Report - MarketWatch

    Wolters Kluwer Health’s ProVation medical coding product “has been designated Number One in the Clinical Procedure Documentation category of the 2008 Top 20 Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Professional Services report”.

  • » Study Finds Much of Private-Sector Consumer Medication Information Not Consistently Useful

    FDA study finds that information provided with new prescriptions fails to provide the level of usefulness called for by FDA: “The current voluntary system has failed to provide consumers with the quality information they need in order to use medicines effectively and safely,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Because the congressional goals have not been met, the FDA intends to seek public comment on initiatives that can be used to meet the goals.” “We need to work with pharmacy operators, drug manufacturers, health care professionals, and consumers to come up with a sensible, comprehensive and more effective solution,” said Woodcock. Link to full study included.

  • » CMPMedica Signs a Five Year Global Contract With iSOFT for Essential Drug Information Decision Support Tools

    CMPMedica to provide drug info content to iSOFT, one of the world’s largest providers of healthcare IT solutions. (iSOFT press release was distributed on 11/25/08)

  • » Newswise Medical News | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Launches myLWW

    “Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW), announces the launch of myLWW, a new, personalized and intuitive interface that integrates medical journal content and rich media to enable collaboration, sharing, and innovation among medical professionals. LWW is part of Wolters Kluwer Health.” Uses MS Sharepoint to host over 280 journals and allows collaboration.

  • » Center for Improving Medication Management Launches new Consumer Ed Website

    “The Center for Improving Medication Management ( The Center ) today launched http://www.LearnAboutRxSafety.org, a new Web site where consumers can learn how to use medications safely. Developed in conjunction with the National Council on Patient Information and Education ( NCPIE ), the Web site is primarily intended as a resource for families and all individuals seeking information on medication safety. The Center will collaborate with consumer organizations, provider and payer organizations and other groups interested in promoting medication safety and adherence for consumers.”

  • » Best in KLAS Vendors Named

    KLAS’ annual Best in Klas winners announced and listed in this article.

  • » Economy Makes Disease Foundations Get Choosier | Xconomy

    Xconomy reports on how foundations are more carefully considering the investments they make in pharma and biotech companies due to the economy. Cites a CenterWatch study.

  • » MediKeeper Selected as a PHR Application Provider by Dossia - MarketWatch

    MediKeeper provides web-based PHR technology for providers and employers and is now partnered with Dossia.

  • » Informa Unveils Scrip 100

    2009 edition of Scrip 100 - Informa Healthcare’s annual analysis of pharma industry is now available online: http://www.scripnews.com/supplements/download_today/Scrip-100

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