The California Department of Public Health, which monitors the quality of care at hospitals, has fined 16 hospitals for not complying with state and federal regulations. Of the 16 hospitals fined, three were in Los Angeles County and three were in Orange County. Four fines against Riverside County’s John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital total $100,000. The state agency’s director says it focused on lapses in patient care.

American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance and Homewatch CareGivers, teamed up to conduct a study examining trends in long-term health care and the utilization of associated support services. Among the conclusions of the study is the dramatic growth of people receiving support care at home and the significantly greater percentage of those with long-term care insurance who are able to receive home-based care and stay in the their homes longer.

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A new study published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology reports a surge in drug-resistant strains of a dangerous type of bacteria in US hospitals: Acinetobacter strikes patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and others and often causes severe pneumonias or bloodstream infection, some of which are now resistant to imipenem, an antibiotic that is reserved for last-line treatment.

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BioRx has been named one of a small number of approved providers of Berinert®. Berinert® is a plasma-derived concentrate of C1 esterase inhibitor (human) indicated for the treatment of acute abdominal or facial attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adult and adolescent patients. CSL Behring, the manufacturer of Berinert® selected BioRx as part of their distribution network to launch this exciting new product in the United States.

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Ekkyo(TM), a photomedicine company that develops first-in-class laser-based systems for skin scar prevention and reduction is presented its assessment one year after the commercial launch of EkkyLite(TM). Ekkyo has also set up a national register to log and measure the development of the healing process for each patient treated. This confidential register provides personalised access for each practitioner equipped with an EkkyLite (TM) system.

American Biotech Labs has announced that it has obtained clearance by the FDA to market its ASAP Antibacterial Silver Wound Dressing Gel as a prescription 510(k) medical device throughout the United States. The FDA 510(k) medical device clearance enables ABL to market its ASAP Antibacterial Silver Gel “for use in the management of 1st and 2nd degree burns, stasis ulcers, pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers, lacerations, abrasions, skin tears and surgical incision sites.

Fresenius Medical Care has launched a new therapy program for peritoneal dialysis (PD). ‘P3′, the first comprehensive PD care concept of its kind. In contrast to the mere provision of individual products and services, ‘P3′ for the first time provides PD therapy as an integrated care program, incorporating all aspects of treatment, from the PD machine, or “cycler”, and related equipment to special software and services for the monitoring of treatment safety and quality

APP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market Chlorothiazide Sodium for Injection, USP. Chlorothiazide Sodium for Injection, USP is therapeutically equivalent to the reference-listed drug Diuril®, which is marketed by Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals. Chlorothiazide is a diuretic used to treat high blood pressure, and fluid retention in people with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis of the liver and kidney disorders.

3M Health Care the innovative technology company haslaunched the first Antimicrobial Tegaderm CHG IV Transparent Securement Dressing at the 2009 Patient Safety Congress, Abu Dhabi. The dressing integrates the powerful antimicrobial action of Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) with the high performance of a Tegaderm dressing, and has been designed to reduce skin flora – the most common cause of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI), which can prolong hospital stays by an average of 20 days.

BD Diagnostics – Preanalytical Systems, a unit of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), has received the FDA 510(k) clearance for the BD Vacutainer® Rapid Serum Tube. BD Vacutainer is a blood collection device designed to help acute healthcare facilities rapidly analyze blood serum for patient diagnosis. Technologies such as the BD Vacutainer Rapid Serum Tube can help reduce the time it takes to get answers from blood tests and have a significant impact on patient care and hospital productivity.”