Tenet Healthcare Corp.’s
(THC) fourth-quarter loss narrowed as the hospital
operator saw improved results amid higher prices.
The company also projected a 2009 loss bigger than expectations,
, according to
Thomson Reuters. Revenue is seen rising to
$9 billion to $9.2 billion
, in line
with estimates, with admissions growth of as much as 1%. Last year’s admissions
increase was 1.2%.
Tenet, which has been struggling to gain its footing after Read the rest of this entry »

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — 02/24/09 —
Findings from a new study in the current
issue of
confirm for the first time in a large U.S. study that
testicular cancer risk is higher among men with a history of infertility in
the past, compared to the general population. Previous research on this
topic was reported mainly from European countries with a much higher
prevalence of testis cancer in the male population.
In men with testicular cancer, the risk Read the rest of this entry »

Shares of women’s clothing retailers traded mostly higher on Tuesday, despite more data showing consumers were reluctant to spend this holiday season.
The International Council of Shopping Centers said weekly same-store sales dropped 1.5 percent last week amid continued economic woes and wintry weather.
On a year-over-year basis, same-store sales fell 1.8 percent, according to the association’s weekly index, which tracks sales of about 40 retailers.
Read the rest of this entry »

Kaiser, together with the Health Research & Educational Trust, recently released a 2008 snapshot and 2009 outlook for employee health benefits.
Cost increases for 2009 actually continue a modest cost-containment trend of the past three years, an improvement over double-digit cost increases before 2005.
But the real long-term effect on employers and employees is that premium costs have more than doubled since 1999.
In 1999, total family premiums Read the rest of this entry »

(RTTNews) - 
Monday, Rochester Medical Corp. (ROCM:
), a manufacturer of urinary continence and urine drainage care products, reported a sharp decline in its first quarter earnings, hurt by higher costs.
The Stewartville, Minnesota-based company reported a net income of $54 thousand, down from $272 thousand in the year-ago quarter. On per-share basis, the company reported a breakeven earnings compared to $0.02 Read the rest of this entry »

Baker said employers were bracing for potentially bigger increases next year. “Historically, downturns in the economy have often correlated with higher medical trends,” she said.
But higher deductibles could prompt cash-strapped workers to think twice about visiting a doctor, and healthcare experts have long argued that people who avoid treatment end up having bigger medical problems — at greater cost — later.
“What this says is that the employers Read the rest of this entry »

Health Net Inc.’s
(HNT) fourth-quarter net income tumbled 70% amid a
restructuring charge as enrollment declined amid rising unemployment.
However, the managed-care company’s shares were up 5.2% at
$16.17
as it
affirmed its earnings view for this year and revenue topped analysts’
expectations.
Health insurers have been struggling with rising costs, pricing difficulties,
investment losses and tight commercial risk enrollment, a problem exacerbated Read the rest of this entry »

Akron, OH
Albuquerque, NM
Anaheim, CA
Anchorage, AK
Arlington, TX
Atlanta, GA
Aurora, CO
Austin, TX
Bakersfield, CA
Baltimore, MD
Baton Rouge, LA
Birmingham, AL
Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Chandler, AZ
Charlotte, NC
Chesapeake, VA
Chicago, IL
Chula Vista, CA
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland, OH
Colorado Springs, CO
Columbus, OH
Corpus Christi, TX
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Durham, NC
El Paso, TX
Read the rest of this entry »

Published: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Food safety should be higher on U.S. menu
A town hall question to the presidential candidates: What will you do to ensure food safety in this era of fatal E. Coli outbreaks and melamine contamination? What will you do to make the FDA and USDA more effective?
Where are we now? A New Jersey company is recalling a yogurt-type drink from China called “Blue Cat Flavor Drink” after FDA testing found melamine. Read the rest of this entry »

Women generally pay “much more” than men of the same age for identical individual health insurance policies, according to data from insurance companies and online brokers, the
reports. Insurance companies say that this is because women ages 19 to 55 typically use more health services than men, especially during their childbearing years. According to the insurers, women are more likely than men to visit doctors, to get regular checkups, to take prescription Read the rest of this entry »