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Information technology

UPMC embarks on first round of funding for Health Data Alliance projects | Pittsburgh Post- Gazette

UPMC Enterprises on Tuesday announced its first round of funding for six projects under the Pittsburgh Health Data Alliance umbrella, a year-old collaboration of hospital system UPMC, University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. UPMC's funding will exceed $3 million over the next six months for technologies that are aimed at reducing patient falls, reducing the incidence of pressure ulcers, improving the accuracy of cancer diagnosis and other projects.

Medical devices and equipment

This wearable patch uses sweat to monitor blood glucose levels | Popular Science

A group of international researchers led by Dae-Hyeong Kim from the Institute for Basic Science in Seoul, South Korea have created a dual patch that can both monitor blood glucose levels and deliver medication that reduces high sugar levels when they occur.

Pharmaceuticals

Merck gets win over Gilead in hepatitis C drug patent dispute | Wall Street Journal

Merck & Co. won a legal victory over rival Gilead Sciences Inc. on Tuesday when a California jury upheld the validity of two patents that Merck says should entitle it to a portion of the multibillion-dollar annual sales of Gilead's hepatitis C drugs.

How much should that drug cost? Depends what disease it treats | STAT

A new drug pricing scheme is gaining traction that would base payments on how well a medicine actually works. The concept, which is known as indication-specific pricing, would set different prices for the same drug to reflect the extent to which a medicine is effective for multiple purposes. The goal is to calibrate spending with performance and, in turn, lower overall health care costs.

Genetic test aims to improve diabetes diagnosis | Reuters

Correctly diagnosing which type of diabetes a patient has is crucial, and in a small minority of cases the wrong diagnosis can be fatal. But in an age of growing obesity in the western world, diagnosis is becoming increasingly difficult for doctors. Clinical diagnosis is currently based almost entirely on age at diagnosis and whether a patient is obese. A physician researcher at the University of Exeter Medical School has come up with a new, relatively inexpensive, genetic test for the disease, which he thinks will help doctors.

Physicians

As virtual doctor visits take off, debate over who should pay heats up | STAT

When is a video chat with a doctor equivalent to an office visit? State legislators across the US have been grappling with that question as hospitals press for insurance companies to fully cover virtual appointments—and insurers balk at those demands.

Safety, quality and clinical practice

F.D.A. proposes a ban on powdered medical gloves | New York Times

The Food and Drug Administration proposed banning powdered medical gloves on Monday, saying the powder can inflame wounds and cause scars to form between organs and tissue after surgery.