August 24, 2012 — The Stage 2 meaningful use requirements for electronic health records (EHRs) were released Aug. 23 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The rule specifies criteria that eligible professionals (EPs), eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) must meet in order to qualify for CMS EHR incentive payments. In addition, it specifies payment reductions for EPs and facilities failing to demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology.

August 23, 2012 — Decision Resources, a research and advisory firm for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that the 12-month post-hospital acute coronary syndrome market will initially contract from just under $2 billion in 2011 to about $1.6 billion in 2013, mainly as a result of the U.S. genericization of clopidogrel (Bristol-Myers Squibb/Sanofi’s Plavix) in 2012. Decision Resources forecasts that the post-hospital acute coronary syndrome antiplatelet/anticoagulant market will then expand to almost $2.7 billion in 2021, owing largely to uptake of oral agents with novel modes of action, such as AstraZeneca’s ticagrelor (Brilinta) and the CETP inhibitors, Merck’s anacetrapib and Eli Lilly’s evacetrapib.

August 20, 2012 — The Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas, recently became the first hospital in the world to merge two highly advanced technologies for atrial fibrillation (AF) therapy.