McKesson

> In the second Vioxx trial, University of Michigan professor Dr. Benedict Lucchesi, who helped to invent the first pacemaker, testified that the painkiller can trigger heart attacks even after only a few doses.  Story

> A Tennessee man has died from a hereditary bleeding disorder. Critics say TennCare caps on drug spending which went into effect in August are to blame. …

> A study finds Ohio has overpaid hospitals for workers' compensation claims by $544 million over the past seven years. Story

> McKesson's ex-CFO cleared of charges related to HBOC merger fraud. Story

> What does the future hold for Revolution Health Group, Steve Case's bold new experiment with …

> McKesson has acquired D & K Healthcare, a drug distributor with a strong presence in the South and Midwest, in a deal valued at $206.8 million. Story

> Following up on last week's buy of Neighborcare, long-term care provider Omnicare said it will acquire excellRX for $269 million. …

> A surprising survey of hospitals in Japan underscores the cultural differences between attitudes regarding end-of-life issues in Asia and the US. Story

> The Food and Drug Administration approved the controversial BiDil, the first race-based medicine to be marketed in the US. …

Health IT specialist McKesson said today that it will purchase Medcon, a provider of web-based cardiac image and information management systems in a deal valued at $105 million. McKesson provider technologies president Pamela Pure said that the deal gives the company an edge in cornering the cardiology market. "Less than 15% of hospitals in the US have a robust, integrated solution for cardiology, which next to radiology is the largest producer and consumer of images and associated …

A new poll out today asks frontline registered nurses for their opinions on patient safety and their own roles in the healthcare system. A majority (72 percent) said they think patient medication safety has increased in their own hospitals over the past five years and most (80 percent) said they think better technology is at least partially responsible. Most also agree that "an environment that supports the examination of errors" and "better communication between doctors and …

A growing number of health care providers, including networks and medical groups are getting into the software business as a way of offseting the expense of upgrading their own systems.  Some are going the Application Service Provider route, offering to host electronic medical record systems for smaller medical groups.  A good example is Morgan Haugh Medical Group in Kentucky, which is attempting to attract smaller groups by offering them a ride on the McKesson software it …

> Chicago police arrested a senior manager at investment house Bear Stearns and a former hospital board member in a kickback case. Story

> The Washington Post looks at how media coverage overplayed last year's news of a study heralding the finding that aspirin may reduce breast cancer risk.  …

Big drug distributor McKesson turned in much better than expected results on Thursday, surprising Wall Street with a 21 percent jump in net profits in the fourth quarter. The gain came largely as a result of increased drug sales. As IT fans know, the distributor is also in the business of providing healthcare IT solutions. The company's two healthcare IT divisions both showed improvement. Provider technologies and Software showed a 35 percent gain in sales. Hardware sales were up 10 …