News

State-level insurance exchanges are more likely to thrive in the market by taking advantage of integration

Scorecard from the Commonwealth Fund notes stark gaps between best and worst performing states

Eight Ohio health plans are participating in a pilot to streamline administration with hopes that national efforts could come next

Physicians have historically been lacking in collecting on bad debt, and now the cost of tracking it down might not be worth it

Over the next 20 years, expect to see funky formularies and new drug benefit designs to manage costs

Pfizer's $2.3 billion civil and criminal penalty over off-label promotions, shows that the federal government is serious about compliance in the health industry

Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in California spent 30% fewer days in the hospitals than patients with FFS Medicare

Nearly two-thirds of plan sponsors say the economy is causing a shift toward placing greater accountability on members to manage their own health so plan dollars are spent more wisely

The big issues are still the rising cost of coverage and the impact that rising costs have on health plan membership

Almost two-thirds of the children who died with H1N1 had epilepsy, cerebral palsy or other neurodevelopmental conditions.

At this moment in history, we have a real opportunity to re-invent and revolutionize our entire healthcare system. However, current proposals are nothing more than a band-aid, missing the chance for true healthcare system reform. The proposed "fix" does very little to keep healthcare sustainable 10, 20 or 30 years from now.

Programs designed to improve health and lower health care costs only work if people use them. In an effort to increase participation, Health Management Corporation (HMC), a wholly owned subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., researched what drives health plan members to enroll and engage in programs to improve their health.

Disease management (DM) in the US can trace its roots back to the mid-1980s with the early work of California health plans and has come a long way since then. However, it wasn't until the mid 1990s that disease management became part of mainstream thinking, after several private for-profit companies introduced outsourced disease-management programs to large commercial health insurance providers. The "process/evolution" of DM in the United States has been and continues to be the major difference between disease management in the US and the UK...and other countries.

Today, more companies are implementing wellness programs in order to improve the health and productivity of their employees, while at the same time reducing overall health care expenses. However, it is easy to think of health screenings as a commodity instead of what they truly are ? health care.

Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of mixed dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, and hypertension

Recent FDA approvals (through October 2009) related to Sabril, Helixate FS, Valcyte, Metozolv ODT, Xyzal, Zevalin, Extavia, Astepro, Zenpep, and Bepreve

FDA officials are taking steps to erase the charges of incompetency and ineffectiveness that have plagued the agency for several years.

New combination: Morphine/naltrexone extended-release capsules (Embeda) were approved on August 13, 2009, for the management of moderate-to-severe pain when continuous analgesia is needed for an extended time period

Recent FDA action (through October 2009) related to doxorubicin, trabectedin, carisbamate, alogliptin/pioglitazone, HPV vaccine, pralatrexate, romidepsin, hyaluronic acid, laromustine, clofarabine, prGCD, KNS-760704, rifaximin, hexvix, and quinazoline495

Generic drugs approved by FDA (through October 2009): 1% clindamycin/5% benzoyl peroxide gel, triamcinolone acetonide nasal spray, clonidine transdermal system, betamethasone acetate and betamathasone sodium phosphate injectable suspension

New formulation: Guanfacine extended-release tablets (Intuniv) were approved on September 2, 2009, for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

New molecular entity: Telavancin for injection (Vibativ) was approved on September 11, 2009, for the treatment of complicated skin and skin-structure infections (cSSSIs)

Fampridine-SR is a sustained-release oral medication that is pending FDA approval for the symptomatic treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Specialty pharmacies are uniquely positioned to play a key role in the implementation of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS).

State of the Industry survey results

Group Health cuts CHF readmission rate with care transition program, while patients stick to diet, exercise and medication plans

More than 12% of physicians do not have managed care contracts, but the break down varies by situation

Model legislation adopted by NCOIL provides that the third party accessing the contract must comply with contacting terms