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Organizations should realize the need for integrating structured IT information and unstructured information, experts say, since the amount of valuable unstructured information is growing exponentially.

The weak economy has hit the pocketbooks of health plans as reflected in their top two challenges for 2009: competing in the marketplace (27.7%) and enduring national economic lows (20.8%).

Chronic conditions, medical advances and consumerism are among the factors contributing to premium trends in 2009, experts say.

Commonwealth Fund State Performance Ranking (2007): 33

In the wake of the upcoming presidential election, experts say both candidates cater to the public by assuring that everything will change, but neither candidate has offered up meaningful dialogue about the most needed change of all - reducing costs.

Independent, nonprofit Blue plans are becoming extinct

Health plan executives are encouraged by the decline, noting that public and private stakeholders have had a hand in devising ways to improve the widespread problem of Americans lacking coverage

The ads were aired in a multimillion-dollar national advertising campaign run through the Democratic and Republican national conventions

The Comparative Effectiveness Research Act of 2008 would establish the Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute as a private, nonprofit, nongovernmental entity that would contract with government agencies and private research organizations to conduct systematic reviews, observational studies, and randomized controlled clinical trials to obtain evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of therapies and treatments.

A retrospective cohort study published in the journal Stroke demonstrated an increased risk of stroke among users of rofecoxib and valdecoxib but not among users of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

The purpose of this drug use evaluation was to report potentially inappropriate medication use, as defined by the full Beers criteria.

Alogliptin is a highly selective DPP-IV inhibitor under investigation for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. An NDA for alogliptin was submitted in January 2008, and a response from FDA is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.

Generic drugs approved by FDA (through September 2008) including nisoldipine extended-release tablets and divalproex delayed-release tablets

Recent FDA action (through September 2008) related to Immediate-release diclofenac capsules, tocilizumab, sugammadex, topical alprostadil cream, fospropofol, iloperidone, lacosamide, and vascular endothelial growth factor b.

New indication: Tenofovir (Viread), an antiviral agent, was approved on August 13, 2008, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B in adults.

Drug Watch: Agents in late-stage development for the treatment of types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (September 2008)

Major changes are under way in global accounting standards, and all U.S. insurance companies will be affected.

While it is true that actuarial calculations of medical savings from disease management have been controversial, there is enough underlying value to DM that it will not only sustain itself, but also continue to grow as the true value of the concept emerges.

Health insurance payers and employers show a strong desire in the next year to increase their commitment to wellness initiatives.

The healthcare industry is calling for greater connectivity, or interoperability standards to increase adoption, safety and implementation.

Consumers are demanding fundamental changes in the U.S. healthcare system to gain more timely access and better coordination of healthcare, according to a survey.

There's been a continued interest in how medication adherence can improve both health outcomes and patient safety.

Health policy experts have been debating how to obtain more reliable, unbiased information on which drugs and medical procedures are most effective.

There is more focus on linking payment with quality, whether as pay for performance, value-based purchasing or restructured employee benefits packages that modify out-of-pocket expenses based on quality of providers, according to experts.

Health plans that coordinate their health savings account offerings with banks increase the likelihood that individuals establish and contribute to an HSA account, experts say.

While experts agree that electronic records in any form save time and increase patient safety, how EHRs are implemented and integrated can make all the difference.

Will generic drugs, patent expirations, safety issues and a dry pipeline for high-incident diseases make room for a new drug paradigm?

Disease registries are gaining in popularity as electronic tools designed to give physicians clinical support to deliver appropriate care.