News

One of the biggest uncertainties in today's healthcare market is what managed care's future role will be in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The most recent trend is an exodus from Medicare+Choice due to the federal government's insufficient reimbursement levels.

The problem of having millions of Americans without health care coverage isn't going away, and the business community has a vested interest in solving it.

The buck stops with the individual, and the entire system will be out of whack until Americans learn to eat less, exercise more and stop smoking. That's why there's such strong interest in highly targeted wellness programs.

Although many organizations have implemented well-intentioned medication error reduction strategies, the authors of this article argue that most approaches don?t address the underlying foundation upon which many errors occur. In this article, they present 10 core process improvements?from ?genericizing? all drug names throughout the hospital/health system to purchasing all single-dose packaging?that they believe could have a significant impact on patient safety if implemented.

as reported September 1, 2002

New Indication: Anemia treatment gains postchemotherapy indication

NME:Abused drug approved for cataplexy in tightly controlled program

NME: Chemotherapy agent to be used in combination for recurrent colorectal cancer

Information about Dr. David Shulkin and the Patient Safety Officer Society

Tegaserod maleate (Zelnorm) is the first selective partial 5-HT4 agonist approved by FDA for the short-term treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in women whose primary bowel symptom is constipation. To help you prepare for P & T Committee review, this article presents tegaserod?s chemistry and pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical trial results, adverse effects profile, dosing information, cost, and the author?s opinion on its place in therapy.

With enoxaparin?s recent labeling change regarding its use in patients with prosthetic valves, clinicians may have several questions about appropriate anticoagulant selection. Specifically, what evidence prompted the labeling change, which patients are affected, what are the options and limitations for bridging patients, what?s the evidence supporting the role of low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) in bridge therapy, and how can liability be limited should clinicians choose to use LMWH therapy? The authors of this commentary offer their insight on these issues.

Sisters of Mercy CEO Ron Ashworth cultivates an environment of personalas well as clinical service

Go beyond traditional medical coverage and offer your members services that save time, cost and effort

Ranked by total nursing homes owned and leased by these chains, Dec. 2001

The biggest challenge for consumer-driven plans is keeping members aware of healthcare costs.

Sisters of Mercy CEO Ron Ashworth optimizes his resources by centralizing IT

Staying healthy on the job is clearly beneficial to all. Learn how Kawasaki puts the power of wellness right in its employees& hands.

Staying healthy on the job is clearly beneficial to all. Learn how Kawasaki puts the power of wellness right in its employees& hands.

In late May, voriconazole (Vfend) received approval for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and as salvage therapy for treatment of Scedosporium apiospermum and Fusarium infections. In addition to these infections, voriconazole has excellent invitro activity against both Candida and Aspergillus species, including good activity against fluconazole- and itraconazole-resistant species. This Focus article reviews the antifungal's pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy in clinical trials, safety, dosing, price, and place in therapy.

Effective decision-making in benefit management requires an understanding of the economic burden of an illness - in this case, the economic burden and treatment of alcoholism. This article provides an understanding of the true costs of the disease, what has been found to be effective in its treatment, and what treatments may lessen the economic burden of the disease.

Finding optional ways to manage patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - the fourth leading cause of death in the US became a priority for this large mid-western collaborative of health care organizations. This this end, a guideline was developed to help clinicians identify, evaluate and manage COPD. This article provides an overview of the guideline development process and implementation approach, key guideline components, and the step-by-step pharmacologic treatment strategy.

Ruling shows that external review remains viable option for patients

HMOs challenge Kentucky law that prevents plans from limiting providernetworks

Irene Brewster*, a 31-year-old mother of two who was in her 31st week of pregnancy, woke up one morning and noticed that her calf was abnormally swollen. After a call to her obstetrician, who was out of town, Brewster rounded up her children and drove to the hospital.

It was lightning quick, as acquisitions go. From the first announcement to the final approval, WellPoint Health Networks rolled RightCHOICE Managed Care's 2.8 million members into its portfolio in just three months.

People always experience a certain amount of anxiety when adopting a new technology. When implementing that change costs tens of millions of dollars, however, it could become downright nerve-wracking.

by degree of integration and performance level, April 2002

Consortiums, Web visits and online management help payers overcome reluctance to increase online care