FDA Pipeline preview, July 2008
July 1st 2008Recent FDA action (through July 2008) related to tigecycline, bazedoxifene, balsalazide tablet, tacrolimus, fospropofol injection, bivalirudin, 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, pirfenidone, LX1032, palifosfamide, SB1518, oral tetrathiomolybdate, and terguride.
Read More
According to the results of an extended follow-up of the African American Study of Kidney Disease and Hypertension (AASK), long-term reduction of blood pressure to a lower goal than the standard demonstrates no significant effect on the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in nondiabetic hypertensive patients, except in patients with baseline urinary protein/creatinine ratio >0.22, said Jackson Wright, MD, professor of medicine and director of the hypertension program at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. These results were presented at the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, New Orleans, May 14–17, 2008.
Read More
There's a paradox of recovery auditing for ASO-providing health plans
July 1st 2008It's no secret that health insurance claim errors resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in overpayments are common for large health plans. However, when the health plan is providing administrative services only (ASO) for self-funded plans, the incentive to recover overpayments decreases for a number of reasons.
Read More
Measure includes bonus pay to encourage more e-prescribing
July 1st 2008Washington, D.C. - Several Congressional leaders, the Bush administration and major players in the e-health community are promoting electronic prescribing systems as an achievable step toward broader health information interconnectivity. Legislation to postpone a cut in Medicare payments to physicians includes a provision that encourages electronic prescribing by physicians.
Read More
Medicare opens access to Part D data
July 1st 2008Washington, D.C. - Government agencies and qualified researchers will be able to tap into Medicare Part D claims data to learn more about drug coverage and safety under a new policy issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Read More
Specialty pharmacy drives drug spend
July 1st 2008Drug trend for 2007 was 2%, the lowest year-over-year trend since Medco began tracking it in 1999, according to the company. While the drug cost trend is small in terms of overall healthcare dollars spent, it was at one time rising at a rate more than double the rate of inflation, according to Lon Castle, MD, senior director, department of medical and analytical affairs at Medco.
Read More
H-CAHPS survey reflects patient experiences
July 1st 2008Starting March 28, data on patient experiences in the hospital was added to the federal government's Hospital Compare Web site. Patients' feedback was drawn from a 27-question survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and reflects the issues of greatest concern to patients. Data about patients' experiences in 2,500 hospitals has already been uploaded to the site; by the end of the year, information from most of the nation's hospitals will be available.
Read More
Data management critical to meet member expectations
July 1st 2008According to results of Deloitte Consulting's 2008 Survey of Health Care Consumers, nearly 80% of consumers want their physicians to provide online access to medical records and test results. Thus, the cry has gone out for physicians, providers and purchasers to respond quickly. In the travel and banking industries, data moves freely between applications-and that's the current challenge for the healthcare industry.
Read More
P4P programs aim to track, prevent growing MRSA epidemic
July 1st 2008Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of bacterium that is resistant to certain antibiotics, has become a national epidemic, with increasing numbers of serious infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Hospital stays for these infections tripled from 2000 to 2005.
Read More
Grassroots movement grants medical home, access to uninsured
July 1st 2008While legislators and healthcare stakeholders across the country wrangle over the problem of the nation's 46.5 million uninsured, a grassroots movement called Project Access is having an impact on the health of thousands of uninsured Americans.
Read More
Wacky ad campaign reaches the right people
July 1st 2008Your advertising campaign has officially become old-school. That stock image of pleasant patients and attractive doctors? You aren't catching anyone's attention with that approach anymore. Meet HealthPartners' new mascot: Petey P. Cup. Yes, that's right, a urine specimen cup is a walking, dancing, huggable mascot that makes appearances at clinics, health fairs and events around the Twin Cities. Petey also has a syringe sidekick named Pokey.
Read More
Genetic precision: New fields in genetic testing lend support to clinical effectiveness
July 1st 2008Genetic testing is used to predict or diagnose a disease for an individual. It also makes possible the use of pharmacogenetics-the study of genetic variation that translates to differing response to drugs-to align drug treatment for maximum effectiveness. The emerging field of pharmacogenetics has opened up a new world of personalized treatment and evidence-based medicine.
Read More
Purchasing value: The Pacific Business Group on Health champions nationwide innovation
July 1st 2008When Peter Lee stepped down in January from his eight-year tenure as president and CEO of the Pacific Business Group on Health (PBGH), he chose to stay close to home, taking over the new role of executive director of national health policy for this non-profit organization of large employers and other major purchasers. Although Lee wears a new hat, he is confident that he has left the CEO position in the hands of a competent and experienced healthcare thought leader: David Lansky. The duo has easily blended its expertise-Lansky as the information technology whiz and Lee as the national healthcare policy guru and patient advocate. Both share a passion for data and measurement.
Read More
States decide business of insurance
July 1st 2008Capitation and other risk-sharing arrangements have been pursued by provider organizations for the past two decades. Yet the law on whether such arrangements result in the provider organization being in the business of insurance has not fully evolved in all states.
Read More
Maintain competitive cost structure in uncertain economic times
July 1st 2008Regardless of an insurer's composition - public or private, large or small, geographically diverse or regionally focused - reducing non-labor general and administrative (G&A) expenses can contribute greatly to margin improvement.
Read More
CDC urges flu vaccination for all children
July 1st 2008The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to expand the recommended ages for annual influenza vaccination to include all children from 6 months through 18 years of age.
Read More
Maintain confidentiality with ERISA plans
July 1st 2008The purpose of the attorney-client privilege is to encourage frank communications between attorneys and clients, which promotes dissemination of sound legal advice. Regarding the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA"), some courts have found that an ERISA plan fiduciary may not assert the attorney-client privilege against plan participants regarding matters of plan administration.
Read More
Dual receptor antagonist demonstrated to be effective in reducing SBP
June 30th 2008An investigational first-in-class dual angiotensin and endothelin receptor antagonist lowered systolic blood pressure (SBP) in patients with stage 1 and 2 hypertension in a phase 2a trial, reported Joel M. Neutel, MD, associate professor of medicine, University of California, Irvine, and medical director of clinical pharmacology, Orange County Research Center, Tustin, California. These results were presented at the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, New Orleans, May 14–17, 2008.
Read More
Amlodipine plus olmesartan superior to monotherapy in difficult-to-treat hypertensive populations
June 30th 2008The combination of amlodipine and olmesartan was demonstrated to be superior to monotherapy with either agent in difficult-to-treat hypertensive populations in a subgroup analysis of the registrational trial for this combination therapy. These results were presented at the 23rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society of Hypertension, New Orleans, May 14–17, 2008.
Read More
More employers using incentives
June 30th 2008The number of major employers offering employee wellness programs with incentives grew over the past year, according to a study presented by Health2 Resources. The National Association of Manufacturers and The ERISA Industry Committee participated in the survey.
Read More
Lack of access can be life-changing
June 30th 2008Access to coverage, especially for individuals and small groups, is a constant issue. So much so that many Americans are taking great steps to change their lifestyles in order to obtain it. Get married to gain access to insurance? Some are doing just that.
Read More
Government proposal could allow e-Rx of controlled substances
June 30th 2008U.S. drug regulators are said to be close to allowing doctors to e-prescribe addictive medications, including painkillers. According to Reuters, the Drug Enforcement Administration is expected to publish a proposal on e-prescribing controlled substances.
Read More