Pharmacy

JCAHO, NCQA and URAC say their DM certification programs lend an added merit badge in the pursuit of value

Cutting back on basic health benefits goes against everyone's wishes,but that might be our only choice

House calls, annual prescription reviews and coordinated drug delivery reduce adverse drug reactions and hospital stays for the elderly

Legislators seek Medicare "givebacks," malpractice reform,tax credits for health insurance

National Reports- The escalating cost of pharmacy benefits gainedattention when Aetna announced that it would keep its pharmacy operationin-house and terminate its outside mail-order contract with Express Scripts.

Wellesley, Mass. - Ideally, plans should budget according to total costof care as opposed to the budget silos seen in some healthcare organizations.

National Reports - Informing and educating members is the goal of manyhealth plans of late, and CIGNA is no exception. Its PharmaAdvisor givesmembers access to an independent, objective service that allows them tomake comparisons of prescription drugs, their side effects, costs, and genericalternatives.

Dr. Mark W. Banks is well aware that physicians nationwide sometimes get frustrated with managed care. The CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, a former practicing physician himself, saw the changes coming in the mid-1980s.

Dr. Mark W. Banks is well aware that physicians nationwide sometimes get frustrated with managed care. The CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, a former practicing physician himself, saw the changes coming in the mid-1980s.

washington - Health plans and payers can cut spending on pharmacy benefits through multi-tier pharmacy benefit designs, according to the latest research.

Contracted pharmacy benefit managers provide economies of scale and other advantages, but larger players see fewer returns

Uninformed consumers study from Cigna Healthcare, obesity in America, new JCAHO accreditation plan

While daily diabetes management lies primarily in the hands of patients, several programs offer cost-effective, coordinated care

These less-controlled studies help evaluate the actual benefits derived from a drug, as well as provide a preview of safety and patient compliance.

Community outreach plans educate members, physicians and pharmacies on appropriate antibiotic usage

Health is a national concern, but the best solutions are local. A new initiative is demonstrating that providers, payers, purchasers and the public at large can pull together.

Pfizer stock rebounds,while experts predict more market consolidation

For plans, these special pharmacies offer a good starting point to manage the high cost of pharmaceuticals

How the nursing shortage can cause serious damage to hospitals and patients everwhere.

nursing shortage, generic versus brand drugs, generic drug vouchers, fraudulent health insurance plans, substance abuse

Job pressure can be counterproductive, and there&s more of it than ever before. Here are results of a new survey plus some management advice.

Medication and psychotherapy are significantly improved, and treatment of depression is on the rise. Still, there are major barriers for patients and forward thinking employers.

A major clinical study, the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), has shown that regular exercise and a nutritious diet leading to weight loss can prevent type 2 diabetes among people at high risk for the disease.

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.

Health plans emphasize a more personal touch and look to physicians to take the lead in the fight against a complicated disease

HCA joins Leapfrog, MBGH says 30% health care costs unnecessary, Rush Prudential v. Moran with ERISA, BCBSM compares prices of brand name drugs with generics, Kaiser study on state-by-state prescription drug cost

Forming preferred-drug lists and purchasing pools are some initiatives states engage in

Washington, D.C. - Instead of developing innovative, break-through therapies, pharmaceutical companies devote most of their resources to modifying existing medications, according to the latest report from the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM). Release of the study further escalated already heightened rhetoric between health plans and drug makers over rising drug costs. "Highly innovative drugs are rare," said Nancy Chockley, president of NIHCM, which is supported primarily by Blue Cross and Blue Shield Assns.

Washington, D.C. - Medicare+Choice plans do a poor job explaining the intricacies of drug coverage plans to seniors, according to a report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ("Medicare HMO Prescription Drug Benefits," May 2002, OEI-03-00-00430, at http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports).

Increased prescription drug spending