News

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

More modest legislative package would stand to gain bipartisan approval in light of Baucus plan reaction

State of the Industry survey results

Data mining and predictive modeling can get us over the electronic data hump until EMRs reach critical mass

Reported outcomes from medical homes must be able to discern between true and preceived cost savings, and North Carolina is an example of what can go wrong

State of the Industry survey results

Just 8% of asthma patients recieve proper education, and insurance status is not the ultimate factor

Every pre-existing condition is subject health insurers' anti-fraud mechanism, but that doesn't help them make many friends

Commonwealth Fund State Performance Ranking (2007): 40

In an update to an earlier communication, FDA announced that the manufacturers of the leukotriene inhibitors montelukast (Singular), zafirlukast (Accolate), zileuton (Zyflo), and zileuton extended-release (Zyflo CR) are adding information about neuropsychiatric events to product labeling.

Novartis has issued a Dear Healthcare Professional letter regarding a risk of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) in patients treated with mycophenolic acid (Myfortic).

FDA is reviewing reports of liver injury in patients treated with orlistat (prescription drug, Xenical; OTC drug, Alli) for obesity management or weight loss.

Tibotec has issued a Dear Healthcare Professionals letter regarding an increased risk of fatality caused by toxic epidermal necrolysis and hypersensitivity reactions, sometimes accompanied by hepatic failure, in patients treated with etravirine (Intelence).

Pharmacists can improve patient outcomes by following 3 major functions: identification of potential and actual medication-related problems (MRPs), resolution of actual MRPs, and prevention of potential MRPs. The best way to achieve these goals is through accurate documentation, and one of the chief obstacles to this is time?or rather the lack of it. Various software programs have been developed to help pharmacists reduce time spent identifying opportunities for interventions.

In the Dutch Echocardiographic Cardiac Risk Evaluation Applying Stress Echocardiography III (DECREASE III) trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients undergoing noncardiac vascular surgery who were treated with perioperative fluvastatin demonstrated a lower incidence of myocardial ischemia than patients treated with placebo.

In the Study of Platelet Inhibition and Patient Outcomes (PLATO) published in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who were treated with ticagrelor had significant reductions in the rate of death from vascular causes, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke and no significant increase in the rate of overall major bleeding versus patients treated with clopidogrel.

Medicaid beneficiaries require care management and case management services because there's a higher concentration of comorbid conditions and other significant issues in this population

As the healthcare debate wages on, tea parties are top of mind.

A systematic evaluation is needed to evaluate eICUs effect on quality and costs.

Hospital patients who receive dog visits require half the pain medication than patients who don't.

Remote monitoring services allow Medicaid population access to high-quality care.

"Macho" men are less likely to seek routine medical care than blue-collar workers with similar ideals.

Aetna's acquisition of Horizon Behavioral Services brings variety to Aetna's EAP services and positions it as a key player in the domestic EAP business.

Obese adults spend about $1,400 more on medical care annually than those who are not.

A Cornell study finds that the true cost of cancer drugs is 30% less than a decade ago, once longevity and quality of life are considered.

Healthcare consumer confidence rises 12%.

Medco Health Solutions is rumored to be the lead bidder to acquire Aetna's PBM operation.

Even before the emergence of the swine flu pandemic, biopharmaceutical companies were investing in vaccines and treatments for lethal diseases that plague much of the world. There is growing recognition that Americans and Europeans are vulnerable to infections from overseas, and that development of new medications is critical to ensuring public health.