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Although oral antidiabetic medications initially may be effective for controlling hyperglycemia, these agents often fail to maintain adequate glycemic control as the disease progresses, and insulin eventually is required in most patients. This review explores strategies for identifying patients with type 2 diabetes who are failing to maintain glycemic control on oral agents and for transitioning these patients to insulin. Based on available data, patients are not reaching recommended glycemic goals due to delays in and reluctance towards intensification of therapy, resulting in an increased risk of complications.

At first glance, you might wonder what the Japanese auto industry has to do with managed healthcare in the United States. For Anthony Horbal (pictured left), founder and CEO of Erie, Pa.-based Ion Health Inc. and Mike Nelson, Ion Health's president and director, Japanese automakers just might have provided an epiphany.

Disease management maintains popularity

Computerized provider order entry reaches ambulatory care setting.

Disease management programs

Parkinson's Disease is a chronic, progressive neurological disorder that occurs when neurons in the part of the brain that controls movement start to degenerate. This leads to a shortage of the neurotransmitter dopamine, causing characteristic movement problems.

Effective boards begin to identify and develop the CEO's replacement the moment he/she starts.

At first glance, you might wonder what the Japanese auto industry has to do with managed healthcare in the United States. For Anthony Horbal (pictured left), founder and CEO of Erie, Pa.-based Ion Health Inc. and Mike Nelson, Ion Health's president and director, Japanese automakers just might have provided an epiphany.

When worker's compensation laws were first adopted in the early part of the 20th century, they were promoted as a revolutionary advancement of employees' rights.

Not long ago, I was talking with a family friend, Jamie, a young, single mom and then Medicaid recipient. We were discussing our families and I had mentioned how busy I was driving my children to and from their many extracurricular activities and social events.

Realistic reimbursement calculations are crucial to any stragetic plan, but how do you arrive at a reasonable answer?

Ziprasidone (Geodon, Pfizer) and risperidone (Risperdal, Janssen) are equally efficacious in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, with ziprasidone demonstrating a lower movement disorder burden and less effect on prolactin concentrations and weight than risperidone.

A review of agents in late-stage development for the treatment of osteoporosis (March 2005)

A number of clinical approaches are utilized in managing the overlapping aspects of poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Exenatide (Amylin/Lilly), a novel drug in a new medication class known as the incretin mimetic agents, offers a new mechanism to achieve glycemic control.

A new dosage strength of the fentanyl transdermal system (Duragesic, Alza) was approved for the management of persistent, moderate-to-severe chronic pain requiring continuous opioid administration for an extended period of time that cannot be managed by other drugs. The new patch will deliver 12 mcg of fentanyl per hour.

President George W. Bush recently nominated Lester M. Crawford, DVM, PhD, to take the permanent role of FDA commissioner after serving as acting or deputy administrator since February 2002.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, Stanford University, and several rheumatology clinics across the United States found that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who do not receive sufficient benefit with etanercept may experience improved disease control by switching to infliximab.

Ziprasidone (Geodon, Pfizer) and risperidone (Risperdal, Janssen) are equally efficacious in the treatment of patients with acute exacerbation of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, with ziprasidone demonstrating a lower movement disorder burden and less effect on prolactin concentrations and weight than risperidone.

Researchers have found that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors that penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) appear to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in elderly patients with hypertension.

A meta-analysis demonstrates that angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors provide a survival benefit in patients with diabetic nephropathy, whereas no such evidence exists for angiotensin II receptor antagonists (AIIRAs).

A number of clinical approaches are utilized in managing the overlapping aspects of poor glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Exenatide (Amylin/Lilly), a novel drug in a new medication class known as the incretin mimetic agents, offers a new mechanism to achieve glycemic control.

Evidence-based medicine is the driving philosophy for pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committee decision-making. When the available evidence is incomplete or unclear, the decision-making process becomes complex. Evaluation of the published literature to make sound decisions regarding appropriate medication use can be a time-consuming process. The use of expert panels or subcommittees may facilitate decision-making; however, this process is often limited by the schedules and time constraints of busy clinicians. This article describes the creation and utilization of a "virtual" panel of experts utilizing anonymous electronic communications to assist the P&T committee at a university-based teaching hospital in making medication use policy. The article includes a detailed description of the P&T committee's experience in the selection of virtual panel members, methods used, advantages, potential pitfalls, and the outcomes of a virtual committee used to evaluate the appropriateness of the off-label use of nesiritide (Natrecor, Scios).

Surfactant replacement therapy (Surfaxin, Discovery Laboratories) for the prevention of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in premature infants

Potassium iodide oral solution 65 mg/mL

March DTR Analysis: Drug Coverage

One physician practice gains advantages through an EMR implementation

A new e-learning initiative succeeds more often when upper management supports it.

Hold on to your hats, because healthcare's about to tip. The driving force? Consumerism, and it's transforming the way Americans think about, pay for, and manage their healthcare.

Managed care coverage for specific drug classes

BREAST CANCER is the most common cancer found in women, and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women. More than 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer are diagnosed in the United States each year, approximately 77% of them in women over 50 years of age.