News

Ranked by total of all payers, 2000

Health plans that dare to be different focus on individuals, use online marketing and empower the consumer

The World Health Organization projects that in less than 20 years, depression will be the leading cause of disability in women worldwide.

Interferon alfa-2b and the nucleoside analog lamivudine are the currently available options for treating chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This article reviews major efficacy findings with these agents, defines their role according to patients' clinical status, and provides the latest data on optimal duration of therapy, predictors of response, and long-term effects. The authors also explore the emergence of hepatitis B immune globulin for post-liver transplant HBV prophylaxis and offer a progress report on experimental therapies for chronic HBV infection.

University Hospital and Medical Center (Tamarac)/University of Florida (Gainesville)-Dalteparin appears to be at least as clinically effective as enoxaparin for the prevention or treatment of the consequences of venous and arterial thromboembolic diseases, say clinicians from these two facilities.

FDA actions In Brief as reported October 1, 2001

New Formulations/Combinations: Fixed-dose analgesic combination for short-term acute pain management

New Indication: Combination use with docetaxel for breast cancer; new black box

New Indication: Antiepileptic cleared for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome; glaucoma warning added

New Indication: Oral contraceptive approved for acne

FDA Pipeline Preview

News brief.

News brief.

Six different companies benefit from programs addressing employees' special health needs.

Six different companies benefit from programs addressing employees' special health needs.

News brief.

News brief.

News brief.

During any debate about a person's ability to lead, one of the first issues that comes up is credibility.

As long as alternative therapies aren't dangerous, consumers should beable to get the treatments they choose

Part 1 introduces the concept of Six Sigma and its application in a variety of healthcare environments.

By degree of integration and performance level, April 2001

But an off-the shelf CRM package just won't do when you want to deliver claims status reporting, benefit details or case management

Minneapolis Veterans Administration Medical Center-Decreasing or eliminating the use of alprostadil-based erectile dysfunction treatments and converting to 100% sildenafil use would save this VA medical center more than $101,000 annually. Furthermore, the projected savings would allow an additional 405 men with erectile dysfunction to be treated for an entire year, say clinicians at this facility.

Patients' adherence ability is by far the top patient factor guiding selection of a first-line antiretroviral regimen for HIV, according to a new physician survey.

For the first time, a large clinical trial has shown that a medication can help prevent type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals. At the same time, drug therapy emerged as a less effective preventive strategy than fairly modest diet and exercise changes.

The unprecedented Medicaid disease management deal struck between Florida and Pfizer this summer represents an important "move past unit cost control into total disease control," according to Perry Cohen, PharmD.

A few weeks ago, it looked like the national economic slowdown, which was eroding the anticipated federal budget surplus, might put the costly Medicare pharmaceutical benefit on the endangered list. Congress was having trouble agreeing on a coverage plan, and interest groups were squabbling over how to craft a fair and effective pharmacy program for the elderly.

Pipeline Preview as reported September 1, 2001

Former workers are being asked to pay a larger share of this valued benefit. What difference would Medicare Rx coverage make?