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PriceDoc.com's online healthcare service acquisition and negotiation system awarded U.S. patent

PriceDoc.com, a free, transparent healthcare pricing service and Web site, announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued PriceDoc patent #7,657,479 for its online system of healthcare service acquisition and negotiation, making PriceDoc.com the only online site where patients can "make an offer" for healthcare services with verified providers.

9 Feb 2010

Triple-S Management reports consolidated revenues of $516.9 million for fourth-quarter 2009

Triple-S Management Corporation, the largest managed care company in Puerto Rico, today announced consolidated revenues of $516.9 million and operating income of $34.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2009.

9 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 9, 2010

Today's headlines reveal more reactions to President Obama's bi-partisan health care summit. Chief among them are low expectations.

9 Feb 2010

Centene announces fourth quarter and full year 2009 financial results

Centene Corporation today announced its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2009. The results of operations for our New Jersey health plan, University Health Plans, are classified as discontinued operations.

9 Feb 2010

Anthem Blue Cross raises premium by 39%: HHS Secretary calls for detailed public justification

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today sent a letter to Anthem Blue Cross and called on the company to publicly justify its decision to raise premiums for its California customers by as much as 39 percent. In her letter, Sebelius notes that the parent company of Anthem Blue Cross, WellPoint Incorporated earned $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009.

9 Feb 2010

The anti-trust exemption for health insurers: Meaningful or not?

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold writes about legislation to repeal this exemption. "With comprehensive health care legislation foundering in Congress, the House is turning to a narrower piece of legislation that lawmakers hope has widespread, populist appeal: repealing the antitrust exemption for health and medical liability insurers.

9 Feb 2010

Study indicates pain treatment may vary in Latino and white children post surgery

Differences might exist in the amount of pain medicine given to Latino and white children after surgery, found a new, small study in which Latino children received 30 percent less opioid analgesics (morphine or morphine-like drugs) than white children did.

9 Feb 2010

States deal with small budgets, Medicaid cuts

Virginian-Pilot: Area hospitals are preparing "for a round of Medicaid spending cuts that executives say could be the worst in decades and lead to more cutbacks in their organizations. Rising health care costs and a surge in the number of Medicaid patients have increased the state's obligation to the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled by $777.7 million over two years.

9 Feb 2010

Obama invites Republicans to share ideas at televised health reform summit

The New York Times reports that the President's inivitation is for a half-day televised summit February 25. It is "a high-profile gambit that will allow Americans to watch as Democrats and Republicans try to break their political impasse." The move is seen as a way for Obama to force Republicans to help govern and to "put more scrutiny on Republican initiatives" on health care.

9 Feb 2010

Clinton health reform veterans helping with Obama overhaul effort

The Associated Press reports that aides who helped with President Bill Clinton's health care reform effort are pushing to help President Barack Obama pass his health system overhaul this year.

9 Feb 2010

Ending antitrust exemption for insurers may not affect consumers, analysts say

Kaiser Health News: "Proponents say that the legislation would spur competition among insurers and bring down costs for consumers. Reps. Tom Perriello, D-Va., and Betsy Markey, D-Colo., who are sponsoring the bill, said in a press release it would 'end special treatment for the insurance industry that allows them to fix prices, collude with each other, and set their own markets without fear of being investigated.' But many antitrust experts say that ending the exemption -- by repealing the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act -- wouldn't significantly increase competition or reduce premiums."

8 Feb 2010

First Edition: February 8, 2010

Today's headlines highlight news regarding President Obama's planned summit on health care -- Republicans will be invited.

8 Feb 2010

Health reform big week ahead: Insurance antitrust exemption, COBRA, Obama's bipartisan meeting

While the talk in the Senate will largely be about jobs, both houses of Congress are expected to take some action on health reform.

7 Feb 2010

Kidney care advocates urge passage of key legislation for Georgia’s kidney patients

On Tuesday, February 9, kidney patients from across the state of Georgia will join Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) – a national, non-profit, patient-led organization representing approximately 1,300 members in Georgia and 22,000 members nationwide – in holding a briefing at the State Capitol, followed by a series of meetings with lawmakers and staff, urging the passage of key legislation this year that would help thousands of Georgia’s kidney failure patients who are struggling to access health insurance for the medical care they need.

6 Feb 2010

About 8% of Americans report difficulty in accessing specialty care

Among the 36 percent of U.S. adults age 18 and older who needed to see a specialist in 2007, about 8 percent reported that getting to see one was a big problem, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Feb 2010

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

MDS Nordion, a global leader in providing products and services for medical imaging and radiotherapeutics, today announced that two of the largest health insurers in the United States have recently approved coverage of radioembolization to treat unresectable liver cancer, which includes the use of MDS Nordion's TheraSphere(R) treatment. The two insurance companies and their affiliates together serve more than one-quarter of Americans and do business in all 50 states.

6 Feb 2010

In jobs bill, Democrats push to include extension of COBRA benefits, Medicare 'doc fix'

The New York Times reports that Democrats are trying to address some health coverage considerations in their jobs bill even as they grasp "for ideas to keep alive their health care legislation." Negotiators on the Senate Finance Committee may be close to a jobs agreement. "Democrats were also pushing to include an extension of unemployment benefits and of health care coverage for those out of work." Also under discussion was the possibility of "attaching other initiatives, including a provision to prevent a steep cut in Medicare payment rates for doctors" (Hulse and Zeleny, 2/4).

6 Feb 2010

Centerphase Solutions and Mayo Clinic collaborate to speed up clinical trials for new medical treatments

Centerphase has entered into a collaboration with Mayo Clinic to speed the introduction of new medical treatments developed by the biopharmaceutical industry. The Company addressed the root causes historically plaguing the clinical trials process: the lack of a systematic, structured approach for evaluating and optimizing protocols and the tremendous burdens associated with trial start-up administration.

5 Feb 2010

Third-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Arcadia Resources

Arcadia Resources, Inc., a leading provider of innovative consumer health care services under the Arcadia HealthCare(SM) brand, today announced net revenues of $26.1 million and a net loss of $3.2 million, or $0.02 per share for the fiscal third quarter ended December 31, 2009.

5 Feb 2010

Jerry Hill and Nathan Fletcher receive CHI Advancing California Biomedical Research and Innovation Award

CHI-California Healthcare Institute, a non-profit public policy research organization, honored Assembly Members Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) and Nathan Fletcher (R-San Diego) with the CHI Advancing California Biomedical Research and Innovation Award at a biomedical industry dinner on Feb. 2 in Sacramento.

5 Feb 2010

Health Insurance News and Research

PriceDoc.com's online healthcare service acquisition and negotiation system awarded U.S. patent

Triple-S Management reports consolidated revenues of $516.9 million for fourth-quarter 2009

First Edition: February 9, 2010

Centene announces fourth quarter and full year 2009 financial results

Anthem Blue Cross raises premium by 39%: HHS Secretary calls for detailed public justification

The anti-trust exemption for health insurers: Meaningful or not?

Study indicates pain treatment may vary in Latino and white children post surgery

States deal with small budgets, Medicaid cuts

Obama invites Republicans to share ideas at televised health reform summit

Clinton health reform veterans helping with Obama overhaul effort

Ending antitrust exemption for insurers may not affect consumers, analysts say

First Edition: February 8, 2010

Health reform big week ahead: Insurance antitrust exemption, COBRA, Obama's bipartisan meeting

Kidney care advocates urge passage of key legislation for Georgia’s kidney patients

About 8% of Americans report difficulty in accessing specialty care

Two U.S. insurers approve coverage of radioembolization for treatment of unresectable liver cancer

In jobs bill, Democrats push to include extension of COBRA benefits, Medicare 'doc fix'

Centerphase Solutions and Mayo Clinic collaborate to speed up clinical trials for new medical treatments

Third-quarter fiscal 2010 results announced by Arcadia Resources

Jerry Hill and Nathan Fletcher receive CHI Advancing California Biomedical Research and Innovation Award

Revolutionizing Life Science: An Interview with SCIEX on ASMS, the SCIEX 7500+ System, and AI-Driven Quantitation

From Discovery Biology to ELRIG Chair

Breathing New Life into Diagnostics: Plasmion's SICRIT Technology

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