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MedAssets to offer Prodigo's e-procurement marketplace solutions

To improve efficiency and contract compliance for hospitals and other health care providers, Prodigo Solutions LLC today announced an exclusive agreement with MedAssets to offer its customers Prodigo's electronic-procurement marketplace solutions.

25 Aug 2010

Study: No association between first-trimester exposure to antiherpetic antiviral drugs and major birth defects

An analysis of data from Denmark finds no associated increased risk of major birth defects for mothers who were exposed during the first trimester of pregnancy to the antiviral drugs acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir, often used to treat herpes simplex and herpes zoster infections, according to a study in the August 25 issue of JAMA.

25 Aug 2010

Pakistani President, State Dept. official discuss post-flood rebuilding

It could take Pakistan three or more years to recover from the major floods that have affected the country over the past few weeks, Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said, Reuters/MSNBC.com reports (8/24).

25 Aug 2010

VA launches new pilot in Indianapolis to improve delivery of Veterans health information

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced a new pilot in the Indianapolis region that will improve the delivery of Veterans health information. The Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis will partner with the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE), the largest health information exchange organization in the United States, to securely exchange electronic health record (EHR) information using the Nationwide Health Information Network.

25 Aug 2010

Extend Health ranks No. 94 on 2010 'Inc. 500' list of fastest-growing private companies

Inc. magazine has ranked Extend Health, Inc. No. 94 on its 29th annual Inc. 500, which was released today. This is the first time the company applied for inclusion on this exclusive list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The ranking is based on a 2,579% increase in sales over the past three years, leading to revenue of $36.6 million in 2009. Based on its 2009 revenue, Extend Health would rank No. 14 among the top 100 companies on the 2010 Inc. 500 list.

25 Aug 2010

Harvard Pilgrim CEO works to contain costs, negotiate with state insurance regulators

The Boston Globe: "When an insurance appeals board issued a surprise ruling on June 24 toppling the Patrick administration's cap on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's premium rates, there was little time for gloating in the health insurer's executive offices. … A week letter, Harvard Pilgrim struck a deal with regulators voluntarily limiting its 2010 rate increases to single digits.

25 Aug 2010

New study finds walking, cycling results in lower levels of obesity and diabetes

Amble, stroll or pedal: it's all good. A new study provides evidence supporting a seemingly obvious − but unproven − link between walking- and cycling-friendly communities and lower levels of obesity.

25 Aug 2010

Insuring your health: Health law requires continued coverage for patients in clinical trials

In her latest Kaiser Health News consumer column, Michelle Andrews writes: "When Richard Crusoe was diagnosed with a rare form of soft tissue cancer called liposarcoma, the retired firefighter and his family pinned their hopes of slowing the cancer's advance on a drug that was being tested in a clinical trial" (Andrews, 8/24).

25 Aug 2010

Intermountain Healthcare chooses Optilink software to enhance nursing productivity management

Intermountain Healthcare, one of the nation's most progressive health systems in leveraging technology to improve care delivery, has chosen OptiLink to enhance nursing productivity management across its health system. OptiLink is a software solution from The Advisory Board Company that captures patient acuity and determines staffing demand.

25 Aug 2010

States look to slow spending, raise money and extend savings for Medicaid

"A plan to cut reimbursement rates to doctors who care for the poor and disabled has led to a tussle between Gov. Bev Perdue and North Carolina physicians. In the current state budget, Perdue and the legislature agreed that Medicaid reimbursement rates would be reduced by $26.6 million or 1.35 percent, if the state found it necessary to close a gap in federal Medicaid funding. Perdue's office says the cut is now necessary. The doctors say the state has access to plenty of federal money and could use a $300 million federal education windfall to avoid cutting the rates".

25 Aug 2010

ITelagen finds place on 2010 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing US companies

ITelagen, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare IT and medical billing solutions, today announced that the company was named to the prestigious 2010 Inc. 5000 list, a compendium of the most entrepreneurial and fastest growing companies in America.

25 Aug 2010

Fewer N.C. physicians seeing Medicare patients; Hospitals try to cut Medicare readmissions

"The national health care reform law, which was was designed to provide insurance coverage and access to physicians to more Americans, has no provision to help a group already having difficulty finding doctors to treat them - senior citizens. According to a report from Cigna Government Services, which processes Medicare claims in North Carolina and 17 other states, more than 80 physicians in North Carolina have opted out of Medicare in the past year. That's in addition to the 100 physicians statewide who stopped seeing Medicare patients in 2008, the report states.

25 Aug 2010

Health law continues to be embroiled in politics, though toned down

In a bid to rally support for the health overhaul among doctors, a White House official underscored both sticks and carrots the federal government is offering the health industry, Reuters reports: "Administration officials said the new law will provide doctors with information technology and incentives to improve the care they deliver, but only if they cooperate.

25 Aug 2010

Judge blocks federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research

The Washington Post: "A federal judge on Monday blocked the Obama administration from funding human embryonic stem cell research, ruling that the support violates a federal law barring the use of taxpayer money for experiments that destroy human embryos.

25 Aug 2010

Some health overhaul policies good for consumers, bad for brokers

As changes mandated by the health law continue to emerge, news outlets are exploring how the measure will alter the landscape for consumers and for insurance professionals.

25 Aug 2010

NPR: Technology can help seniors stay in homes

Part two examined a company called Adaptive Home, "one of a growing number of startups that use monitoring technology to revolutionize elder care. These companies are also betting on a big market as the baby boomers enter old age. Chris Bridgers says a basic package includes about a dozen motion sensors placed strategically around a house. They can provide adult children with a stunningly detailed rundown of a parent's day" (Ludden, 8/23).

25 Aug 2010

Medco to expand comp effectiveness reach

Modern Healthcare: "Pharmacy-benefit manager Medco Health Solutions' recent announcement of plans to acquire United BioSource Corp. for $730 million has many wondering if this will be the first of many companies seeking to extend their reach in the growing comparative effectiveness market.

25 Aug 2010

Study examines movement of pediatric drug testing outside the U.S.

"A law intended to speed up development of new drugs for U.S. kids has ended up financing clinical trials in poor countries, where the medicines might never become available," suggest the authors of a study published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, Reuters reports (Joelving, 8/23).

25 Aug 2010

Getting the 4-1-1 on waiting times at the emergency room

The Associated Press: Hospitals are increasingly using messaging systems, such as online notices, text messages or flashing billboards, to let people know how long the wait is at local emergency rooms. "It's a marketing move aimed at less urgent patients, not the true emergencies that automatically go to the front of the line anyway.

25 Aug 2010

UT Southwestern University Hospital - St. Paul earns distinction as Primary Stroke Center

The Joint Commission has certified UT Southwestern University Hospital - St. Paul as a Primary Stroke Center, a distinction for hospitals fostering specialized stroke care for patients.

25 Aug 2010

Health Care News and Research

MedAssets to offer Prodigo's e-procurement marketplace solutions

Study: No association between first-trimester exposure to antiherpetic antiviral drugs and major birth defects

Pakistani President, State Dept. official discuss post-flood rebuilding

VA launches new pilot in Indianapolis to improve delivery of Veterans health information

Extend Health ranks No. 94 on 2010 'Inc. 500' list of fastest-growing private companies

Harvard Pilgrim CEO works to contain costs, negotiate with state insurance regulators

New study finds walking, cycling results in lower levels of obesity and diabetes

Insuring your health: Health law requires continued coverage for patients in clinical trials

Intermountain Healthcare chooses Optilink software to enhance nursing productivity management

States look to slow spending, raise money and extend savings for Medicaid

ITelagen finds place on 2010 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing US companies

Fewer N.C. physicians seeing Medicare patients; Hospitals try to cut Medicare readmissions

Health law continues to be embroiled in politics, though toned down

Judge blocks federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research

Some health overhaul policies good for consumers, bad for brokers

NPR: Technology can help seniors stay in homes

Medco to expand comp effectiveness reach

Study examines movement of pediatric drug testing outside the U.S.

Getting the 4-1-1 on waiting times at the emergency room

UT Southwestern University Hospital - St. Paul earns distinction as Primary Stroke Center

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