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WellStar Health System, Aetna sign multiyear contract agreement

Aetna and WellStar Health System of Marietta, Ga. announced today that they have reached agreement on a multiyear contract extension. Under the agreement, members of Aetna's commercial plans will be able to continue to receive covered services, at in-network rates, from WellStar's hospitals and physicians in the greater Atlanta area.

31 Aug 2012

Roundup: Calif. Gov. Brown's pension plan silent on current workers' health care; Psychologists want power to prescribe drugs

Gov. Jerry Brown announced a new plan Tuesday to rein in public pension costs that would raise the retirement age, cap benefits for the highest-paid employees and eliminate "spiking" -- but lacks key parts of the bolder system overhaul he proposed months ago and would even increase some payouts. ... The plan also does not address skyrocketing health care costs for retirees, another main element of the governor's first scenario. Hundreds of thousands of government workers have been promised medical coverage for life.

30 Aug 2012

State roundup: Ohio sets plan for people on both Medicaid and Medicare; Minn. asks feds for money-saving Medicaid changes

Ohio is one step closer to implementing changes aimed at better coordinating medical care for some of the state's sickest and most expensive patients. Gov. John Kasich's administration wants to streamline the way health care is delivered to Ohioans enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. The state submitted a plan this spring to the federal government to better coordinate care for almost 114,000 so-called "dual-eligible" individuals living in seven urban regions.

28 Aug 2012

Official predicts consequences for Ala. Medicaid if voters don't OK emergency funds

The Associated Press reports that the official running Alabama's Medicaid program finances says if voters there don't approve funding the program with more than $437 million from the state's trust fund, the resulting large cuts could jeopardize medical care for the poor.

28 Aug 2012

IASIS Healthcare, Aurora announce collaboration

Aurora Health Care and IASIS Healthcare today announced a wide ranging partnership which includes the formation of a development joint venture, Aurora IASIS Health Partners, to pursue healthcare acquisitions, new construction, management of facilities and development of clinical services with an initial focus on new and existing markets in Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

28 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 27, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about this week's GOP convention, the politics of Medicare and abortion, and the latest health policy news from the states.

27 Aug 2012

Roundup: Rate regulation on Calif.'s 2014 ballot; Ga. state workers facing health premium hike; Kan. Medicaid overhaul recruiting providers

An initiative that would bring health insurance rate regulation to California has qualified for the November 2014 ballot, setting the stage for a vigorous and costly battle between insurers and consumer groups. The measure, sponsored by Consumer Watchdog, would give the state insurance commissioner the power to deny certain premium increases if they are deemed excessive.

26 Aug 2012

Aetna acquires additional stake in Medicare and Medicaid business

Aetna announced Monday plans to acquire Bethesda-based Coventry Health Care in a deal valued at $5.7 billion, part of the managed-care giant's effort to beef up its Medicare and Medicaid programs. The purchase comes as insurance companies race to position themselves for a broad expansion of health-care coverage slated to take effect in 2014, following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the comprehensive reforms supported by the Obama administration.

22 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 21, 2012

Today's headlines include reports from the campaign trail, where House candidates are turning up the Medicare debate; and from the health care marketkplace, where Aetna acquired Coventry Health, a Medicare and Medicaid insurer.

21 Aug 2012

Indiana bid for Medicaid waiver extension denied; Managed care contracts make news

In Indiana, officials are denied an extension on a Bush-era Medicaid waiver just as New Mexico seeks to revise its Medicaid overhaul plan.

21 Aug 2012

Systematic approach to improve colorectal cancer screening rates

Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is cost-effective and saves lives by early detection. The ability to screen large numbers of individuals is especially important for states with tight health insurance budgets dealing with aging populations. However, in 2010 only 65 percent of US adults between ages 50 and 75 got the recommended screening.

15 Aug 2012

State officials look for Medicaid savings in cuts, new payment methods, managed care

Facing budget pressures, state officials in Georgia, Minnesota, Kansas and West Virginia are among those making cuts and switching to new payment methods as well as to managed care to cut the cost of the state-federal health care program for the poor and disabled.

12 Aug 2012

Highlights: New reports of problems at Parkland Hospital in Dallas; Mammogram rates did not rise under expanded Mass. coverage

Federal safety monitors produced a harsher critique of Parkland Memorial Hospital's reform efforts than recently portrayed by the hospital, finding ongoing dangers to patients from a botched surgery, medication errors and emergency care failures. Those problems, cited in a June compliance report obtained by The Dallas Morning News, were not disclosed in a Parkland summary released to The News two weeks ago.

12 Aug 2012

First Edition: August 8, 2012

Today's headlines include a variety of stories that reflect how health policy issues are playing on the campaign trail.

8 Aug 2012

Medicaid news: Fla. plan to challenge state rule on managed care; N.Y. wants permission to invest savings

Florida is seeking to move seniors on Medicaid into a managed care program but one company questions part of the regulations on plans.

8 Aug 2012

GAO finds states need more HHS guidance on new Medicaid rules

The study of six states finds they want more help as they look to expand their programs under new rules in the health law.

7 Aug 2012

Roundup: Other states watching Mass. effort to cut costs; Iowa official denies GOP lawmakers' demand on abortion

As Massachusetts launches an aggressive effort to contain health care spending, the rest of the country will be watching. On July 31, lawmakers passed first-in-the-nation legislation pegging healthcare expenditures at or below the state's overall rate of economic growth, a strategy officials estimate could save Massachusetts as much as $200 billion over the next 15 years.

7 Aug 2012

Medical devices for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: an interview with Dr. Shai Gozani, CEO of NeuroMetrix

About two years ago NeuroMetrix changed their focus from general purpose devices, used to perform nerve conduction tests, to devices designed to specifically address diabetic peripheral neuropathy or DPN.

6 Aug 2012

Eliza receives U.S. patent allowance for Complex Acoustic Resonance Speech Analysis System

Eliza Corporation, the pioneer and recognized leader in Health Engagement Management, today announced that it has received a notice of allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a Complex Acoustic Resonance Speech Analysis System.

6 Aug 2012

Research roundup: Massachusetts health reform; Role of race and insurance in kidney transplantation

Access to Care After Massachusetts' Health Care Reform: A Safety Net Hospital Patient Survey -- Policy analysts have long said that Massachusetts and its 2006 health reform law provide great insight into the federal health law and how its expansion of insurance coverage will play out.

3 Aug 2012

Managed Care News and Research

WellStar Health System, Aetna sign multiyear contract agreement

Roundup: Calif. Gov. Brown's pension plan silent on current workers' health care; Psychologists want power to prescribe drugs

State roundup: Ohio sets plan for people on both Medicaid and Medicare; Minn. asks feds for money-saving Medicaid changes

Official predicts consequences for Ala. Medicaid if voters don't OK emergency funds

IASIS Healthcare, Aurora announce collaboration

First Edition: August 27, 2012

Roundup: Rate regulation on Calif.'s 2014 ballot; Ga. state workers facing health premium hike; Kan. Medicaid overhaul recruiting providers

Aetna acquires additional stake in Medicare and Medicaid business

First Edition: August 21, 2012

Indiana bid for Medicaid waiver extension denied; Managed care contracts make news

Systematic approach to improve colorectal cancer screening rates

State officials look for Medicaid savings in cuts, new payment methods, managed care

Highlights: New reports of problems at Parkland Hospital in Dallas; Mammogram rates did not rise under expanded Mass. coverage

First Edition: August 8, 2012

Medicaid news: Fla. plan to challenge state rule on managed care; N.Y. wants permission to invest savings

GAO finds states need more HHS guidance on new Medicaid rules

Roundup: Other states watching Mass. effort to cut costs; Iowa official denies GOP lawmakers' demand on abortion

Medical devices for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: an interview with Dr. Shai Gozani, CEO of NeuroMetrix

Eliza receives U.S. patent allowance for Complex Acoustic Resonance Speech Analysis System

Research roundup: Massachusetts health reform; Role of race and insurance in kidney transplantation

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