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Ozark Health announces partnership with St. John's Regional Medical Center

Ozark Health Plan announced today that it has formed a new partnership with St. John's Regional Medical Center, a top ranked hospital in Joplin, MO.

5 Oct 2010

Health law's insurance plans for pre-existing conditions are slow to enroll; 3M to drop early retiree coverage

The Associated Press: "It's a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's health care remake, a lifeline available right now to vulnerable people whose medical problems have made them uninsurable. But the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan started this summer isn't living up to expectations. Enrollment lags in many parts of the country. People who could benefit may not be able to afford the premiums. Some state officials who run their own "high-risk pools" have pointed out potential problems" (Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

Seniors face new choices with approach of first open enrollment since health overhaul

Provisions of the health overhaul will reshape many aspects of the Medicare program, but in the meantime, have left consumers in a state of confusion.

4 Oct 2010

Today's OpEds: Orszag's latest health column, the MLR and parables

Improving the quality of health care and reducing its cost will require that doctors make many changes — but working weekends and consenting to quality management are two clear ones (Peter Orszag, 10/3).

4 Oct 2010

Navigant announces acquisition of EthosPartners

Navigant announced today that it has acquired EthosPartners Healthcare Management Group, Inc., a national healthcare consulting group specializing in physician and hospital alignment, physician practice operations management, and physician revenue cycle management. Combining EthosPartners' physician expertise with Navigant's existing healthcare practice capabilities significantly enhances and broadens the solutions that Navigant offers to its clients.

4 Oct 2010

First Edition: October 4, 2010

In this Kaiser Health News column, Louis Saccoccio, executive director of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, makes a case for including health plans' investments in fraud-fighting activities in the medical loss ratio definition. "While the federal government is investing heavily in anti-fraud efforts, private insurers should be given the incentive to do the same. Only through a cooperative and concentrated effort to root out health care fraud can we effectively protect Americans' quality of health care" (Kaiser Health News).

4 Oct 2010

Rate of chemotherapy administration for NSCLC more than twice that reported by SEER

For the first time to date, research published in the October edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO) sought to determine the use of chemotherapy in a contemporary, diverse non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population encompassing all patient ages. Prior population-based studies have shown that only 20 to 30 percent of advanced lung cancer patients receive chemotherapy treatment.

4 Oct 2010

CAD usage in screening, diagnostic mammography increases: Study

The use of computer-aided detection (CAD) is increasing, in both screening and diagnostic mammography, according to a study in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

4 Oct 2010

Some Minn. insurers will end certain Medicare plans; Utah issues rule on child-only plans; Fla. law on pain clinics takes effect

Five insurance companies including Minnetonka-based Medica next year will stop providing a particular type of Medicare health plan in much of Minnesota, a state official said Thursday.

4 Oct 2010

Research Roundups: Racial Disparities at end of life; stopping medicine mistakes; Grand Junction, Colorado's Cost Lessons

Racial Disparities In The Outcomes Of Communication On Medical Care Received Near Death Black patients receive more life prolonging measures and less comfort-directed care at the end of life (EOL) than white patients, such as increased rates of resuscitation, intensive care unit hospitalization, and feeding tube use at the EOL, write the authors of this study that examined whether differences in patient-physician communication contribute to these differences.

4 Oct 2010

Sebelius tells seniors that 'outrageous claims' have clouded impressions of new law

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius went to Florida Friday in her campaign to rally support for the new health law. She targeted senior citizens, a crucial voting bloc that polls find is not warming to the bill.

4 Oct 2010

Bloomberg analysis finds 'doughnut hole' deal to cost drugmakers less than 1% of profits

News outlets report how closing the Medicare 'Doughnut Hole' affects drugmakers and seniors.

1 Oct 2010

Bipartisan deficit commission unlikely to make big Medicare changes

National Journal: "For all of the attention surrounding President Obama's bipartisan commission on deficit reduction, the country's biggest cost centers — health care in general and Medicare specifically — will likely remain unscathed when the panel offers its recommendations in December.

1 Oct 2010

Med schools say doctor shortage to worsen under new health law

The new health law will worsen the physician shortage as newly insured patients seek care, according to a new report from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

1 Oct 2010

IASIS Healthcare completes acquisition of Brim

IASIS Healthcare today announced the completion of its acquisition of Brim Holdings, Inc..

1 Oct 2010

New co-branded Medicare Part D prescription drug plan from Humana and Walmart

Today, Humana Inc. announced an innovative Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, co-branded with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., that can provide significant savings on monthly plan premiums and prescription medicine copayments and cost-shares for Medicare beneficiaries, including seniors and people with disabilities.

1 Oct 2010

DaVita announces $1.45 billion Senior Notes offering

DaVita Inc. announced today that it intends to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $1.45 billion principal amount of senior notes (the "Senior Notes").

1 Oct 2010

FDA issues Complete Response Letter for Teva's Neutroval BLA

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a Complete Response Letter for the Biologic License Application (BLA) for Neutroval™ (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) for the reduction in the duration of severe neutropenia and the incidence of febrile neutropenia in patients treated with established myelosuppressive chemotherapy for cancer.

1 Oct 2010

FDA takes action against unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took action against companies that manufacture, distribute, and/or market unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine, a medication commonly used for the daily prevention of gout, to treat acute gout flare-ups, and for the treatment of Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).

1 Oct 2010

Hundreds of experts including Nobel laureates say Medicare's bidding system for durable medical equipment will fail

Medicare's bidding program for durable medical equipment will fail, say 166 leading experts on auctions and competitive bidding systems.

1 Oct 2010

Medicare News and Research

Ozark Health announces partnership with St. John's Regional Medical Center

Health law's insurance plans for pre-existing conditions are slow to enroll; 3M to drop early retiree coverage

Seniors face new choices with approach of first open enrollment since health overhaul

Today's OpEds: Orszag's latest health column, the MLR and parables

Navigant announces acquisition of EthosPartners

First Edition: October 4, 2010

Rate of chemotherapy administration for NSCLC more than twice that reported by SEER

CAD usage in screening, diagnostic mammography increases: Study

Some Minn. insurers will end certain Medicare plans; Utah issues rule on child-only plans; Fla. law on pain clinics takes effect

Research Roundups: Racial Disparities at end of life; stopping medicine mistakes; Grand Junction, Colorado's Cost Lessons

Sebelius tells seniors that 'outrageous claims' have clouded impressions of new law

Bloomberg analysis finds 'doughnut hole' deal to cost drugmakers less than 1% of profits

Bipartisan deficit commission unlikely to make big Medicare changes

Med schools say doctor shortage to worsen under new health law

IASIS Healthcare completes acquisition of Brim

New co-branded Medicare Part D prescription drug plan from Humana and Walmart

DaVita announces $1.45 billion Senior Notes offering

FDA issues Complete Response Letter for Teva's Neutroval BLA

FDA takes action against unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine

Hundreds of experts including Nobel laureates say Medicare's bidding system for durable medical equipment will fail

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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