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Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Archives of Internal Medicine: Racial Differences In Admissions To High-Quality Hospitals For Coronary Heart Disease - "Racial disparities in the management of coronary heart disease (CHD) are widely documented, yet the reasons behind persistent gaps in quality of care are not fully understood," write the authors, who examined "Medicare patients with acute myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) admitted during 2002 through 2005 to hospitals located in markets with top-ranked cardiac hospitals, as ascertained from the US News and World Report 'America's Best Hospitals' annual rankings."

31 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: Medicare at 45; The politics of entitlement spending; Deciding health care's value

Forty-five years ago today, the creation of Medicare transformed our health-care system and our nation. It helped to make us a stronger and more prosperous country by freeing older Americans from the fear that sickness or injury would cost them their lifetime savings and security. ... The reason we have the Medicare we have today is that over the last 45 years, we have repeatedly acted to strengthen and update it for changing times (Kathleen Sebelius, 7/29).

31 Jul 2010

HMS second-quarter net income increases to $9.1 million

HMS today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2010.

30 Jul 2010

McKesson first-quarter revenues increase to $27.5 billion

McKesson Corporation today reported that revenues for the first quarter ended June 30, 2010 were $27.5 billion compared to $26.7 billion a year ago. First-quarter earnings per diluted share was $1.10 compared to $1.06 per diluted share a year ago.

30 Jul 2010

Amerigroup second-quarter total revenues increase 11.3% to $1.4 billion

Amerigroup Corporation today announced that net income for the second quarter of 2010 was $67.2 million, or $1.31 per diluted share, versus net income of $49.6 million, or $0.94 per diluted share, for the second quarter of 2009. Second quarter of 2009 results were positively impacted by a tax adjustment of $0.43 per diluted share related to litigation settled in 2008. Excluding the tax adjustment, second quarter of 2009 net income would have been $27.2 million, or $0.51 per diluted share.

30 Jul 2010

Coventry Health Care reports $2.9 billion total operating revenues for second-quarter 2010

Coventry Health Care, Inc. today reported consolidated operating results for the quarter ended June 30, 2010. Operating revenues totaled $2.9 billion for the quarter with net earnings of $1.0 million, or $0.01 earnings per diluted share (EPS). These results include a favorable impact from the Medicare Advantage Private Fee-for-Service (MA-PFFS) product of $0.18 EPS and an unfavorable impact related to the previously announced provider class action litigation in Louisiana of $1.18 EPS.

30 Jul 2010

Medical Mutual of Ohio to provide online applications for High Risk Pool health insurance program

Beginning Sunday, August 1, Medical Mutual of Ohio will provide online applications and enrollment information for the state of Ohio's temporary High Risk Pool health insurance program.

30 Jul 2010

New health reform law to benefit 30 million women: Commonwealth Fund report

Thirty million women will benefit from the new health reform law over the next decade, either through new or strengthened insurance coverage, according to a new report from The Commonwealth Fund. In the first analysis of its kind, the authors report that the law will stabilize and reverse the growing exposure to health costs that women now experience by subsidizing health insurance for up to 15 million currently uninsured women, and strengthening existing coverage for 14.5 million women who are considered underinsured-those who have health coverage that does not adequately protect them from high medical expenses.

30 Jul 2010

Computer Programs and Systems second-quarter total revenues increase 22.3% to $37.7 million

Computer Programs and Systems, Inc., a leading provider of healthcare information solutions, today announced results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010.

30 Jul 2010

Treating back problems cost Americans more than $30 billion in 2007: AHRQ

Treating back problems, one of the most bothersome medical problems, cost Americans more than $30 billion in 2007- up from $16 billion in 1997 (in 2007 dollars), according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

30 Jul 2010

Funding for electronic medical records expected as early as May, already stimulating business

Modern Healthcare: Funding to help doctors and hospitals buy electronic medical records could begin to flow through the Medicare program as early as May 2011, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services official said Wednesday. But, the final shape of the program remains unclear as CMS works to implement 800 pages of new regulations. "We're now working toward actually making all of this a reality, and we have less than six months to do it," the official said (Conn, 7/28).

30 Jul 2010

Study explores benefits, risks of aggressive blood sugar control in hemodialysis patients

Aggressive blood sugar control does not improve survival in diabetic patients with kidney failure, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The results suggest that physicians should individualize blood sugar targets for these patients and not rely on recommendations based on studies in the general population.

30 Jul 2010

HCA second-quarter revenues increase 3.7% to $7.756 billion

HCA Inc. today announced financial and operating results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2010.

30 Jul 2010

Republicans take on cost-cutting panel backed by budget chief Orszag

Several Senate Republican leaders are now pushing a new, partial health-overhaul repeal bill that targets a Medicare cost-cutting panel, The Hill reports. The panel, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, would make cost-cutting recommendations whenever spending exceeds set benchmarks. Congress would have to adopt them, or come up with its own plan.

30 Jul 2010

Insurers Aetna, WellPoint look for their place in health reform; WellPoint profit up

Aetna President Mark Bertolini said Wednesday that his company has seen much slower sales of national insurance accounts where large employers pay Aetna to administer plans for employees, The Associated Press reports. Under the new health overhaul, Bertolini said he expected less movement in that market because of the uncertainty in the law.

30 Jul 2010

Business groups, GOP prepare anti-health law campaigns for midterm elections

Politico reports that business groups are preparing ads for the November elections and some are targeting health reform. "The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has already vowed to invest $75 million in the mid-term elections. And health insurers are also planning to play big in November, although the specifics remain in flux. … Both America's Health Insurance Plans and its Coalition for Medicare Choices are expected to play a major role in the messaging, along with individual companies. But neither group, according to sources, plans to directly attack Democrats, which would risk infuriating the White House as it writes reform regulations as well as the Blue Dog Democrats who opposed the legislation."

30 Jul 2010

Today's Opinions: Haiti's lesson for the U.S.; Ending 'Pay for delay;' Getting the CLASS Act off the ground

In February, a month after Haiti's earthquake, I went down to Port-au-Prince as part of a team that was helping to reactivate cardiac care in the city's public hospital. For several months since, I have observed how the earthquake and its aftermath profoundly changed Haiti's health care system. Over that time, I have come to the unorthodox conclusion that Haiti's tragic experience may show us a way to improve health care in the United States (James Wilentz, 7/28).

30 Jul 2010

Poll: Opposition to health reform declines; Seniors view new law more negatively than adults overall

The Washington Post: "Opposition to the landmark health care overhaul declined over the past month, to 35 percent from 41 percent, according to the latest results of a tracking poll, reported Thursday. Fifty percent of the public held a favorable view of the law, up slightly from 48 percent a month ago, while 14 percent expressed no opinion about the measure, according to the poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

30 Jul 2010

Gentiva Health Services second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297.1 million

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported second quarter 2010 results.

29 Jul 2010

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings second-quarter 2010 net revenue increases 7.3% to $402.8 million

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings Corp. today announced its financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and filed its 2010 Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

29 Jul 2010

Medicare News and Research

Research Roundup:COBRA subsidies; Children's insurance and dental coverage; Adopting health IT; Race and heart treatments

Today's OpEds: Medicare at 45; The politics of entitlement spending; Deciding health care's value

HMS second-quarter net income increases to $9.1 million

McKesson first-quarter revenues increase to $27.5 billion

Amerigroup second-quarter total revenues increase 11.3% to $1.4 billion

Coventry Health Care reports $2.9 billion total operating revenues for second-quarter 2010

Medical Mutual of Ohio to provide online applications for High Risk Pool health insurance program

New health reform law to benefit 30 million women: Commonwealth Fund report

Computer Programs and Systems second-quarter total revenues increase 22.3% to $37.7 million

Treating back problems cost Americans more than $30 billion in 2007: AHRQ

Funding for electronic medical records expected as early as May, already stimulating business

Study explores benefits, risks of aggressive blood sugar control in hemodialysis patients

HCA second-quarter revenues increase 3.7% to $7.756 billion

Republicans take on cost-cutting panel backed by budget chief Orszag

Insurers Aetna, WellPoint look for their place in health reform; WellPoint profit up

Business groups, GOP prepare anti-health law campaigns for midterm elections

Today's Opinions: Haiti's lesson for the U.S.; Ending 'Pay for delay;' Getting the CLASS Act off the ground

Poll: Opposition to health reform declines; Seniors view new law more negatively than adults overall

Gentiva Health Services second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297.1 million

Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings second-quarter 2010 net revenue increases 7.3% to $402.8 million

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