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Public health officials lay out opportunities, challenges related patient care at USP 2010 Membership Meeting

Four of the nation's leading public health officials laid out opportunities and challenges in the diverse area of patient care in the 21st century at the recently concluded U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention's 2010 Membership Meeting in Washington, D.C., emphasizing the critical nature of partnerships and the evolving role of quality standards to meet modern threats.

30 Apr 2010

Health law keeps 200,000 in state insurance plans instead of new high-risk pools

USA Today: About 200,000 people already enrolled in 35 state high-risk insurance pools "will not be allowed to enroll this summer in a new lower cost federal program for people like them because they already buy pricey state-run plans." In order to be eligible, "a person can't have had health coverage for six months.

30 Apr 2010

Seniors often don't choose best quality Medicare Advantage plans, study finds

The Associated Press: "Millions of seniors signed up for popular Medicare Advantage insurance plans don't get the best quality, an independent study found. How the private plans score on a quality rating system set up by the government is about to have a direct impact on insurers' finances — not to mention seniors' benefits and premiums.

30 Apr 2010

Health insurers adopt reform changes early; WellPoint reports rising profits

Following announcements by leading health insurers that their firms would end the practice of rescission, or stripping the sick from their roles, the broader insurance industry followed suit, according to a letter from America's Health Insurance Plans to congressional Democrats, Politico reports. "The decision to end rescission … was made during a Tuesday afternoon conference call of chief executives organized by their trade group, America's Health Insurance Plans, and represents the industry's latest attempt to build political good will after the bruising health care fight."

30 Apr 2010

Clarient reports 14.8% increase in first quarter 2010 revenue

Clarient, Inc., a premier anatomic pathology and molecular testing services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the biopharmaceutical industry, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

30 Apr 2010

Republicans call for investigation of health law's costs

Politico: "House Republicans on Wednesday demanded an investigation into whether the health care overhaul plan would increase national health spending, following a recent report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that showed cost increases, at least in the first decade." The Medicare actuary's report showed a one percent increase in health spending over 10 years, which Republicans said cut against Democrats' pledge that the health overhaul would "bend the cost curve down."

30 Apr 2010

Experts see 'lump sums' in health spending's future

Los Angeles Times/Dallas Morning News: Some elite California hospitals will begin "bundling" their fees for joint replacement surgeries into a single lump sum in an attempt to rethink the current pricing system that leaves "hospitals and doctors charging separately for their services," driving "up costs while leaving no one to coordinate decisions about patient care."

30 Apr 2010

Partisan disagreement mounts as health programs are considered by debt commission

This week's focus on the federal deficit -- at a fiscal summit that drew many major policy makers and at the opening of President Barack Obama's bipartisan debt-reduction commission -- has renewed interest in the economic effects of the new health care law, especially given Obama's remarks that everything, even that law, would be under consideration by the commission as it looks to cut the national debt.

30 Apr 2010

Study examines doctors' uncompensated daily work

The New York Times: "A new study detailing the uncompensated work burden on family doctors points to the need to change how they are paid, medical experts say — particularly as the new health care law promises to add millions more patients to the system. … Family doctors make up the embattled front line of the nation's health care system.

30 Apr 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports 11% increase in first-quarter 2010 revenue

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported strong sales and earnings growth for the first quarter of 2010.

30 Apr 2010

HealthSpring's first-quarter premium revenue up 18.1% to $749.4 million

HealthSpring, Inc. today announced its results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

29 Apr 2010

First Edition: April 29, 2010

This week, as yet another major health insurer reports quarterly gains, the industry says it will stop the practice of rescissions earlier than required by the new reform law. Meanwhile, other headlines examine key provisions of the measure, such as its high risk pools.

29 Apr 2010

Premier healthcare alliance launches strategic plan to support new models of healthcare delivery

The Premier healthcare alliance has launched a major new strategic plan that will help hospitals leverage performance improvement data and knowledge sharing to prepare for and succeed under healthcare reform.

29 Apr 2010

BD second-quarter revenues up 7.0% to $1.845 billion

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) today reported quarterly revenues of $1.845 billion for the second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2010, representing an increase of 7.0 percent from the prior-year period, or 6.6 percent on a foreign currency-neutral basis.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 29 Apr 2010

New FineThanx phone system gives peace of mind to elderly patients

In a new system, telephone calls twice a day find out how an aging loved one is doing. Then the system reports back the good news or bad.

29 Apr 2010

New MDC tool provides alternative choices to user's current prescription drugs

Healthcare reform legislation has enacted changes that will significantly affect the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The most immediate impact of the reform aims to close the "donut hole", a component of the benefit design in which seniors must pay the full cost for their drugs themselves.

29 Apr 2010

RadNet reports financial guidance for fiscal year 2010

RadNet, Inc., a national leader in providing high-quality, cost-effective diagnostic imaging services through a network of fully-owned and operated outpatient imaging centers, today reported financial guidance for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2010.

29 Apr 2010

PAF annual report offers summary of issues impacting Americans' access to healthcare

Patient Advocate Foundation -- a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases -- today released their annual Patient Data Analysis Report, which documents the scope and complexity of the healthcare finance, access and job retention issues routinely confronted by patients at the national and state-specific level.

29 Apr 2010

Uninsured medical expenses vie with retirement as most pressing financial concern for Americans

Uninsured medical expenses vie with retirement as the most pressing financial concern for Americans, according to a survey conducted for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants by Harris Interactive.

29 Apr 2010

Mass. legislation to push poor seniors into managed care plans stirs concerns

Legislation that could push more than 100,000 low-income senior citizens in Massachusetts into managed care health plans spurred intense lobbying yesterday, as consumer advocates argued the measure would strip patients of their freedom to stay in traditional Medicare, while proponents said it could save the state significant money.

29 Apr 2010