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Sebelius takes on health insurers

The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones: When health insurance executives meet with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at the White House Thursday to discuss premiums, they will "face a regulator who is well-versed in the complexities of the industry." Sebelius, whose resume includes a stretch as a state insurance commissioner, "is taking aim at rising premium rates as she joins President Barack Obama's push for an overhaul of the nation's health-coverage laws.

5 Mar 2010

Beta blockers improve heart function; eliminate need for implantable cardiac devices

New Saint Louis University research has found that beta blockers, a class of drugs used to prevent the progression of heart failure and manage arrhythmias (irregular heart beat) and hypertension (high blood pressure), are underused in heart failure patients who receive implantable cardiac devices.

4 Mar 2010

Report provides comprehensive insight into how physicians classify and treat patients with gout

BioTrends Research Group, Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of its TreatmentTrends®: Gout and Hyperuricemia publication. The report is based on responses to online surveys completed by 120 Rheumatologists and 57 Primary Care Physicians in the US who are managing a high number of patients with gout.

3 Mar 2010

Accenture: 58% of U.S. physicians intend to purchase EMR system within next two years

Fifty-eight percent of U.S. physicians who don’t use electronic medical records (EMRs) intend to purchase an EMR system within the next two years, according to a new report from Accenture.

3 Mar 2010

States continue to wrestle with Medicaid spending, budget issues; Utah legislation would criminalize illegal abortion

Cincinnati Business Courier: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has signed a bill that will extend the state's mini-COBRA program from 12 to 15 months for small-business employees, according to a report in Columbus Business First (3/1).

2 Mar 2010

Amerigroup introduces long-term care program to address complex health concerns

Amerigroup Corporation today announced that its Tennessee health plan began offering long-term care (LTC) services to approximately 4,000 existing middle Tennessee members through the state's TennCare CHOICES in LTC program.

1 Mar 2010

BioScrip announces revenues of $341.6M for fourth-quarter

BioScrip, Inc. today announced fourth quarter revenues of $341.6 million and net income of $40.7 million, or $0.99 per diluted share, which includes the reversal of the Company’s deferred tax valuation allowance of $41.1 million, expenses of $1.8 million associated with BioScrip’s pending acquisition of Critical Homecare Solutions, Inc. and $4.3 million of incentive compensation expense relating to the Company’s employee compensation program.

26 Feb 2010

Doctors work fewer hours, study finds

A new study finds that doctors are working fewer hours even as the shortage of primary care physicians persists.

25 Feb 2010

Hospitals maintain dominant position in determining health care pricing decisions: Study

A study by USC researcher Vivian Wu finds that despite the increasing clout of HMOs in the 1990s, hospitals maintained a dominant position in determining health care pricing decisions.

24 Feb 2010

Hudson Health Plan deploys Health Integrated Synergy Targeted Population Management program

Hudson Health Plan, a not-for-profit managed care organization that services New York's Hudson Valley, has selected Health Integrated, Inc., a leading provider of Health Management Solutions, as its partner to provide enhanced care management services for Medicaid members with co-morbid chronic illness.

24 Feb 2010

Tenet Healthcare announces 9.0% increase in fourth-quarter EBITDA

Tenet Healthcare Corporation today reported adjusted EBITDA of $218 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, an increase of $18 million, or 9.0 percent, as compared to $200 million for the fourth quarter of 2008.

24 Feb 2010

Prednisolone associated with recurrence of CAP after its withdrawal

Patients hospitalized with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) should not be routinely prescribed prednisolone, a corticosteroid, as it is associated with a recurrence of symptoms after its withdrawal, according to the first randomized double-blind clinical trial to address the subject.

24 Feb 2010

Gross sales of Acorda Therapeutics' ZANAFLEX CAPSULES and tablets increase 9.1% to $58.3M in 2009

Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2009.

23 Feb 2010

Florida faces fight over Medicaid reform expansion; In Kansas, cuts hurt a mental health clinic

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration may broaden that state's Medicaid-reform pilot program to include 19 more counties to save more than $58 million by requiring Medicaid beneficiaries enroll in managed-care plans, Health News Florida reports.

19 Feb 2010

Loxogon's new healthcare software application integrates multiple hospital information systems in real-time

Loxogon, Inc. today announced the release of a new healthcare software application specializing in operational intelligence solutions.

19 Feb 2010

BioTrends' Stelara second wave report finds increase in prescribing among dermatologists

BioTrends published the second wave of LaunchTrends®: Stelara, highlighting dermatology market trends at three months post launch. The report is based on 76 survey responses and 20 qualitative phone interviews with U.S. dermatologists.

19 Feb 2010

States struggle to find solutions as Medicaid programs swell budget gaps

The (Louisville) Courier-Journal: "Passport Health Plan, often praised for its efficiency as Kentucky's only Medicaid managed care venture, costs the state far more per person than the state's regular Medicaid program.

19 Feb 2010

Centene to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan

Centene Corporation today announced that its South Carolina subsidiary, Absolute Total Care, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan (CCHP), the state's largest non-profit Medicaid managed care organization, from University Health Services, Inc. (UHS). CCHP serves more than 40,000 Medicaid members in 46 counties across the state.

18 Feb 2010

Portico Systems, SDI announce new partnership to improve health plans

Portico Systems, the leader in Integrated Provider Management (IPM) solutions, and SDI, a leader in healthcare informatics, are announcing a new partnership. This partnership will integrate Portico’s provider management platform with SDI’s extensive provider data and managed care analytics to enable health plans to intelligently target providers for recruitment, enhance provider performance management programs, and increase decision support to members via enhanced provider profiles.

18 Feb 2010

Patient-centered medical home concept to benefit pharmaceutical industry

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that the pharmaceutical industry stands to gain from the patient-centered medical home concept that continues to gain traction across the country. According to the recent New England Health Plan Analysis, medical home projects seek to maintain costs and improve health through better treatment compliance, including prescription drug regimens.

18 Feb 2010

Managed Care News and Research

Sebelius takes on health insurers

Beta blockers improve heart function; eliminate need for implantable cardiac devices

Report provides comprehensive insight into how physicians classify and treat patients with gout

Accenture: 58% of U.S. physicians intend to purchase EMR system within next two years

States continue to wrestle with Medicaid spending, budget issues; Utah legislation would criminalize illegal abortion

Amerigroup introduces long-term care program to address complex health concerns

BioScrip announces revenues of $341.6M for fourth-quarter

Doctors work fewer hours, study finds

Hospitals maintain dominant position in determining health care pricing decisions: Study

Hudson Health Plan deploys Health Integrated Synergy Targeted Population Management program

Tenet Healthcare announces 9.0% increase in fourth-quarter EBITDA

Prednisolone associated with recurrence of CAP after its withdrawal

Gross sales of Acorda Therapeutics' ZANAFLEX CAPSULES and tablets increase 9.1% to $58.3M in 2009

Florida faces fight over Medicaid reform expansion; In Kansas, cuts hurt a mental health clinic

Loxogon's new healthcare software application integrates multiple hospital information systems in real-time

BioTrends' Stelara second wave report finds increase in prescribing among dermatologists

States struggle to find solutions as Medicaid programs swell budget gaps

Centene to acquire Columbia-based Carolina Crescent Health Plan

Portico Systems, SDI announce new partnership to improve health plans

Patient-centered medical home concept to benefit pharmaceutical industry

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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