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Pharmacy Care Alliance gives out first prescription discounts

Early yesterday morning, two Medicare beneficiaries visited Kroger pharmacies in the Cincinnati area and received the first prescription discounts delivered by the Pharmacy Care Alliance under the Medicare prescription discount card program.

2 Jun 2004

HHS urges people to sign up for Medicare-approved drug discount cards

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today urged people with Medicare to take advantage of real savings on their prescription medicines by signing up for Medicare-approved drug discount cards.

2 Jun 2004

Seniors take up Medicare-approved drug discount card in mass

Walgreen Co. has announced that tens of thousands of seniors across the country have applied for the company's Walgreens Health Initiatives Medicare-approved drug discount card.

2 Jun 2004

Prescribing ACE inhibitors to in-patients is important, but outpatients need ongoing support

Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors by heart failure patients drops sharply within a month after they go home from the hospital and then continues to decline, according to a new study in the June 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Jun 2004

Tobacco use and obesity more common among less educated and lowest income Americans

As America observed World No Tobacco Day today, the American Legacy Foundation released a new analysis showing America's most disadvantaged populations are carrying the burden of two major public health epidemics -- smoking and obesity.

1 Jun 2004

AMA call for Australian government to stop playing politics with health

The first limited after hours GP clinic will open at Royal Perth Hospital this weekend spelling the end for suburban after hours clinics and increasing pressure on hospital emergency departments.

30 May 2004

New Australian after hours bulk billing medical centres

Two new after hours bulk billing medical centres have been opened as part of a joint Commonwealth-State initiative to improve access to doctors outside of working hours.

30 May 2004

Australian government programs help improve Indigenous eye health

The Australian Government today released the Review of the Implementation of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Eye Health Program as well as its response.

28 May 2004

New website helps older Texans and disabled get information that may help them obtain their prescription drugs

The Texas Department on Aging has officially launching a "Texas Cares" website -- http://www.txcares.org -- to help older Texans and people with disabilities get information that may help them obtain their prescription drugs.

25 May 2004

Among older people, diabetes substantially increases premature deaths

A new study involving tens of thousands of people 65 and older suggests that even among older people, diabetes substantially increases premature deaths, according to researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

24 May 2004

Medicare Drug Discount Card pricing is lower than internet and mail-order pharmacy prices

A new study by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that prices available from Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards are lower than current Internet and mail-order pharmacy prices.

24 May 2004

Statewide education organizations weigh-in on Medicaid lawsuit against ODJFS

The Buckeye Association of School Administrators (BASA), the Ohio Association of School Business Officials (OASBO) and the Ohio School Boards Association (OSBA) issued a statement this week in support of the lawsuit filed by the Delaware County MR/DD Board last month against the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS).

24 May 2004

Craig Fuller of NACDS testifies on Medicare-approved drug discount card program

Today, Craig Fuller, president and CEO of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS), testified before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on the Medicare prescription discount cards, the important role of pharmacies and lessons learned from the first two weeks of the Medicare-approved drug discount card program.

20 May 2004

CMS announces jump in number of hospitals reporting quality care data

Hospital participation in the National Voluntary Hospital Reporting Initiative is booming as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMA) posts its second web site refresh of hospital quality of care data, CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., announced today.

20 May 2004

HHS creates task force to encourage medical technology innovation

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has announced that the department is forming an internal task force to weigh new ideas and promote new solutions to encourage innovation in health care and to speed the development of effective new medical technologies, such as drug and biological products and medical devices.

19 May 2004

$600 credit and discounts help low income Medicare beneficiaries

Seven million Medicare beneficiaries who are eligible for low-income transitional assistance and additional discounts can see very large savings on their prescription drugs through their Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Cards.

19 May 2004

CMS to take steps to protect the Medicare-approved Discount Drug Card Program from fraud

Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), said today government and public partners are taking further steps to protect the new Medicare-approved Discount Drug Card Program from any possible fraudulent activities.

19 May 2004

CMS will undertake pilot program to determine the effectiveness of the voluntary compliance programs used by many hospitals

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mark McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. today announced CMS will soon undertake a pilot program in partnership with hospitals in 13 states and the District of Columbia to determine the effectiveness of the voluntary compliance programs used by many hospitals.

19 May 2004

HHS launches new web pilot project for consumer health information

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the launch of a 9-month pilot project with WebMD Health to make HHS consumer health information more widely and more rapidly available to the public on a new HHS "channel" on WebMD.

17 May 2004

Drug discount card accepted across 41,000 US PCA pharmacies

Following Medicare's approval of its prescription drug discount card, the Pharmacy Care Alliance today announced that its growing network of pharmacies includes more than 31,000 chain and 10,000 independent representing more than 41,000 local pharmacies across the U.S.

16 May 2004