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Medco: Big jump in kids' prescription drug use last year

Children's prescription drug use rose "several times faster" than adult use last year, "due in part to swine flu drugs and Type 2 diabetes medications, according to Medco Health Solutions Inc," The Associated Press reports. The "pharmacy benefits manager said a 5 percent increase in prescription drug use for children contributed to a 10.8 percent spending increase last year. In contrast, overall prescription drug use rose 1.3 percent, and drug spending climbed 3.7 percent. Medco released its annual drug trend report Wednesday" (Murphy, 5/19).

21 May 2010

Ariz. tax hike only a band-aid, and other state tales of budget woes

The Wall Street Journal: States are being squeezed by "shrinking state budgets and rising health-care costs" and often vulnerable residents are paying the price. Barbara Hickey, 67 of Florence, S.C., is one of them. She is confined to a motorized wheelchair, lives alone and "relies on certified nurse's assistants to get her in and out of bed, bathed, clothed and fed."

21 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Legal challenges to health reform; Medicare pay fix; California's budgetary 'Sophie's Choice'

We believe the reform law has been carefully framed to stay within constitutional bounds (5/19).

21 May 2010

Analysis looks at how Democrats won health reform battle

In an analysis in The New Republic, Jonathan Cohn examines how Democrats ultimately won the health reform battle. "Of course, we know how this narrative concludes, with Obama sitting in the East Room, inscribing his signature onto the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 — completing a quest that eluded Harry Truman and a trio of his successors.

21 May 2010

Medicare to evaluate how beneficiaries used personal health records

The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to evaluate a 17-month-old pilot program that has tested whether beneficiaries use personal health records (PHR) in Utah and Arizona, Modern Healthcare reports.

21 May 2010

States examine new law's impact on residents' health, budget bottom lines

States around the nation are examining the health reform law for its impact on their residents' health and their budgets' bottom lines.

21 May 2010

AMGA calls for separate SGR pool for ACOs

Donald W. Fisher, PhD, CAE President and CEO of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), today announced its policy stance on the pending Congressional action to address the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) problem for physicians.

21 May 2010

Medicare 'doc fix' remains sticking point on tax legislation

CongressDaily: The Medicare reimbursement rate for doctors remains a point of contention on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers cautioned Wednesday that a five-year "fix," currently being bandied about in the House, is unlikely to survive Senate scrutiny, and Republicans, including Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, are demanding that any adjustment in doctor payments must be paid for.

21 May 2010

WHA addresses counterfeit medicines

Discussions about combatting counterfeit medicines continued at the 63rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on Wednesday, Agence France-Press reports

21 May 2010

Most ER visitors have health insurance of some kind

A National Center for Health Statistics study has found that of the one in five Americans who visit an emergency room every year, most have health insurance.

20 May 2010

Hospital deals in New York, Michigan, Tennessee and Georgia

Lenox Hill, a "boutique hospital of choice for the rich" announced Wednesday "that after 153 years as a standalone hospital on the Upper East Side, it was entering a partnership with North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, a powerhouse of 15 hospitals and other health care centers in more humble parts of Long Island, Queens and Staten Island."

20 May 2010

FDA panel: Agency should make records of denials public

The Food and Drug Administration's Transparency Task Force has recommended that the agency should make more information available to the public about companies and the FDA's reasons behind decisions not to approve products, Reuters reports. "Wider disclosure could alter companies' ability to control news that could affect their stock prices, especially negative FDA actions such as denying a product or highlighting safety concerns."

20 May 2010

GSK, EMBL-EBI, NLM and CDD collaborate to apply principles of open source to drug discovery for malaria

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) had teamed up with leading public-domain data providers European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the U.S.-based informatics service provider Collaborative Drug Discovery (CDD) to make freely available key scientific information on more than 13,500 compounds that could ultimately lead to new treatments for malaria.

20 May 2010

RedBrick Health's Employee Health Engagement Survey released

RedBrick Health today released preliminary findings from a national independent survey of benefits decision makers at large to mid-size U.S. companies.

20 May 2010

Nine facilities in northern California region named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation

Nine facilities in the northern California region have been named Centers of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for their use of the SAVI® applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

20 May 2010

Ingenix TrendView solution helps companies better understand, manage employee medical costs

Ingenix is launching Ingenix TrendView, an affordable, easy-to-use desktop solution designed to help companies better understand and manage a critical expense category - employee medical costs. Ingenix TrendView provides graphical views of consolidated employee benefits usage, enables scenario modeling, and uncovers opportunities for reducing medical costs and improving employee health.

20 May 2010

Milliman's CareWebQI interactive software tools interfaced with TriZetto's CareAdvance Enterprise 4.6 application

Healthcare payors can now use Milliman's CareWebQI® interactive software tools within The TriZetto Group's CareAdvance Enterprise® 4.6 application. A newly developed interface embeds guideline-based decision-making in the CareAdvance™ application workflow.

20 May 2010

Employers must assess current and future retiree prescription benefit options: Medco Health Solutions

As the nation's healthcare system begins to understand and address the impact of the recently enacted healthcare reform legislation, employers must assess their current and future retiree prescription benefit options, according to executives from Medco Health Solutions, Inc. speaking to more than 700 clients at Medco's annual Drug Trend Symposium.

20 May 2010

PurGenesis completes development of novel anti-aging cosmeceutical products

PurGenesis Technologies, Inc. today announced the successful completion of the development of a unique line of anti-aging cosmeceutical products. The product line consists of three unique, anti-aging formulations: Day Cream, Night Cream and Eye Cream.

20 May 2010

Safeway Step receives 2010 Caregiver Friendly Award

Safeway Safety Step, LLC has recently been recognized by two national organizations renowned for their service and education in aiding caregivers and seniors remaining in their homes or aging in place. The Safeway Step is a product and installation method designed to provide an economical renovation option for individuals and facilities interested in easier access into the bathtub area.

20 May 2010