Managed Care Weekly back issues from October 2008:
Hospital residents report patient-handoff problems common, can lead to patient harm.
Oct 06, 2008 ... A significant percentage of resident physicians report that patient handoffs u transfer of responsibility for a hospitalized patient from one resident to another u contributed to incidents in which harm was done to patients. The study, published in the October 2008 Joint Commission ...
Yearly Premiums for Family Health Coverage Rise to $12,680 in 2008, Up 5 Percent, As Many Workers Also Face Higher Deductibles.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance rose to $12,680 annually for family coverage this year -- with employees on average paying $3,354 out of their paychecks to cover their share of the cost -- and the scope of that coverage has changed, with many more workers now enrolled in ...
Public Support for Stopping Hospice Rate Cuts Grows.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Public attention in support of the integrity of hospice care has been growing steadily since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a rule that will, effectively, cut hospice reimbursement rates, reports the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (see ...
Research from Kaiser Permanente, Department of Nephrology provide new insights into health maintenance organizations.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Scientists discuss in 'Secular trends in kidney disease: is the decreased incidence of renal replacement therapy due to a decrease in chronic kidney disease incidence' new findings in health maintenance organizations. According to recent research published in the journal Clinical ...
Research on behavior published by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University.
Oct 06, 2008 ... "As chronic disease continues to weigh more heavily on health care resources, lifestyle management and compliance to treatment become paramount to patient care and care coordination. Although a wealth of information is available to the public regarding the basic tenets on exercise, ...
Reports summarize mental health study results from Harvard University.(Clinical report)
Oct 06, 2008 ... According to a study from the United States, "Higher demand-side cost sharing on mental health services than on general health services has been justified in economic terms because the demand response for mental health services has been found to be higher under traditional indemnity plans, ...
A.M. Best Revises Rating Outlook of U.S. Life/Health Companies to Negative.
Oct 06, 2008 ... The severe dislocation in the capital markets, fueled most recently by the bankruptcy filing of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and liquidity concerns at high-profile financial institutions, such as American International Group, Inc. (New York, NY), has prompted A.M. Best Co. to revise its ...
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich Featured Wednesday.(Conference notes)
Oct 06, 2008 ... Healthcare policy, regulatory environment, elements of the global marketplace, and the role of financing are focus of the 2008 MedTech Conference (see also AdvaMed 2008). Wednesday panel presentations will focus on the convergence of the MedTech industry with the wireless & IT ...
Aetna Offers New Choices for Florida Small Businesses.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Aetna (NYSE: AET) has introduced a set of new products in Florida that are designed to give uninsured small businesses affordable health coverage options for their workers (see also Aetna). The plans, called ValuePick, are priced to enable small companies, as well as newly ...
New Medicare Website Provides Customized "Aetna Answers" for Consumers.(Website overview)
Oct 06, 2008 ... Aetna (NYSE:AET) announced that it has launched a redesigned Medicare website, www.aetnamedicare.com. The site gives people a single online resource where they can go through the entire enrollment process, from researching and comparing plan options to receiving price estimates to ...
AHIP: Low-Income and Rural Seniors Depend on Medigap Supplemental Coverage.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Medigap supplemental coverage is a vital option for low and moderate income seniors and those living in rural areas, according to the latest data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) (see also America's Health Insurance Plans). "Millions of seniors, especially ...
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Provides Testimony at Senate Hearing in Washington.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts' Executive Vice President Andrew Dreyfus testified today before a congressional committee that's examining potential options for reforming the health insurance market (see also Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts). The Senate Finance ...
Business Roundtable Unveils Health Care Policy Plan.(Discussion)
Oct 06, 2008 ... CEOs representing America's leading companies today proposed a health care policy plan aimed at delivering more value for consumers, expanding affordable health insurance options for all Americans and ensuring a stable, secure public safety net. The plan would promote changes to make the ...
State Government Proves to Be a Poor Partner in Health Care, Family Physicians Say.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Citing the record-setting budget delay and changes to the Healthy Families program that will plunge an estimated 250,000 children into the ranks of the uninsured, family physicians said the process and result of this budget show that "the California state government is ill prepared to be a ...
Care2Learn and Academic Edge, Inc. Deliver New Interactive, Online Pressure Ulcer Course.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Care2Learn, a leading long-term healthcare continuing education provider, and Academic Edge, Inc. (AEI), a research and development group specializing in high-quality learning solutions for the healthcare industry, announced the launch of their new, online interactive pressure ulcer ...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Approves Cielo MedSolutions' Registry for Automated PQRI Reporting.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Cielo MedSolutions, a provider of healthcare software and web applications, announces the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) qualified its Cielo Clinic clinical quality management system for submission of Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) data on behalf of ...
CIGNA Praises Senators Domenici, Kennedy and Enzi for Authoring New Mental Health Parity Legislation.
Oct 06, 2008 ... CIGNA Corporation (NYSE:CI) praised U.S. Senators Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) today for authoring a long-awaited mental health parity agreement, which the Senate Finance Committee has agreed to include in a tax package that could move through ...
Woman Wins Gas for Life!
Oct 06, 2008 ... A woman who has dedicated her career to assisting people with their medical insurance claims is getting a dose of help herself: Gas for life (see also ConocoPhillips). Whenever Crystal Waggy pumps gas into her '97 Ford F150 pickup, Conoco(R) will cover the cost - and while the ...
DNC: Scranton Residents to Blast McCain's Risky Combination of Social Security Privatization, New Call to Let Health Insurance Companies Run Wild.
Oct 06, 2008 ... In light of this week's Wall Street upheaval tomorrow Abe Amoros, Political and Communications Director of the PA Democratic Party, will hold a press conference to challenge McCain's risky Bush-McCain plan to privatize Social Security and his new magazine article calling for the ...
Digital Info Security Company Pink Sheets: DGIF Offers SAS 70 Certified Email Compliance Solution.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Digital Info Security Company (Pink Sheets: DGIF) (DISC) is pleased to announce that it is now offering an SAS 70 certified Email Compliance (http://www.disecurityco.com/email_compliance.shtml) Solution (see also Digital Info Security Company). Developed by the American ...
Elias/Savion Advertising, Inc. Appoints New Public Relations Manager.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Elias/Savion Advertising, Inc., an award-winning, full-service advertising and public relations agency located in Pittsburgh, PA is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Webber as public relations manager. Webber has 15 years of communications-related experience that includes ...
Fitch Rates Univ Health System of Eastern Carolina's North Carolina $246MM VRDBs 'AA-'/Underlying.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Fitch Ratings has assigned an underlying 'AA-' rating on approximately $246 million of North Carolina Medical Care Commission (University Health System of Eastern Carolina's (UHSEC) f/k/a Pitt County Memorial Hospital) series 2008 A-1, A-2, B-1 and B-2 variable rate demand bonds (VRDBs) ....
Fitch Revises Covenant Health Tennessee Outlook to Positive; Affirms 'A' Rating.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Fitch Ratings has affirmed the underlying 'A' rating on Covenant Health's (Covenant) approximately $210,000,000 million series 2006A and 2006B refunding and improvement bonds. Fitch also affirms the rating on the system's series 2002 bond issue. Additionally, Fitch has revised the Rating ...
Top Insurance Expert Calls on 144,000 Holders of Long-Term Care Polices to Protest an Eleventh Hour Conseco Trust.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Conseco, an Indiana based insurance company, without notice to policyholders has decided to move 144,000 Long-Term Care policies into a Trust that could financial ruin senior citizens, says Frank N. Darras, the nation's leading disability and Long-Term Care insurance lawyer (see also Frank ...
With the Economy and Large Financial Giants Failing, What Happens to Conseco's 144,000 Long-term Care Policyholders?
Oct 06, 2008 ... The Conseco (NYSE:CNO) Senior Health Insurance Trust that affects current long-term care policyholders and shareholders will be discussed by Frank N. Darras, on Tom Woodruff's hour long radio show Tuesday at 1 PM Eastern (10 AM PST). He will also take questions from callers (see also Frank ...
AHIP Statement on Employer Health Benefits Survey.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), issued the following statement in response to the 2008 Employer Health Benefits Survey released by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust, which found that health insurance ...
Blue Shield of California and NorthBay Healthcare Reach an Agreement.
Oct 06, 2008 ... NorthBay Healthcare and Blue Shield of California have signed a multi-year agreement under which NorthBay Healthcare will provide services to Blue Shield members at NorthBay's two community hospitals and its comprehensive network of primary care and specialty physicians, effective October ...
Horizon Blue's Conversion to For-Profit Status May Alter Plan's Existing Pricing Strategy.
Oct 06, 2008 ... HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that, if approved, conversion by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to for-profit status may prompt the plan to adopt a more conservative approach to pricing. According to Blue Profiler: ...
HealthMarkets Announces Resignation of President and Chief Operating Officer David W. Fields.(Company overview)
Oct 06, 2008 ... HealthMarkets, Inc. (http://www.healthmarkets.com) announced that David W. Fields has resigned his position as HealthMarkets' President and Chief Operating Officer, and that Phillip J. Hildebrand has been appointed President in addition to his current role as the Chief Executive Officer of ...
Hypercom medCompact Is First Terminal Approved for Germany's New Electronic Health Card.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Hypercom Corporation (NYSE:HYC) announced that its medCompact is the first healthcare terminal to receive e-Health BCS (Basic Command Set) approval from Gematik, the German healthcare organization. Starting next month, the device will be available in significant volumes as part of the ...
Former WellPoint Senior Executive Appointed Executive Chairman of Implantable Provider Group's Board of Directors.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Implantable Provider Group (IPG) announced that John S. Watts, Jr., former president and CEO of WellPoint Inc.'s Commercial and Consumer Business, will lead IPG's board of directors as executive chairman. Atlanta-based IPG offers solutions to healthcare providers, insurers and ...
LIFE Lessons Scholarship Winners Share Personal Struggles to Emphasize Importance of Life Insurance.
Oct 06, 2008 ... By the time she was 18 years old, Tracy Basden knew all too well that life could take unexpected -- and sometimes tragic -- turns. Her mother died when she was four and her father died before she finished high school. She dropped out of high school to become the legal guardian of her ...
AHRQ News and Numbers: More U.S. Children Getting Government Dental Insurance.
Oct 06, 2008 ... About 30 percent of U.S. children and adolescents were covered by government-sponsored dental insurance in 2006, a significant increase from the 18 percent covered in 1996, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Private dental ...
Actuarial Study Estimates that Online Care May Reduce Healthcare Costs.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Results of a study released found that the use of Online Care for certain prescribed circumstances may result in first dollar financial savings for employer sponsored health plans. The Milliman study was authored by Arthur L. Wilmes, FSA, MAAA, principal & actuary at Milliman, a widely ...
Actuarial Study Estimates that Online Care May Reduce Healthcare Costs Milliman study shows that the use of online care for certain prescribed circumstances may cut first dollar employer sponsored health plan expenses by $3.36 per-member-per-month for.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Milliman study shows that the use of online care for certain prescribed circumstances may cut first dollar employer sponsored health plan expenses by $3.36 per-member-per-month for commercial population and $6.95 PMPM for a Medicare population Results of a study released found ...
ADA Asks Congress to Strengthen Medicaid Oral Health Programs.
Oct 06, 2008 ... The American Dental Association (ADA) called on Congress and other stakeholders to work together to get more dentists to participate in Medicaid and help the program provide necessary dental care to vulnerable low-income children (see also Medicare and Medicaid). In testimony ...
AHIP: Low-Income and Minority Seniors Depend on Medicare Advantage.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Medicare Advantage is an important coverage option for minority and low-income seniors, according to the latest data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) (see also Medicare and Medicaid). "These data underscore the value Medicare Advantage plans provide to ...
New Jersey Hospital Pays $3.85 Million to Settle Whistleblower Lawsuit.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Cooper University Hospital has agreed to pay $3.85 million to the federal government to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged the Camden, New Jersey, hospital engaged in Medicare fraud by inflating its Medicare claims to increase its revenues (see also Medicare and Medicaid). ...
New Jersey Hospital to Pay $3.85 Million to Resolve Allegations of Inflating Charges to Obtain Higher Medicare Reimbursement.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Cooper University Hospital in Camden, N.J., has agreed to pay the United States $3.85 million, plus interest, to settle allegations that it defrauded Medicare, the Justice Department announced (see also Medicare and Medicaid). The settlement resolves allegations that the ...
Physicians Health Choice Hires Blue Clover as Agency of Record.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Poised on the brink of phenomenal growth, the administration of Physicians Health Choice (PHC) wanted an aggressive, innovative branding firm that could grow with it while it created an overarching brand campaign for all future PHC marketing efforts (see also Medicare and Medicaid). ...
SCAN Health Plan Arizona Announces Launch of New Medicare Advantage Plan in Maricopa County.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Senior Care Action Network (SCAN), a not-for-profit health plan serving seniors and others with Medicare, will expand its offerings in Maricopa County in 2009 with the addition of a new Medicare Advantage Plan. As a result, Medicare-eligible individuals living here will be able to choose ...
The Quantum Group Announces Third Quarter Financial Results for Fiscal Year 2008.(Financial report)
Oct 06, 2008 ... The Quantum Group, Inc. (AMEX:QGP) (www.QuantumMD.com) announced it has filed its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 ended July 31, 2008 (see also Medicare and Medicaid). The Company reported an increase in revenues of approximately 248% to $4,459,362, ...
theFranaGroup Secures Nearly $750,000 in New Federal Grant Funding for its Clients; New grant funding adds to total of $100 million in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements for healthcare clients.
Oct 06, 2008 ... theFranaGroup, a healthcare consulting firm that provides solutions for the financial well-being of healthcare organizations, announced it has secured nearly three quarters of a million dollars for its healthcare clients through federal grants given by the Health Resources and Services ...
WOCN Society Ready to Address October 1 Changes Precipitated by New Reimbursement Criteria.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Healthcare facilities will find themselves under increased pressure to conduct thorough preadmission screenings to identify conditions that are present on admission (POA) starting next month. That's when Medicare reimbursement changes legislated under the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 will ...
Physician Offers Innovative Primary Health Care Services to Provo Area Patients.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Wesley D. Wylie, M.D., will open a new primary care practice designed to appeal to patients in search of a user- friendly alternative to the long wait times, rushed appointments and lack of personal interaction that most patients experience with their doctors (see also ModernMed, Inc.). ...
myGoodAdvice.com Launches Free Feature That Gives Web-Based Advice New Levels of Personalization, Value.
Oct 06, 2008 ... myGoodAdvice.com is a Web-based service that connects people in need of personal advice with a consultant who has the expertise to provide it. The company has added a new free feature called Advice+, which brings unprecedented personalization to the online client-consultant matching ...
Novell Expands Endpoint Security Management with Network Access Control.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Extending its endpoint security and management solutions to include network access enforcement and compliance, Novell announced the availability of Novell(R) ZENworks(R) Network Access Control. This newest member of the ZENworks product line ensures security in heterogeneous network ...
nTelagent's Self-Pay Management System Helps Emergency Departments and Patients Across the Country.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Hospitals and other healthcare providers around the country are struggling to improve the management of self-pay patient accounts, and nowhere is the need for a solution more urgent than in the emergency department. In order to help providers better serve self-pay patients--those ...
Insurance Department Reports Increase in CHIP Enrollment, Thanks in Part to Community Marketing Initiative.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Enrollment in Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) grew to more than 176,000 this month, a 7 percent increase from one year ago, the Insurance Department announced (see also Pennsylvania Department of Insurance). CHIP enrollment grew in 61 of the state's 67 ...
Skarupa Named President of Insurance Claims Processor PGBA.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Michael J. Skarupa, who has more than 29 years of experience in the health insurance industry, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of insurance claims processor PGBA, LLC, a subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (see also PGBA, Llc). ...
Regence Survey Shows Steep Health Plan Learning Curve.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Whatever the next election delivers on promises of health care reform, consumers face a steep learning curve to understand common concepts that describe their coverage (see also Regence). "Almost nine out of ten people in this country have some kind of health insurance coverage ....
Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule for FY2009 Audio Conference Cd-Rom.(Conference news)
Oct 06, 2008 ... Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/60b1ce/management_briefin) has announced the addition of the "Management Briefing: Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System Final Rule for FY2009 Audio Conference Cd-Rom" report to their offering (see also Research and ...
Riverside Health System Announces $1 Million Incentive Program for Small Businesses to Offer Insurance Coverage for Employees.
Oct 06, 2008 ... A leading nonprofit health care provider, Riverside Health System, is making $1 million in funding available to create incentives for small businesses in eastern Virginia to begin offering health insurance to their employees (see also Riverside Health System). One million ...
Selectica to Host Webinar with Famous Independent Research Analyst on Healthcare Contract Management and Stark Law Regulatory Compliance.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Next week, Selectica (NASDAQ:SLTC), a leading provider of contract lifecycle management (CLM) solutions, will sponsor an informational webinar to help HMOs, hospitals, and other healthcare providers address the unique challenges of managing physician agreements and other contracts that ...
John McCain's Health Care Plan Based on Same Policies That Are Causing Wall Street Meltdown.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Every day, another financial institution shutters its doors. Over 600,000 thousand U.S. jobs have been lost so far this year. Gas, food, and health care prices are through the roof. The writing is on the wall: the American economy is teetering on the edge of collapse, and American families ...
Pinon Management Partners With Silverchair Learning Systems.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Pinon Management, a leading senior care management and consulting firm with facilities in Colorado and New Mexico, has partnered with Silverchair Learning Systems to implement a comprehensive eLearning program for its facilities (see also Silverchair Learning Systems). "We are ...
Creative Thinking Nets Stanford Researchers Two NIH Pioneer Awards, Three New Innovator Awards.(Awards list)
Oct 06, 2008 ... Two scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine who've sussed out ways to see what's usually hidden are winners of this year's NIH Director's Pioneer Awards--the National Institutes of Health's most prestigious award for creative thinkers (see also Stanford University Medical ...
Western & Southern Migrates from TriZetto's ClaimFacts System to Facets Platform.
Oct 06, 2008 ... The TriZetto Group, Inc. announced it was selected by Western & Southern Financial Group to upgrade the financial services company's core administration system from TriZetto's ClaimFacts(TM) product to its Facets(R) 4.51 application. As of December 31, 2007, TriZetto had 78 implementations ...
Campaign for Fair Labor Standards for EaglePicher Workers Heats Up; Hundreds Sign Petitions Supporting Joplin Workers; Steelworkers Say Company Taking Advantage of Defense Contractor Status.
Oct 06, 2008 ... The United Steelworkers (USW) announced that workers at EaglePicher Corp in Joplin facing forced changes in their labor agreement and big increases in the cost of family health insurance from new owners, gained important allies in the fight against corporate greed (see also United ...
WebCE First to Offer State-Approved 8-Hour Course for Oklahoma Medicare Advantage CE Requirement.
Oct 06, 2008 ... WebCE is pleased to announce the immediate availability of a training course which has already been approved to meet a new Oklahoma education requirement. The Oklahoma Department of Insurance recently mandated a new 8-hour continuing education requirement for insurance producers who sell ...
Pennsylvania Department of Health Recognizes 'Health, Wealth and Wellness Week'.
Oct 06, 2008 ... The Pennsylvania Department of Health today acknowledged "Health, Wealth and Wellness Week," which runs through Sept. 28 (see also Wellness). The week brings together businesses, organizations, government agencies and faith-based groups to reach out to the uninsured -- and ...
Orlando Pet Memorial Firm Assists in Funding Animal Rescue Centers.
Oct 06, 2008 ... Express Your Grief! Pets are considered members of the family. When someone dies, be it a person or a pet, you feel alone and lost. You have the right to acknowledge your feelings. Locking away grief does not make it go away! Dr. Alvin Olesh is the founder and Chief Executive ...
Excluding inmates from health research thwarts advancement of public health.
Oct 13, 2008 ... Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (October 2, 2008) More and more persons with mental illnesses, addiction disorders, and chronic and infectious diseases receive their medical care in a jail or prison, according to the October issue of the Journal of Correctional ...
Verathon(R), Maker of BladderScan(R) Bladder Volume Instruments, Offers Free Infection Prevention Information Kit to Help Minimize Catheter-Associated UTIs.
Oct 13, 2008 ... Verathon(R) is pleased to offer a free Infection Prevention Information Kit designed to help hospitals implement strategies to reduce catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTIs). As of October 1, 2008, Medicare no longer will reimburse for treatment of preventable nosocomial ...
Studies from Wesleyan University, Department of Psychology reveal new findings on eating disorders therapy.(Report)
Oct 13, 2008 ... Researchers detail in 'Health services use in eating disorders,' new data in eating disorders. According to recent research published in the journal Psychological Medicine, "This study examined healthcare services used by adults diagnosed with an eating disorder (ED) in a large health ...