Managed Care Weekly Digest

Healthcare Economics - Survey finds double-digit premium increases 3 years running

Pharmacoeconomics - Study finds drug cost-effectiveness evaluations based on faulty assumptions

Employee Health Benefits - Only 36% of CEOs rate their healthcare plan as tops

Medicaid - Children appear to receive lower quality of care

Medicare - Even if drug bill passes, most seniors worry they'll still pay too much

Prescription Drug Coverage - Low-income elderly hardest hit by medication costs

Assisted-Reproduction Techniques - Parents say in vitro costly, but worth it

Asthma - Children's school routines disrupted

Behavioral Health - Horizon extends agreement to provide mental health services

Chemotherapy - Study: Reimbursement key factor restricting physician use of SRAs

Chronic Back Pain - Pain center introduces DRX9000

Claims Management - Magellan selects Healthaxis for front-end claims solution

Depression - Depressed elderly patients have higher healthcare costs

Diabetes Management - Corporate diabetes management programs decrease chronic care costs by 60%

Diagnostics - Device company sells 14 stand-up MRIs

Diagnostics - One-step HIV test may be cheaper, faster, less wasteful

Drug Disposal - How to dump old medicine? No easy answer

Emergency Medicine - Chicago's first hospital redesigns ED

Enterprise Management - Mayo Clinic contracts with CMSI for contract management solutions

Ethics - AMA will provide electronic ethics alerts to physicians

Ethics - Landmark study conducted at Swedish Covenant Hospital featured in journal

Finance - Financial health of Medi-Cal health plans examined in report

Finance - Orthopedic company announces cash tender

Finance - Wisconsin HMOs post profits for second quarter

Folic Acid - Forgetfulness leads to decreased intake of folic acid in U.S. women

Gynecologic Cancers - Glycoprotein overexpression a biomarker of aggressive ovarian, uterine cancers

HIPAA - Healthcare workers and patients getting used to new privacy rules

Health Insurance - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan offers coverage to certain displaced workers

Health Insurance Reform - Survey finds business support for reform

Healthcare Access - Corporate clients and employees can access wellness imaging service destinations

Healthcare Access - Health insurance hikes, malpractice insurance woes disrupt Miami health care

Healthcare Access - Kansas county health service for uninsured marks 4 years

Healthcare Access - Phoenix healthcare market grapples with population boom, sluggish economy

Healthcare Access - Seven Nebraska hospitals unite to save rural health care

Healthcare Coverage - Lucent will cut healthcare benefits for retirees

Healthcare Coverage - N.C. Baptist Hospital, state health plan agree on contract

Healthcare Coverage - Wellmont rejects John Deere insurance contract

Healthcare Coverage - West Virginia's public employees' health plan poised to insure small businesses

Heart Disease Diagnosis - Stem-cell company provides cardiac risk assessment calculator