Managed Care Weekly Digest

Healthcare Coverage - Insurance company, Connie Payton honor women who persevere after loss of spouse

Healthcare Coverage - Kansas-Missouri healthcare system to join insurance company's Medicare PPO plan

Healthcare Coverage - North Dakota plan allows disabled to return to work and keep Medicaid

Healthcare Coverage - Pennsylvania announces comment period for Blues reserve, surplus applications

Healthcare Coverage - Pharmaceutical care management company rolls out generic sampling program

Healthcare Coverage - Strategic partnership to educate consumers on healthcare FSA programs

Healthcare Coverage - Study finds medical premiums continue double-digit to rise

Healthcare Coverage - Sun Life Financial adds new asset allocation models for variable life portfolio

Healthcare Coverage - Tax-advantaged spending accounts provider opens additional center

Healthcare Insurance - Company to offer new women's cancer insurance

Healthcare Management - Disease management companies expect boom from Medicare changes

Healthcare Management - State groups increase insurance rates for 2005

Healthcare and Politics - State's small businesses struggling with health insurance

Heart Attack - Ohio hospital granted designation of Accredited Chest Pain Center

Heathcare Coverage - Medicaid managed care helps states realize cost savings, study shows

Home Healthcare - HHS approves plan to continue allowing elderly to receive self-directed care

Hospital Management - Research shows smart hospitals are better for patients and staff

Hyperglycemia - Glucose monitoring in intensive care patients results in reduction in mortality

Influenza - U.S. Centers for Disease Control asks parents to start scheduling flu shots for children

Influenza Vaccine - Immune responses to intranasal influenza vaccine determined

Information Technology - Aetna consumer tool supports informed decision-making

Information Technology - Beaumont Hospital selects ProVation Medical's ProVation MD software

Information Technology - Beverly Hills Pharmacy gets a robotic hand in prescription filling

Information Technology - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona selects business rules management software

Information Technology - California hospital selects EmergisoftED to automate ER

Information Technology - Cigna launches new online tools for Health Plan Managers

Information Technology - Company launches new version of WebForce suite for pharmaceutical sales

Information Technology - Greenway participates in summit on health information technology

Information Technology - HSS EASYGroup deployed at Fidelis Care to manage Medicaid business

Information Technology - Harvard Pilgrim processes 10 millionth transaction through HealthTrio connect

Information Technology - HealthRamp announces expansion of ePrescribing product offering

Information Technology - Hospital group picks system to drive board of pharmacy authentication compliance

Information Technology - Louisiana hospital installs software scheduling system

Information Technology - MedCom System to process benefit eligibility for New York-based medical center

Information Technology - MediServe launches MediLinks CMC integration with Cerner Millennium

Information Technology - Nursing home search engine receives two national web awards

Informed Consent - Can children make their own healthcare decisions?

Insomnia - MCOs predict 6-month delay in addition of new insomnia agents to formularies

Legal Issues - Hospital group yields documents requested by U.S. attorney's office

Legal Issues - Orthopedics company announces preliminary findings of independent investigation

Managed Care - Analysis shows Medicaid managed care provides value

Medical Education - Agency finds problems with Duke University's general surgery residency

Medical Equipment - Hospital equipment companies catering to obese patients see booming business

Medical Practice - America's top doctors give mixed reviews to VIP practices, survey shows

Medical Training - Teacher training for hospital residents improves medical education

Medicare - Patients decrease use of essential medications during gaps in coverage

Medication Errors - Medication reconciliation, pharmacist involvement reduce medication errors

Mental Health - New Maine program to provide treatment for alcoholism and mental illness

Mergers & Acquisitions - Consolidation of south Florida Renaissance Health, management company completed

Mergers & Acquisitions - Eye Care International enters into international M&A relationship

Mergers & Acquisitions - Subsidiary of healthcare marketing company acquires three Internet health portals

Mergers and Acquisitions - Nursefinders, Inc., acquired by Gryphon Investors

Nursing - With too few faculty, nursing schools turning away students

Obesity - Gastric bypass surgeries in Pennsylvania increase 10-fold in 5 years

Obesity Prevention - Apolo Ohno plays role in promoting exercise

Orthopedics - Study justifies longer rehab for elderly hip fracture patients

Outcomes - Deaths no higher in patients of new surgeons

Pain - Growing numbers of patients turn to medical marijuana to fight pain

Pain - Postoperative pain being eased

Palliative Care - New program aims to comfort patients with long-term illnesses

Personnel - Amedisys promotes Larry R. Graham to president

Personnel - Beverly Enterprises announces new member of board of directors

Personnel - Ferrer retires from AMERIGROUP Corp. board

Personnel - First medical student named to physician group's board

Personnel - Gail F. Lieberman joins I-trax's board of directors

Personnel - Health management company names president & CEO

Personnel - HealthAmerica hires Kurt R. Keul as small group manager

Personnel - HealthSouth announces new members of board of directors

Personnel - Infection control products manufacturer names executive VP, sales and marketing

Personnel - Insurance company board elects three directors

Personnel - Medical device manufacturer announces new member of board of directors

Personnel - Mental health group terminates relationship with CEO

Personnel - NMHC names new president and chief executive officer

Personnel - Organization committed to improving access to medicines names board members

Personnel - Regional California medical center staff members join healthcare union

Personnel - U.S.VA Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives appoints Daren Selnick director

Pharmaceutical Costs - DSH Inpatient Program launched to reduce providers' pharmacy costs

Pharmaceuticals - Insurers, drug makers battle over structure of Medicare drug program

Physician Practice - E-mail consultations could improve health care delivery, claim researchers

Physician Practice - Same-day doctor visit gains steam in U.S.

Professional Development - Personality tests could predict doctors' burnout

Quality Assurance - Publishing surgeons' performance remains controversial

Recalls - Class I recall announced for Minerva Patient Lifts

Referral System - MedManage Systems launches online drug-sampling platform on Doctordirectory.com

Reimbursement - Medicare expands drugs available to help beneficiaries with severe illnesses

Smoking Cessation - MDs have more influence on quitting smoking than other healthcare providers

Smoking Cessation - Nicotine patch helps teens cut cigarette use

Smoking Cessation - Nicotine therapy does not work as well for women as for men

Staffing - ComForcare Senior Services opens new franchise

Staffing - Study indicates why hospitalists improve hospital efficiency

State Medicaid - Conemaugh Health System joins Ion Health panel

Terrorism - Half of U.S. workers feel their employer is not ready for terrorist attack

Testicular Cancer - Ultrasound screening reveals tumors not detected manually in infertile men

Transplant Medicine - Coalition America, INTERLINK contract to offer access to transplant network

Weight Management - Group pulls together to fight obesity one step at a time

Wireless Trends - Efficiency, productivity gains drive uptake of wireless healthcare applications