Headlines Archive for February 2010

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2/26

Nurtur, the health, wellness, and work-life company serving employers, plan sponsors and health plans, today announced the strategic acquisition of two health and wellness companies, ActivHealth and Wellness by Choice

2/26

A medical imaging trade group said Thursday that manufacturers of CT scanners will begin installing safety controls to prevent patients from receiving excessive radiation

2/26

A battle over who to blame for rising health-care costs is escalating, as groups seek to pin the problem on each other and say none of the health-care legislation under consideration does enough to solve it

2/26

Government workers were far more likely to report that they had been injured or fallen ill at work in 2008 and had to take time off compared to private sector employees.

2/26

To help ensure that medical radiation is safe, Medicare insists that certain highly technical cancer treatments be administered only when a patient’s radiation oncologist is present or nearby – but…

2/26

The U.S. House approved a $10 billion plan to extend for a month unemployment benefits, including federal subsidies to help the jobless buy health insurance.  The measure also would prevent looming cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors

2/26

Don’t blame only insurers for rising health-care costs – California’s hospital fees surged 10.6 percent annually from 1999 to 2005 as the state’s biggest hospital networks began to demand higher rates

2/26

According to recent report from McKinsey & Company, “opportunities” in the global mobile health care market are worth about $50 billion in 2010

2/26

The CBO said last year that because states already investigate health insurance companies, repealing the exemption would not significantly reduce premiums

2/25

OptumHealth, a UnitedHealth Group company, has acquired Wellness Inc., a leading worksite wellness company that provides health services through more than 1,000 employers nationwide

2/25

Market research shows that the sick are relying more on the recommendations of fellow patients, and less on the reputations of companies and endorsers

2/25

Republicans plan to offer a handful of incremental proposals during health-care summit after pushing for broad changes to the country’s health-insurance system

2/25

Britain’s top prosecutor published new guidelines spelling out what types of assisted-suicide cases were more likely to face prosecution, keeping the practice illegal but finding some leeway

2/25

Rep. Bart Stupak said there are 15 to 20 House Democrats who cannot support President Obama’s effort to bridge the gap between the House and Senate health plans

2/25

A hospital in Missouri said it had overradiated 76 patients, the vast majority with brain cancer, during a five-year period because radiation equipment had been set up incorrectly

2/25

Obama’s invitation to congressional leaders to convene challenges Republicans to provide ideas for overhauling a medical system that accounts for 17 percent of the U.S. economy

2/24

TEDMED’s organizers recently posted a video documenting Dr. Topol’s presentation at the event: worth watching

2/24

Vocera also notes that its devices and client applications integrate with a number of other mobile health solutions including:  AeroScout, AirStrip, Epocrates, PatientKeeper

2/24

U.S. HealthWorks, an operator of occupational healthcare centers, announced the acquisition of all three healthcare centers, expanding the number medical centers to 131 nationwide

2/24

Employers battling high health-care costs are increasingly trying to influence employees’ personal decisions, subsidizing fitness-club dues and cutting premiums for those who get health-risk assessments

2/24

Medco CEO discusses company’s research efforts, noting that it had sponsored 12 studies published or presented last year and had pulled together its efforts in a new research institute

2/24

Work hours for U.S. doctors dropped steadily for more than a decade, mirroring a decline in inflation-adjusted fees and worsening a nationwide physician shortage, a study said.

2/24

Bringing more transparency to how the FEHB purchases drugs is a prime objective of legislation considered during a hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee

2/24

This new ObamaCare plan would for the first time apply the 2.9% Medicare payroll tax to “interest, dividends, annuities, royalties and rents,” so-called passive income

2/24

Nothing is stopping Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats from adding more Republican ideas to their health plan it would yield a bill worthy of the name bipartisan

2/24

When people today refer to their health insurer, they mean the payer of all their health-care bills – but normally insurer refers protection against large losses

2/23

Australia’s largest listed health information technology company, acquired Belgium-based health IT company UltraGenda BV for as much as $16 million

2/23

A Massachusetts General Hospital patient died last month after the alarm on a heart monitor was inadvertently left off, delaying the response of nurses and doctors to the patient’s medical crisis

2/23

The CBO said it has received several requests to review Mr. Obama’s blueprint  but could not do so until the White House provides more details

2/23

Merge Healthcare Inc., the Milwaukee- based maker of medical information technology, made a $248 million bid to buy Amicas Inc., which has already agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm

2/23

Childhood rates of chronic health problems, including obesity, asthma and learning disabilities, have doubled in just 12 years, a new study reports — to 1 in 4 children in 2006, up from 1 in 8 in 1994.

2/23

Aggressive treatment at the end of life — frantic CPR for a brain-dead accident victim, inserting a feeding tube in a dying Alzheimer’s patient — has become a staple of the health care debate

2/23

Public-health officials are scaling back official recommendations for aspirin to target a narrower group of patients who are at risk of a heart attack or stroke.

2/23

Dr. Steven E. Nissen, whose study led to a Congressional inquiry, stringent safety warnings, a sharp drop in the drug’s sales, met with executives of GlaxoSmithKline to discuss Avandia

2/23

Two infections that can often be prevented with tight infection control practices in hospitals, killed 48,000 patients and added $8.1 billion to heath care costs in 2006

2/23

Administration’s proposal to create a federal body to oversee insurance premiums drew fire Monday from insurers, which contended it could ruin some companies

2/23

Obama laid the groundwork for parliamentary maneuver to pass the legislation using only Democratic votes if this week brings no progress toward a bipartisan solution

2/23

White House health care overhaul builds on legislation passed Christmas Eve by the Senate, and makes some changes to placate Democrats in the House

2/23

The President, seeking to break an impasse over legislation, proposed a plan that includes the first Medicare tax on capital gains and higher fees on pharmaceutical companies

2/22

AMICAS Inc.  filed amended proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission or “SEC” disclosing that it has received an unsolicited proposal from Merge Healthcare Inc.

2/22

The Obama administration this morning released a roughly $950 billion health reform proposal – it increases coverage subsidies, requires greater accountability for health insurance companies and picks up most of the tab for a deep expansion of Medicaid

2/22

The use of high-tech diagnostic imaging in emergency rooms has quadrupled since the mid-1990s, according to a new government report released Wednesday

2/22

According to a new analysis, the conventional wisdom about the Cadillac  tax is wrong: The tax would actually fall equally on nonunion plans.

2/22

Some governors, frustrated by halted federal efforts to overhaul the U.S. health-care system, are introducing their own changes at the state level.

2/22

The president will propose giving the U.S. government new power to block health insurers from attempting excessive premium hikes in the plan to be posted on the WH website at 10 a.m. EST

2/22

Dozens of “targeted” drugs are emerging from laboratories of pharmaceutical companies – putting them to their truest test falls to a small band of doctors running experimental drug trials

2/22

Coming soon to daytime television: America’s long-running civic drama over how to provide better health care to more of its people without breaking the bank

2/22

Obama’s health-care proposal will include new rules for insurance companies and greater oversight on the industry, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in an interview.

2/22

Hundreds of people taking Avandia, a controversial diabetes medicine, needlessly suffer heart attacks and heart failure each month

2/22

Health care reform bills that were passed in late 2009 would exacerbate the same inefficiencies and perverse incentives that have led to the current situation

2/19

Nautic Partners, LLC, a private equity firm with more than $2.5 billion of capital under management, today announced that it has completed a recapitalization of Healthcare Payment Specialists

2/19

Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited will acquire workers’ compensation insurer Zenith National Insurance Corp. in Woodland Hills, Calif., in a $1.4 billion cash deal

2/19

Health care management software firm MedVentive Inc. has boosted a venture round from $4.9 million to $10 million, according to regulatory filings.

2/19

Survey of health care experts finds that new ‘Connected Health’ prevention could cut U.S. health care costs by up to 40 percent

2/19

In a fresh advance for the burgeoning field of personalized medicine, researchers have developed a blood test based on the DNA of tumors that could help tailor treatment for individual cancer patients

2/19

The proposed new edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders could place large swaths of the population under the umbrella of pathology

2/19

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it plans to implement new “safety controls” for a class of long-acting asthma drugs, largely by adding tougher warnings

2/19

Obama is preparing to release a proposal to restart the health-care debate before a White House meeting next week – insurance company practices will be a focus of the talks

2/19

A firestorm between the Obama administration and health insurers escalated Thursday, as DHHS pointed to price increases  in six states to make the case for overhauling the health-care system

2/19

The recession has fueled the greatest influx of Americans onto Medicaid since the earliest days of the public insurance program for the poor, according to new findings that show caseloads have surged in every state.

2/19

Millions of seniors who signed up for popular private health plans through Medicare are facing sharp premium increases this year — another sign that spiraling costs are a problem

2/19

Facing relentless fiscal pressure and exploding demand for government health care, virtually every state is making or considering substantial cuts in Medicaid

2/19

For insurers like WellPoint, the challenging business environment may leave them little choice but to raise prices if they want to protect profits, analysts and some health economists say

2/19

The agency in charge of Medicare is due to announce preliminary rates today for insurers offering so-called Medicare Advantage plans in 2011

2/18

Congress passed a bill in December that delayed the 21.2 percent payment cut called for by the sustainable growth rate, or SGR, formula until March 1

2/18

An HHS advisory group recommended the government abandon “all or nothing” approach to financial incentives for getting EHR systems up and running

2/18

The use of high-tech diagnostic imaging in emergency rooms has quadrupled since the mid-1990s, according to a new government report released Wednesday.

2/18

State governments have promises to deliver $1 trillion more in retirement benefits than they had in their pension investment funds

2/18

Manufacturers of pacemakers, drug pumps and other implants could be latest industry due for overhaul, as FDA takes a reviews how devices are approved.

2/18

The FDA may tighten or eliminate several pathways for getting a medical device approved quickly amid concerns they have been overused by industry

2/18

Democrats and their media allies have found a new insurance piñata: WellPoint and its recent health-premium price increases in California.

2/18

An analysis written in The NEJM suggests that much of the Dartmouth Atlas is flawed and that it should not be used to compare the relative efficiency of hospitals

2/18

U.S. House Democrats said their party may not be able to offer a single health-care proposal at the Feb. 25 meeting

2/18

Many people whose doctors start them on medications for conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure may never fill those prescriptions, a new study suggests.

2/17

Democratic leaders said extensions of unemployment insurance and COBRA healthcare benefits should be emergency spending that isn’t subject to the pay-as-you-go statute

2/17

Walgreen Co. agreed to buy Duane Reade from private-equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners for $1.08 billion, including assumed debt, making the largest U.S. drugstore chain

2/17

Consult A Doctor 24/7, a leading provider of consumer driven telemedicine solutions that drive down healthcare costs, announced that it closed a $5 million Series A round financing

2/17

Going Against the Tide of Rising Health Care Costs, Surescripts Announces Significant Price Reduction for E-Prescribing

2/17

The overall rate of chronic childhood health conditions including obesity, asthma and behavioral or learning problems increased to 26.6 percent from 12.8 percent during the same years.

2/17

Lipitor and Crestor and rival drugs to lower cholesterol also boost diabetes rates by about 9 percent, according to a study that quantified a complication recently discovered

2/17

Gene tests that combined over 100 genetic mutations proved ineffective at predicting a woman’s risk of a heart attack or stroke

2/17

Some insurers cover genetic testing to see if parents carry a gene, and prenatal testing to see if a baby has a disease or a condition. The risks varies by racial and ethnic groups

2/17

Moses Taylor Hospital laid off 61 full-time employees – with the cuts at Moses Taylor, all three of Scranton’s hospitals have now had layoffs in the past 12 months.

2/17

A Zogby International poll shows that 57 percent of Americans do not like either of the competing health care bills and say Congress should start over

2/17

The White House says the health bills passed with Democratic support will be the basis for talks. Republicans should just say no to a summit based on these bills

2/16

The number of gateways used in telehealth applications will increase to more than 1 million in 2014 and to about 3.6 million in 2018, according to a new report from InMedica

2/16

The uncertainty afflicting the venture industry was on display Saturday at the annual Venture Capital & Private Equity Conference, although there were signs of hope

2/16

Nearly half the people who need potentially lifesaving checks for the nation’s No. 2 cancer killer — colorectal cancer — miss them, despite years of public efforts

2/16

Although the procedure is still considered experimental for children, gastric bypass is fast becoming the next front in the battle against pediatric obesity

2/16

Confusion reigned late last year after the United States Preventive Services Task Force changed its recommendations on mammography

2/16

An agreement to tax high-cost, employer-sponsored health insurance plans, announced with fanfare by the White House and labor unions last month, is losing support

2/15

The GSMA announced several important updates to its Embedded Mobile initiative, a program to accelerate the global adoption of wireless connectivity in a wide range of devices including healthcare

2/15

The proliferation of new medical schools in response to convergence of forces: a growing population; the aging of baby-boom generation; the impending retirement of current doctors

2/15

If you’re uninsured and seeking stop-gap care until you find coverage, you can triage your way to better health by understanding the trade-offs of several care options

2/15

Under intense pressure from Washington and Sacramento, California’s largest for-profit health insurer delayed a double-digit rate increase by two months on Saturday

2/15

Health workers can put their hands into a small box that bathes them with plasma — engineered to zap germs, including the drug-resistant supergerm MRSA.

2/15

One large national study, which compared outcomes among Medicare patients, indicated that surgery with a robot might lead to fewer in-hospital complications

2/12

FCC’s Dr. Mohit Kaushal, health care director for the National Broadband Taskforce outlines key issues that give the FCC pause when it comes to strengthening their investment in health IT

2/12

Maximus announced it has acquired Canadian-based DeltaWare Systems, Inc., a developer of health administration management systems for the government health care market

2/12

RadPharm Inc., a leading Imaging Core Laboratory, and Medifacts International, Inc., a leading Cardiovascular Core Laboratory, have announced the merger of their business operations.

2/12

What is in and what is out:  Highlights of pared-back jobs legislation unveiled on Thursday

2/12

People with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease and 37 other medical conditions should get federal disability checks more quickly under expansion of Social Security fast-track system

2/12

Makers of MRI machines and CAT scanners are now rolling out handheld ultrasound machines slightly larger than iPhones, hoping they’ll become as commonly used as stethoscopes

2/12

Stents have transformed treatment for coronary arteries – but their arrival has also sparked a controversy over whether cardiologists use them too soon or too often

2/12

A jury acquitted a nurse charged with a felony after alerting the state medical board that a doctor at her hospital was practicing unsafe medicine

2/12

Mr. Tauzin, president of the pharmaceutical industry’s trade group, resigned in the latest unexpected fallout of the Republican upset in the Massachusetts Senate race

2/12

Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, declared the explanation inadequate, especially in light of the profits made by Anthem’s parent company, WellPoint Inc.

2/12

The Obama administration today will announce $975 million in government grants to expand the use of technology in the health-care industry

2/11

QSI, a leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Opus Healthcare Solutions, Inc

2/11

Quality Systems (QSI) — parent company of NextGen Healthcare Information Systems — is acquiring Opus Healthcare Solutions

2/11

An examination of one of the best-known examples of a comparative-effectiveness analysis shows how complicated such a seemingly straightforward idea can get.

2/11

The president should consider how the health-care bills his party has on the table right now will drive up the legal costs that are draining the health-care system we currently have

2/11

Five of the state’s largest private insurers plan to offer doctors and hospitals the ability to use a single Web portal to check a patient’s coverage and track claims

2/11

The largest U.S. doctors’ group criticized a Senate plan for avoiding a proposed 21 percent cut in government payments to physicians who treat the elderly, calling the proposal a “Band-Aid” measure.

2/11

Obese children are more likely to die before reaching age 55 than those who are a healthier weight, researchers said.

2/11

Blackstone Group Travelport Ltd. postponed its initial public offering, while Graham Packaging Co. cut its deal as a slumping market for IPOs ensnared the world’s largest private-equity firm

2/10

Cisco announced it is partnering with Molina Healthcare, two community health centers in San Diego and the state of California to create 15 telehealth sites across the state

2/10

As the Food and Drug Administration reviews the way it approves medical devices, companies are girding for changes that could make it tougher and more expensive to roll out new products.

2/10

MDS, a leading provider of products and services to the global life sciences markets, today announced that it has signed agreements to divest its remaining MDS Pharma Services

2/10

Merck & Co. must appoint two new independent committees and a chief medical officer to monitor the safety of its medicines and drugs in development, under a proposed settlement

2/10

Obese teens who underwent weight-loss surgery shed significantly more pounds than those who tried just dieting and exercise in a new study

2/10

Mental-health experts wrestle with how to fit temper tantrums, hoarding and even Internet addiction into the current understanding of mental illness

2/10

Research found that lower intelligence scores were associated with higher rates of heart disease and death, and were more important indicators than any other risk factors except smoking

2/10

LTC hospital report offers detailed descriptions of what inspectors have found to be a problem, ranging from minor violations, like poor record-keeping, to much more serious issues

2/10

The federal FDA said Tuesday that it would take steps to more stringently regulate three of the most potent forms of medical radiation

2/10

While London-based Barclays Plc estimates U.S. IPOs will triple this year from 2009, at least six have been postponed or delayed.

2/9

CIGNA expanding onsite capabilities through acquisition of Kronos Optimal, specializing in lifestyle management programs, coaching, biometric screenings and health education

2/9

Texas Instruments Incorporated and S3 Group announced the availability of the first Continua Certified™ USB-enabled platform for building agent health care devices

2/9

At the University of Miami’s 240-bed tent hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, volunteer should soon be able to consult via satellite with specialists in Miami and other medical centers

2/9

A bipartisan group of congressional members outlined a number of allegations against CVS Caremark – the group urged the FTC to investigate the company

2/9

Now, AstraZeneca’s statin Crestor has crossed a new threshold: It’s the cholesterol drug for people who don’t have high cholesterol.

2/9

UnitedHealthcare is sending doctors individualized reports assessing their treatment of cancer patients – its goal is to alert doctors how treatments might vary from medical protocol

2/9

HHS Secretary demanded specifics in a sternly-worded letter Monday, saying the insurer has ”a responsibility to provide a detailed justification for these rate increases.”

2/9

Patients can and often do leave doctors they don’t see eye to eye with, find inconvenient or can’t afford. But doctors must follow strict ethical rules when they want to dismiss a patient.

2/9

Spending by private insurers tends to be higher when the hospital market is less competitive, a new study finds.

2/9

One way to avoid the emergency room: Don’t go near a hospital. At least that has been the approach of some investors with Congress looking unlikely to pass a health-care bill

2/9

If the health care legislation cannot be revived the nation’s hospitals incur billions each year in medical bills that go unpaid by patients with little or no insurance

2/9

Leading House Republicans raised the prospect Monday night that they may decline to participate in President Obama’s proposed health-care summit

2/9

Republicans take President up on his invitation to hash out their differences over health care – on display Feb. 25, when lawmakers from both parties go to Blair House

2/8

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released detailed information on appropriations for the agency in the Obama Administration’s 2011 budget

2/8

PatientSafe Solutions secured a $30 million financing round led by TPG Biotech, with Camden Partners Holdings, LLC and Psilos Group Managers, LLC; Valhalla Capital, Menlo Ventures, Integral Capital Partners, American River Ventures and Shea Ventures LLC also participated in the round.

2/8

Medicare’s move in 2005 to pay doctors to do bladder cancer surgery in their offices rather than in hospitals dramatically raised the number of procedures and overall health costs

2/8

President Obama’s $3.8 trillion fiscal 2011 budget request still would protect physicians from Medicare pay cuts

2/8

Capitation, largely abandoned in favor of fee-for-service payments to physicians and hospitals, could be making a comeback in Pennsylvania

2/8

Bravo Health had revenue of more than $1 billion – but does not have immediate plans to go public due to the ongoing discussion in Washington over health care reform

2/8

Nurse indicted and threatened with 10 years in prison for informing state regulators that a doctor at her rural hospital was practicing bad medicine

2/8

Insurers, drugmakers and hospitals will likely slash costs and merge companies to maneuver through a U.S. health-care landscape

2/8

President Obama, who insisted he would succeed where other presidents had failed to fix the nation’s health care system, concedes the effort may die in Congress

2/8

The President invited Republican and Democratic lawmakers to a meeting to discuss ways to get an overhaul of health-care system through Congress

2/8

California’s largest for-profit health insurer is moving to dramatically raise rates for customers with individual policies

2/5

Local health care management and consulting firm Southwind Health Partners has been acquired by the Advisory Board Company.

2/5

Republicans are touting their own remedies, including allowing Americans to buy health coverage across state lines

2/5

Just because Congress hasn’t passed a health overhaul bill doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any expansion of health coverage.

2/5

Inverness Medical Innovations has agreed to pay $110 million in cash to buy a unit of Kroll Inc., a subsidiary of Marsh and McLennan Cos. Inc.

2/5

The global IPO market is struggling on unsure footing, with deals pricing poorly or getting canceled outright across several continents.

2/5

Text4Baby aims to address the U.S. infant mortality public health crisis: More than 500,000 babies are born prematurely every year

2/5

Nowhere will the effects of the out-of-control spending be greater than at federal regulatory agencies that act as a gatekeeper, or brake, on innovative products and technologies

2/5

Changes to Medicare, the federal health plan for the elderly, may be damaging important aspects of cancer care

2/5

Sen. Landrieu tried to quell critics who accused her of making a backroom deal to secure $300 million in Medicaid funding for Louisiana in the Senate’s health care reform bill

2/5

With the health care overhaul on a back burner, drug makers are getting a sinking sense of how a piecemeal public policy future might look for them

2/5

Illinois Supreme Court struck down law that caps medical malpractice noneconomic damages awards at $1 million for hospitals and $500,000 for physicians

2/4

Spheris Inc, a provider of document services for hospitals, filed for bankruptcy – to sell its U.S. business to MedQuist Inc for $75.25 million, according to court documents.

2/4

Some leading hospitals are reporting failure rates for Medtronic Inc.’s fracture-prone defibrillator wires that are significantly higher than what the company has publicly disclosed

2/4

Kathleen Sebelius told Congress on Wednesday that she could not guarantee greater openness in negotiations over legislation to remake the nation’s health care system

2/4

WSJ:   Federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the United States by 2012

2/4

Washington Post:  Federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the United States by 2012

2/4

NYT:  Federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the United States by 2012

2/4

Bloomberg:  Federal and state programs will pay slightly more than half the tab for health care purchased in the United States by 2012

2/3

International Business Machines Corp announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Initiate Systems

2/3

Univita Health, a new company aimed at promoting and supporting a home-centered approach to independent aging, announced the acquisition of ENURGI, connecting families and patients with clinical caregivers

2/3

Electronic health records, when paired with genetic information, may pave the way for a health care revolution

2/3

Glam Media, Inc, the number one in global reach for women online, announced today the raising of approximately $50 million in a private equity mezzanine funding

2/3

CareView Communications, Inc.  announced today that it executed a $5 million Lease Line of Credit provided by Fountain Partners

2/3

HealthTrans recapitalized and raised equity capital to fund organic growth and future acquisitions in the health care management solutions industry.

2/3

Navigenics, a leading personal genomics company, announced today that the company has raised approximately $18 million of funding (investors included Procter & Gamble)

2/3

NHS strategy for overhauling healthcare includes plans to move care out of hospitals, open 100 polyclinics, and make greater use of email and telephone consultations

2/3

Medcare payments to doctors were supposed to fall by 21% at the start of this year, but Congress passed a last-minute, two-month patch to block the cuts

2/3

Rangel’s remarks could be the first concrete sign that Democrats will try enacting major health legislation in the wake of the Republican upset in a Massachusetts

2/3

White House and congressional leadership aides were to meet today to try to find a way to advance the stalled legislation

2/3

House Democrats plan to revive a sliver of the legislation as soon as next week that would repeal an antitrust exemption for insurance companies

2/2

Wireless remote monitoring for patients with heart conditions is fast becoming a crowded space for wireless health companies

2/2

Medco Health Solutions Inc acquired privately held genetic testing services company DNA Direct in a move that will expand Medco’s involvement in personalized medicine

2/2

Employers are in love with their wellness programs, spending nearly 2% of their health claim dollars on the programs but fail to measure their return on investment

2/2

Despite the disparities among nations, all clearly face common challenges in expanding access to health and health care among disenfranchised  peoples everywhere

2/2

Companies’ efforts to reduce health-care costs by nudging employees into wellness programs are clashing with a federal law designed to prevent discrimination based on genetics

2/2

For the 18 million people with obstructive sleep apnea, the remedy is far from perfect: bulky and expensive masks that some compare to sleeping in scuba gear

2/2

More than four fifths of managers working in private equity expect a wave of closures or mergers within the industry because the poor fundraising environment

2/2

Virginia’s Democratic-controlled state Senate passed measures Monday that would make it illegal to require individuals to purchase health insurance

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/01/AR2010020103674_pf.html
2/2

The $915 billion health spending plan for 2011 would hire more fraud detectives to root out waste and outright thievery in Medicare and Medicaid

2/2

The Obama administration still foresees a major health-care overhaul in its 2011 budget, estimating that the cost of the legislation will reach $743 billion over 10 years.

2/2

President Barack Obama’s federal budget proposal assumes that the embattled health bill will pass – but contains some back-up plans if it doesn’t

2/2

The budget request for the DHHS was $81.3 billion, up from $79.6 billion a year ago. And the NIH saw its budget request rise by $1 billion, to $32 billion

2/2

When Medicare plans raise co-payments for outpatient care, older people cut back on doctors’ visits, then wind up needing more expensive hospital care

2/2

New risk calculators from the American College of Surgeons aim to help evaluate individual patients’ risks of complications and death from surgical procedures

2/2

Risk calculators, used by heart surgeons for several years, are now being developed for other surgical specialties

2/2

The nation’s largest publicly traded hospital chains are stalking medical centers that have been hurt by the cost of charity care and unpaid bills in a recession

2/1

Revolution Health sent e-mails alerting users that it would discontinue its personal health record service at the end of February

2/1

Companies’ efforts to reduce health-care costs by nudging employees into wellness programs are clashing with a federal law designed to prevent discrimination based on genetics.

2/1

University of Florida engineers have designed versions of the sensor for applications ranging from monitoring diabetics’ glucose levels to detecting possible indicators of breast cancer

2/1

The nation’s largest hospital operator, will pay its private-equity owners a $1.75 billion dividend, believed to be among the biggest ever, after reporting stellar 2009 financial results

2/1

Welch Allyn will showcase its newest suite of core diagnostics product offerings that feature next-generation electronic connectivity technology

2/1

Mr. Obama, responding to growing public concern over deficit spending, will propose as part of his fiscal 2011 budget to freeze basic government spending, outside of national security programs

2/1

Conservative lawmakers in about half the states are forging ahead with constitutional amendments to ban government health insurance mandates

2/1

Democrats and Republicans agreed on Sunday that President Barack Obama’s health overhaul wasn’t dead. They disagreed over whether that was a good thing.

2/1

Some states were so confident Congress would pass a health bill that they included the extra Medicaid funds in their state budgets

Vita Advisors, LLC is a research-based strategic advisory firm serving the health care industry.

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