Industry News

• More states reporting patient-safety data, but methods vary widely
  More than half of the 50 states have implemented patient-safety reporting systems that make adverse event data from health care facilities more readily available, which some experts believe is the first step toward a standardized, nationwide reporting system. However, the processes and methods by which states get information to patients vary significantly, and better agreement on how the data are used needs to be reached, others say. Modern Healthcare (free registration) (12/10)

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Providers & Suppliers

• Mass. hospital offers aid to low-income students
  A three-year-old program from BayState Health helps public schools provide courses and training to prepare students for careers in medicine. "We are getting students hired and we are finding pathways for them," the director of the Springfield-BayState Educational Partnership said. "They are also developing great professional and peer networks." The Boston Globe (free registration) (12/7)

• Wash. program boosts handwashing in hospitals
  Children's Hospital in Seattle is one of nearly half the hospitals statewide that has put in place a formal hand-hygiene initiative to boost handwashing compliance among patients and medical staff. A Washington Hospital Association spokeswoman says the program has helped boost compliance an average of 35% over the past two years. SeattlePI.com (12/7)

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Medical Update

• Broccoli, cabbage and dark berries may reduce cancer risk
  New studies show that eating raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cabbage just a few times a month can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by up to 73%, and consuming dark-colored berries daily may lower the chances that people with Barrett's esophagus will develop esophageal cancer. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (12/9)

• Weight gain linked to higher breast cancer mortality
  The risk of breast cancer mortality goes up 14% for every 11 pounds a woman gains after diagnosis, according to a new study from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation. The findings also showed that breast cancer patients with a BMI classified as obese were more than twice as likely to die than those of normal weight. USA TODAY (12/7)

• Study: Blood test detects protein markers linked to lung cancer
  Researchers were able to distinguish lung cancer patients from those without the disease with more than 80% accuracy using a blood test that detects four proteins that previously have been linked to the cancer. The finding suggests that the blood test may be a follow-up procedure for patients who have had lung lesions diagnosed by imaging methods, researchers said. Forbes/HealthDay News (12/7)

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Emerging Trends

• More patients keep at-home health records
  Companies are giving members more access to online records, helping patients compile personal files to share with their doctors. The records can help patients manage their health, avoid unnecessary tests and identify false information. Los Angeles Times (12/10)

• SureScripts aims high as lawmakers tout e-prescribing
  Virginia-based SureScripts is hoping to become a leader in the electronic prescribing industry as lawmakers work with the HHS to transition pharmacies into going electronic. A Senate bill would impose a penalty on doctors who don't use e-prescribing by 2011. SureScripts expects to handle 35 million prescriptions this year and 100 million in 2008. The Washington Post (12/10)

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Company News from PR Newswire

• Adaptis Names New Vice President of Business Services

• Patrick E. Lupinetti to Join First DataBank as Vice President and Editorial Director, Government and Pricing Services

Other Company News from AHIP Solutions

• Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Kansas City Introduces New Program To Combat Medication Errors

• Combined: Offsetting the Effects of Current Health Care Trends with Supplemental Coverage

• Sedgwick CMS and UnitedHealth Group to Develop Integrated Disability, Employers

• Employers Refocus Strategies to Promote a "Culture of Health and Financial Security," According to MetLife Study

• American Specialty Health: Six Tips for Handing Holiday Stress and Maintaining a Healthy Outlook

• Delta Dental Joins Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

• IBD Insurance Announces Increasing Dental Benefits and Decreasing Premiums on NC Dental Plans

• HealthMarkets' Agency Marketing Group Wins Stevie(R) Award for Insurance Sales Organization of the Year

• Carelink Awarded Excellent NCQA Accreditation

• Idaho Awards Unisys Seven-Year Medicaid Contract

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AHIP Solutions SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• Study: Fitness, not weight, key to longevity (Reuters)

• Three medications cause a third of drug reactions in seniors (Yahoo!)

• Some employee health insurance contributions tied to wellness program participation (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model))

• Study: Fever can temporarily relieve autism in children (Reuters)

• AvMed announces senior leadership changes (HealthCare BizDev)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

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Pharma News

• FDA to decide on Mevacor's OTC status
  A panel of outside medical experts on Thursday is scheduled to discuss Merck & Co.'s third application to market cholesterol-lowering statin Mevacor without a prescription. The company is set to present before the FDA panel a new study that found stronger warnings on Mevacor helped consumers decide if the over-the-counter drug would benefit them. USA TODAY (12/9)

• New anti-clotting drugs in development
  Leading pharmaceutical firms are working to provide anti-clotting alternatives in a market dominated by a decades-old pill, warfarin. At least five next-generation blood thinners are in advanced testing, and successful products could be available by 2009. Despite questions about the effectiveness, safety and financial potential of the new treatments, experts claim the international market for these oral anticoagulants could exceed $10 billion in the next five years. The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (12/10)

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Policy Watch

• Congress debates limits on doctor-owned hospitals
  Limits on doctor-owned hospitals -- including a rule that would cap doctor ownership at 40%, with individual investment up to 2% -- are being considered as part of the bill that would decrease Medicare payments to doctors starting Jan. 1. Proponents of the limits say the facilities raise concerns about conflicts of interest and choosing patients based on profitability, but supporters of the hospitals say they provide high-quality care and offer consumers a choice. The Washington Post (12/9)

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AHIP News

• Travel once, attend two conferences
  Join AHIP on March 6 -- immediately following AHIP's National Policy Forum -- for the 2008 AHIP Law Conference: Strategies to Address Key Legal Issues for Health Insurance Plans. Experts in health law and government will join in-house and outside counsel to discuss topics such as electronic information exchange, employer wellness programs and antitrust issues. Visit the Web site for more information.

• Posting jobs is easy on AHIP Career Source
  Follow our simple steps. First, create an account. Then, save your job posting. Finally, purchase a subscription to post and activate your job in our searchable database. And that's it. After setting up your account, you can search our database of resumes to find your company's next employee. Visit AHIP Career Source today.

• Meeting the challenge of immunization to improve lives
  Nine health insurance plans have been recognized for having improved the most in childhood, adolescent and adult influenza immunization rates. To learn more about the 2007 winners, and how they accomplished this goal, please download the 2007 Immunization Recognition Program publication on the AHIP Web site today.

SmartQuote

Compassion is the basis of all morality." --Arnold Schopenhauer, German philosopher