| November 4, 2009 | America's Health Insurance Plans |
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- Healthy cholesterol levels may ward off prostate cancer
U.S. research showed the risk of aggressive prostate cancer may be lower among men with healthy cholesterol levels. One study found that men whose cholesterol was below 200 had less than half the risk of developing high-grade tumors, and a second report found that those with lots of HDL or "good cholesterol" were less likely to get any form of prostate cancer than men with low HDL. ABC News/The Associated Press
(11/3)
     
 | MEDecision's President and Chief Operating Officer Scott Storrer and William Copeland Jr., National Managing Director of the Life Sciences & Health Care practice for Deloitte Consulting, will present Strategies to Strengthen Care Management at the AHIP Fall Forum on Tuesday, November 17 at 4:45 p.m. |
- Children's hospitals ignore gastroenteritis guidelines
U.S. children's hospitals often ignore evidence-based guidelines for treating patients with acute gastroenteritis, leading to more than $1 billion in unnecessary spending, according to a study in Pediatrics. CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines call for giving children fluids and discourage routine lab tests, but researchers said some physicians are giving patients medications and ordering unneeded diagnostics. Reuters
(11/2)
- Boston hospital, health plans agree to cost-cutting plan
Children's Hospital Boston and three major health plans have agreed to a deal to lower health care costs and improve care. Children's will limit increases in fees charged to the insurers and the health plans and the state's Medicaid program will contribute $10 million of the savings to pilot programs designed to help the hospital provide better care at lower costs. The Boston Globe
(11/4)
 | Want to reduce hospitalizations and re-admissions?
Healthways' proprietary Senior Care Management solution reduces risks, lowers costs and can guarantee ROI within your Medicare or retiree population within the program's first year. Click here to learn more. |
- Kidney disease screens should go beyond creatinine tests
Primary care physicians should go beyond ordering creatinine blood tests to measure kidney function because the tests aren't always an accurate estimate of kidney function, U.S. researchers said. The study team suggested serum creatinine data should be used in a formula that figures the estimated kidney filtration rate. United Press International
(11/3)
- Premature births lead to high U.S. infant mortality rate
The U.S. has a higher infant mortality rate than many other industrialized nations because of a high rate of premature births, data showed. Infertility treatments, a higher rate of cesarean sections and the use of labor-inducing drugs to deliver babies early are among the reasons the U.S. premature birth rate is at 12.4%, compared with 6.3% in Sweden. The New York Times
(11/3)
- Mental health experts propose autism diagnosis overhaul
Experts revising psychiatry's diagnostic manual have proposed eliminating Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, folding them into a single, broader diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The New York Times reports that the change is part of an effort to modernize the mental illness model as a continuum, with many degrees of severity. The New York Times (free registration)
(11/2)
 | Interested in offering tax-advantaged health accounts and administrative services? It's easy with OptumHealth Financial Services. Enhance your current offerings or select our full product suite. Our services include banking, operations and sales support. To learn more, join our 30-minute Webinar on Thursday, 11/12 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Register now! |
- VHA cites 8 ways to improve ED services
The adoption of a patient-tracking system and other strategies helped 28 hospitals in Oklahoma and Arkansas improve the efficiency of their emergency departments, according to VHA, a national network of health care organizations. Training hospital staff to adopt triage standards and conduct patient assessments independent of triage are other strategies that VHA recommends to enhance ED throughput. Healthcare IT News
(11/3)
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- FDA clears PerkinElmer's genetic screening processor
The FDA has granted 510(k) clearance to PerkinElmer for its genetic screening processor designed to help public health laboratories screen newborns for genetic, hematologic or metabolic conditions. The GSP tool can enable laboratories to run multiple tests on very small blood samples. The Boston Globe
(11/3)
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
Health Insurance Chief Actuaries: Their Take on Analytics
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Interested in learning more about advertising in the AHIP Solutions SmartBrief? Contact Matt Kavney at (202) 737-5500 x244 or mkavney@smartbrief.com.
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| Policy Watch | | |
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- Reid hints health reform may not pass this year
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Tuesday that the Senate debate on the health reform bill may not begin until December, indicating that Congress may miss President Barack Obama's year-end deadline for passing the proposal. Reid's spokesman, however, said the lawmakers have "unprecedented momentum" to get health insurance reform done before the year ends. Yahoo!/The Associated Press
(11/3)
| AHIP News | | |
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Medicare Advantage/Part D Online Training
Make sure your team understands CMS' rules and requirements for Medicare marketing as of July 2009. Complete the Center's online training program, Marketing Medicare Advantage and Part D Prescription Drug Plans: Understanding Medicare Basics, Plan Options, and Marketing and Enrollment Requirements. Visit the Center's Web site for more information.
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Post jobs on AHIP Career Source
Whether you're looking for a medical director or a policy analyst, AHIP Career Source is your vehicle. Post positions in a variety of fields in the health care industry from mid-level to executive management. Create a posting with salary ranges and a detailed description that will appeal to select candidates or create a general posting that will attract many backgrounds.
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