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December 3, 2008 America's Health Insurance Plans   Industry News    Business, industry look for common ground on health reform Business and industry groups are working to find common ground on ideas to improve the U.S. health care system. AHIP, which began working on reform strategies two years ago, is launching a Web site featuring man-on-the-street interviews with people talking about the lack of affordable health care in the U.S. The Boston Globe (free registration) (12/3) Obesity, chronic disease threaten U.S. health gains The 2008 America's Health Rankings show the nation's health improved by 18% from 1990 to 2000 but progress has stalled over the past four years. Health experts worry that obesity, tobacco addiction and an increase in chronic disease could threaten U.S. health gains. The new rankings, based on 22 health care measures, show Vermont as the healthiest state and Louisiana as the least healthy state. USA TODAY (12/3)   How will Obama's health reform impact your business? Join a free webinar for C-level executives from Payer (12/8), Provider (12/9) or Employer (12/16) organizations to learn more about how President-elect Obama's Health Reforms may affect your business. Brought to you by Ingenix Consulting, in partnership with The Lewin Group. Click here to register.     Providers & Suppliers    IOM gives recommendations on young doctors' workload The Institute of Medicine is recommending that medical residents who work the maximum 30-hour shift get a five-hour break for sleep after 16 hours. Regulations passed five years ago capped workweeks at about 80 hours, but the government asked the IOM to study the issue. It found violations of current limits are common and burnout remains a big problem. Google/The Associated Press (12/2) Shared appointments benefit physicians, patients Physicians and medical groups are using shared medical appointments as a way to ease workloads, see more patients and reduce dissatisfaction over rushed office visits. Patients say it is valuable to hear questions from others in the group who have similar medical conditions. A survey by Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates found 77% of patients who participated in a shared visit would do so again. The Boston Globe (free registration) (11/30) Farmworker children less likely to have insurance New research shows 32% of U.S. farmworkers reported their children were uninsured, including 45% of migrant worker parents. The researchers said Mexican-American migrant children who travel with their parents are up to three times more likely to be in poor health than their nonmigrant counterparts. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (12/2) To help improve self-care costs, go by the book. Read the Healthwise paper. Healthwise print solutions, including self-care guides and mailers, can help health plans reduce unnecessary health care costs. When it comes to building self-care skills, print is still a great choice. Download the complimentary Healthwise viewpoint paper.   Medical Update    Study: Generic heart drugs work as well as brand names U.S. experts who reviewed 47 studies involving blood thinners, cholesterol medicines, and drugs for erratic heartbeat and blood pressure reported that generic forms of these treatments are as effective as brand-name counterparts. They also analyzed 43 opinion articles from newspapers and medical journals and found that 23 discouraged physicians from switching to generics. The findings should quell concerns about whether inexpensive copies can be used safely, researchers said. Bloomberg (12/2) Research finds increase in lifetime cancer risk from CT scans A U.S. study found that the lifetime risk of cancer slightly increased in as many as 7% of patients who have been routinely exposed to radiation from CT scans. The study is part of an effort to develop tools that would help doctors evaluate the overall cancer risk of patients based on their history of CT scans. Yahoo!/Reuters (12/2) Study: CT colonography can be used to detect osteoporosis U.S. researchers reported that CT colonography can be used to detect not only colon cancer but also osteoporosis. Using computer software, the researchers were able to convert images from an abdominal CT scan into 3-D images of the spine to determine whether a patient has low bone mineral density. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (12/2) One Pharmacy. One Relationship. One Solution. Now more than ever, payors need to work with a specialty pharmacy provider that can implement service, quality and cost-saving strategies to effectively tackle today's complex market. To learn more on how Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy can proactively partner with you to meet your specialty pharmacy needs, request your copy of One Pharmacy. One Solution. One Relationship.   Emerging Trends    Availability, finances biggest U.S. health care concerns A new Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults found 55% believe access and financial challenges of the health care system are the most urgent health problems in the U.S. A similar survey 20 years ago found 68% of people said AIDS was the nation's biggest health care challenge and only 1% cited cost. In this year's survey, 2% of people cited diabetes, AIDS and heart disease, while 11% said cancer and 12% obesity. The Washington Times (12/2)   Is your data secure? The vast majority of data leaks are accidental — a thumb drive left on a desk after work, or patient information uploaded to an unsecure computer or work station. Using a data loss prevention (DLP) application can help ensure that your data stays secure throughout its lifetime. To learn about data loss prevention technologies and individual DLP product strengths and weaknesses, download this free Gartner Report.     Company News from PR Newswire    UniCare Health Plan Offers Training to Medical Community To Help Combat Obesity in Kansas SunTrust Treasury & Payment Solutions: Healthcare Providers Now Able to Perform Real-Time Patient Eligibility Verification   Other Company News from AHIP Solutions  American Community Introduces Community Flex(TM) Health Plan for Individuals and Families in 11 States Health Net Federal Services Is Awarded URAC Health Utilization Management and Case Management Reaccreditation United Health Foundation: U.S. Health Stagnates for Fourth Year in a Row as Revealed in 2008 America's Health Rankings American Specialty Health: Inter Valley Health Plan Selects Silver&Fit Senior Fitness Program for More Than 14,000 Members in California OptumHealth Treatment Decision Support Named Finalist in URAC Awards DestinationRx Part D Drug Comparison Tool Now Available on UCompareHealthCare.com Interrater Reliability Tool Strengthened for Milliman Care Guidelines® Users WellMed Selects ikaSystems' Full Medicare Process Automation and Intelligence Management Suite CIGNA's Jodi Prohofsky Among Business Insurance's "Women to Watch"   Pharma News  Solvay enzyme drug gets positive review from FDA panel FDA advisers said Solvay Pharmaceuticals does not need to conduct additional tests to screen for three viruses that may be in pig pancreas glands, which are used to manufacture Creon, a treatment for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. They said there is no concrete evidence that the drug puts patients at risk for the viruses. The panel also said Creon seems effective and safe in the short term. Forbes/Reuters (12/2), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (12/2) XenoPort unveils disappointing data for acid reflux drug XenoPort reported midstage trial results showing that XP19986, a treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease, did not demonstrate a significant difference versus placebo in decreasing heartburn. The company said it intends to conduct further studies after finding that the drug worked in patients who benefited at least partially from proton pump inhibitors. Reuters (12/2), Bloomberg (12/2) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Is your eHealth strategy all it should be? A great eHealth strategy includes a solution for fast, consistent patient administrative data exchange. That solution is the CAQH CORE operating rules; developed and supported by more than 100 industry stakeholders, the rules are improving health plan-provider interoperability. Visit www.coreconnect.org. Managing Under MIPPA – Free Brief Medicare marketing is harder with MIPPA's list of "don'ts." Learn how to make MIPPA work FOR you instead of against you. Download our free brief "8 Tips for Coping with MIPPA." KnowledgeBase Marketing provides marketing solutions to six of the top seven healthcare companies. www.knowledgebasemarketing.com 866 - ASK4KBM Behind every successful Medicare Advantage organization are smart leaders who know the value of business process outsourcing. At Veridign Health Solutions, we know all about the internal and external pressures you're under — we've been there ourselves. Experience matters. Put ours to work for you. Call 800-475-8135 or visit www.veridignhealth.com. Interested in learning more about advertising in the AHIP Solutions SmartBrief? Contact Matt Kavney at (202) 737-5500 x244 or mkavney@smartbrief.com.     AHIP News  Register for AHIP's 2009 National Policy Forum Are you responsible for tracking and interpreting major health care policy decisions being made in Washington, D.C.? Register today for AHIP's 2009 National Policy Forum, March 10 and 11, Washington, D.C. Make the smart move and join other health care leaders to stay abreast of legislative and budgetary decisions and proposals impacting Medicare, Medicaid, SCHP and the overall health care landscape. Register today. Looking for reliable, current health insurance market data? Mark Farrah Associates' Health Coverage Portal provides analyses of health insurance plan performance, financials and membership using recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and the California Department of Managed Health Care. Visit the AHIP Store for more information and to subscribe today. Winter semester is prime time for career development Whether you're just entering the industry, brushing up your skills, or building your team's expertise, the AHIP Center for Insurance Education and Professional Development is here to help you meet your career development goals. Now with more content online and expanded course offerings, the Center will help you to continue to learn, achieve and succeed. Winter enrollment is now open. Get started today. Learn more about AHIP -> About AHIP  |  Join AHIP  |  Conferences  |  AHIP Solutions  |  Career Source   SmartQuote  Man becomes man only by his intelligence, but he is man only by his heart." --Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss philosopher     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Account Director:  Matt Kavney 202-737-5500 x244 Download Media Kit   AHIP Solutions Team Managing Editor, Online Publishing: Doug Schulz       Recent AHIP Solutions SmartBrief Issues: Tuesday, December 02, 2008 Monday, December 01, 2008 Wednesday, November 26, 2008 Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Monday, November 24, 2008     Lead Editor:  Kathryn Doherty       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20005     © 1999-2011 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information Product announcements appearing in SmartBrief are paid advertisements and do not reflect actual AHIP endorsements. 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