Industry News

• Obama team applies lessons learned in health reform
  The incoming Obama administration hopes that by giving Americans a say in the process for reforming the health care system and pushing forward with a clear-cut plan they can avoid mistakes made during the last major push for health care reform. HHS Secretary nominee Tom Daschle says the health reform movement must be inclusive, fast-acting and focused. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (12/6)

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Providers & Suppliers

• State budget cuts could add to nurse shortage
  Tennessee budget cuts could exacerbate the existing nurse shortage problem in the state by forcing universities to further reduce the number of nursing students they accept. The money crunch also has meant delays in construction of new buildings to accommodate more students. The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) (free registration) (12/7)

• Some U.S. physicians attracted to practice in Canada
  Some U.S. physicians are heading north to Canada to practice medicine, lured by the potential for higher earnings and better working conditions, including more patients and less paperwork. Recruiters say 36 of the last 100 physicians recruited to practice in the Windsor, Ontario, area are from the U.S., as are half of doctors now considering establishing a practice there. National Post (Canada)/Canwest News Service (12/6)

• Q-and-A: Costs drive business health plan decisions
  Companies looking to select health plans are concerned with pricing and employee out-of-pocket costs as well as their own compliance with government regulations, says Joe DiPietro of Alliant Insurance Services in Bethesda, Md. He says consumer-driven health plans, such as HSAs, are a hot topic right now as many companies consider offering these plans to help reduce costs. American City Business Journals/Washington (12/5)

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Medical Update

• Experts support wider access to stimulant drugs
  Healthy people should have access to brain-boosting pills, such as Ritalin, experts write in an online commentary for the journal Nature. They say that college students already take such stimulants illegally to help them study and that the demand for the drugs is likely to grow. The researchers called for more research into the use, risks and benefits of such drugs, as well as policies to govern their use. Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press (12/7)

• Study: Early CF detection may help preserve lung function
  Early detection of cystic fibrosis in infants may help control progression of the disease, according to an Australian study. Researchers found infants with CF had declining lung function sooner than previously thought, despite a normal diagnosis of lung function after birth. Researchers said early intervention may stop some of the lung function reduction in early infancy. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (12/5)

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Emerging Trends

• Americans not good at recognizing portion sizes
  A study found that people given packaged meals were more successful at losing weight than were participants who chose their own portion sizes. "If people could cut down on their portion sizes, this would be the single greatest way to combat the creeping obesity epidemic," an expert said. HealthDay News (12/7)

Other Company News from AHIP Solutions

• Centene Corporation Receives Patriot Award from Department of Defense

• CIGNA Expert Urges Action to Avert National Health and Productivity Crisis

• Health Net Receives J.D. Power and Associates Call Center Recertification

• HealthDay TV Launches: Daily health video will cover major topics in the news

• Perot: Looking Forward - Perspectives on Healthcare and Information Technology

• TriZetto White Paper Offers Payers In-Depth Report on Application Hosting, Models, Benefits and Options

• TCS Healthcare Technologies Celebrates 25th Year of Operations

• National Physician Group MDVIP Partners with Navigenics to Provide Personal Genetic Tests for Preventive Medicine Practice

• Aetna: Dr. Edmund Pezalla Named President Of The Pharmacy And Therapeutics Society

• Coventry Health Care Appoints Allen Wise as Executive Chairman

Hot Topics

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

• Analysis: Daschle to launch health care overhaul (The Washington Post)

• Health care experts agree on paying for results (The Washington Post)

• AHIP proposal calls for reducing costs by $500 billion (The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model))

• Increased demand expected for health care management jobs (Bloomberg Businessweek)

• Obesity, chronic disease threaten U.S. health gains (USA TODAY)

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

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Pharma News

• FDA review: Long-acting asthma drugs pose serious risks
  The FDA should revoke clearance for asthma drugs known as long-acting beta agonists for children in light of clinical evidence linking them to a higher risk of asthma attacks and death, according to a review from the agency's drug-safety personnel. The FDA plans to gather a panel of outside experts this week to evaluate the safety of AstraZeneca's Symbicort, Novartis AG's Foradil and GlaxoSmithKline's Advair and Serevent. NYTimes.com (12/5), Reuters (12/5)

• Studies: Rituxan plus chemotherapy works for leukemia
  Two studies found that a combination of chemotherapy and Rituxan, a cancer drug from Genentech and Roche Holding, was better than chemotherapy alone in lowering the risk of death or disease progression in people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Genentech will seek FDA approval "as soon as possible" to market the medicine to newly diagnosed CLL patients and those whose symptoms have returned, a company executive said. Yahoo!/Reuters (12/6), Bloomberg (12/7)

AHIP News

• Showcase your company's most impactful community programs
  Do you have a program that addresses a specific challenge in your community with creative approaches, community partnerships and collaborative solutions? If so, nominate your organization's programs for the AHIP Foundation 2009 Community Leadership Awards. To reflect the diversity of AHIP's membership, an award is given in two categories: "Small/Independent" and "Large/Affiliated." Get application details.

• Meet the decision-makers in health care policy
  AHIP's 2009 National Policy Forum is where health care experts go to stay on top of the latest policy developments and discuss what these changes mean for the health care industry. Secure one of the coveted sponsorship spots at this conference to ensure your company's products, services and solutions are showcased to this highly target group. To learn more, contact AHIP's Business Advancement Team.

• TPA Direct -- Growing profitable returns
  TPA Direct provides health insurance plans, payors, and administrators interested in outsourcing, a direct path to our TPA members. Antares Management Solutions combines insurance and technology expertise to create specialized solutions for self-funded clients.

SmartQuote

What great changes have not been ambitious?" --Melinda Gates, co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation