Industry News

• Hospitals paying more attention to patient's pain
  Hospitals are paying more attention to pain control, which can help patients recover faster, lower the risk of complications and reduce costs. Most hospitals use a standard pain scale, but experts say pain can be difficult to treat because it is subjective and varies widely between patients. National Public Radio (text and audio) (11/16)

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Providers & Suppliers

• Experts call for more geriatrics training for physicians
  The American Geriatrics Society wants medical schools to require all students to show competence in treating the elderly and to include hands-on geriatric care as a rotation in training. The additional training is needed due to the scarcity of geriatricians combined with the aging baby boom generation and the differences in mental and physical function among the elderly, the group said. The Boston Globe (11/16)

• Wash. state gets first palliative care fellowship program
  The University of Washington School of Medicine and Providence Hospice of Seattle have partnered to offer the only palliative fellowship program for physicians in the state. Trainees in palliative medicine, designated a subspecialty in 2006, must complete a residency in one of 11 specialties and work in hospitals, hospice settings and a long-term care facility. The Seattle Times (11/16)

• What area should receive the most attention from hospitals and providers in 2010?
  Read the AHIP Solutions SmartBrief Year-End Report, which will be published on Dec. 15, to find out how your peers are responding.

	Workforce shortages
	Overcrowding/wait times
	Patient safety/acquired conditions
	Decision-support tools

Medical Update

• Men have higher risk of sudden cardiac death than women
  A study found the lifetime risk of sudden cardiac death in men 40 and older was 12.3% compared with 4% in women of the same age group. Researchers said the data, which included some 5,000 U.S. adults, showed black men had twice the risk as white men, while black and white women had about the same risk. Yahoo!/HealthDay News (11/15)

• CDC stats show 3 major STDs still spreading in U.S.
  CDC researchers said U.S. rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea were stable at unacceptably high levels in 2008, and cases of syphilis are increasing after the STD almost was eliminated. Data showed that girls ages 15 to 19 had the most chlamydia and gonorrhea cases of any age group. Reuters (11/16)

Emerging Trends

• Study: EHRs have little impact on quality, cost of health care
  The use of electronic health records currently has very little impact on health care quality or costs, said Dr. Ashish K. Jha, lead author of new research comparing 3,000 hospitals at various levels of EHR adoption. The study found marginal differences among hospitals with advanced EHRs, those with basic computer records and those with no records in terms of hospital stays and treatment of conditions such as pneumonia and heart failure. The New York Times (11/15)

• Some patients use Internet to share medical information
  About 20% of people looking for health information online use the Internet to connect with other patients and medical experts, says Susannah Fox, with the Pew Internet and American Life Project. "They are posting their first-person accounts of treatments and side effects from medications. ... They are part of the conversation. And that, I think, is an indicator of where we could be going in terms of the future of participatory medicine," Fox said. National Public Radio (text and audio) (11/16)

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Other Company News from AHIP Solutions

• MEDecision and Deloitte to Conduct Care Management Session at AHIP Fall Forum

• Bravo Health Announces First Advanced Care Center

• Health Net Reminds Medicare Beneficiaries They Can Count on Health Affordability and Value with Company's 2010 Medicare Advantage Health Plans

• Molina Medicare Implements MedAssurant's SmartCare™ Disease Management Solution Suite

• John Hancock: LTC Awareness Month Finds Americans Still in Dark about Long-Term Care

ECRI Institute Issues Health Plan Watch List: 2010 Top 7 Technologies – Exclusive Insights in White Paper, Available for Free Download

• Health Dialog Congratulates Capital District Physicians' Health Plan, Inc.

• Continuance Health Solutions: Medicare Advantage and Part D plans prepare for additional CMS compliance reporting and external data validation requirements

• Long-standing San Francisco Healthcare Consulting Organization is Now Lumetra Healthcare Solutions

• Health Care Retail Clinics Continue Gradual Expansion Through 2012: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions Report

Hot Topics

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

• Research examines potential for savings with bundled payments (Reuters)

• Study: Dieting might be easier with alternate-day fasting (HealthDay News)

• AHIP Statement on House Passage of H.R. 3962 (HealthCare BizDev)

• U.S. News ranks health insurance plans (U.S. News & World Report)

• Survey: Quality often not top priority of hospital boards (Modern Healthcare)

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

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Pharma News

• Niacin drug beats Zetia in study of cholesterol treatments
  Merck & Co.'s Zetia failed to outperform Niaspan, a modified form of vitamin B, in reducing plaque buildup in arteries and boosting the level of HDL, or "good" cholesterol, in a study of 200 patients taking statins. Merck officials and critics of the study downplayed the findings, saying the trial examined only the amount of plaque on artery walls, a surrogate marker, and not the rate of heart attack or stroke. The Washington Post (11/16)

• Xanodyne's drug for menstrual bleeding gains FDA approval
  The FDA approved Xanodyne Pharmaceuticals' Lysteda as a treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding. The agency cautioned patients about using the product in combination with hormonal contraceptives because of a high risk of blood clots, stroke and heart attack. MSNBC/The Associated Press (11/13)

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Policy Watch

• HHS changes final medical records privacy breach rule
  A rule finalized by HHS was changed to allow health care organizations to self-assess the potential harm when a medical records privacy breach occurs and determine if the patient needs to be notified. The Breach Notification for Unsecured Protected Health Information rule, expected to be enforced beginning in February 2010, originally required notification of any type of privacy breach, regardless of whether it caused harm. American Medical News (subscription required) (11/16)

• CMS reports increase in Medicare quality incentive payments in 2008
  The CMS issued $92 million in incentive payments to 85,000 doctors and other qualified practitioners who demonstrated Medicare quality reporting under its 2008 Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, up from $36 million to 56,700 providers in 2007. "The substantial growth in the national total for PQRI incentive payments demonstrates that Medicare can align payment with quality incentives," said Charlene Frizerra, the agency's acting administrator. Government Health IT (11/13)

AHIP News

• AHIP PPO Direct -- Growing Business Opportunities
  PPO Direct brings PPO network members exposure to an audience of potential payors and administrators looking to expand their provider network. First Health, a member of PPO Direct, is a unique national managed care company serving the group health, workers' compensation and state public program markets. Learn more about First Health and their vast network covering all 50 states.

• 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.

• Keep up with the health insurance industry
  America's Health Insurance Plans has the educational resources you need to stay updated on the health insurance industry. AHIP has a broad range of programs and materials to fit the way you choose to learn, including conferences, webinars, virtual seminars, courses, and an online store. For more information and upcoming educational opportunities, visit www.ahip.org/conferences.

SmartQuote

Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm." --Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English poet, critic and philosopher