Industry News

• Experts cite 5 ways to improve medication adherence
  A group of consumer and medical organizations has cited the adoption of health IT as one of the five strategies toward achieving better patient adherence to medications, which they say could improve health outcomes and save up to $300 billion in health care costs. Other recommendations include care coordination and a focus on medication adherence in quality improvement initiatives and health research. Healthcare IT News (10/30)

• Chronic stress is linked to consumption of high-fat foods
  Researchers who interviewed more than 600 overweight or obese women found that those with chronic stress are more likely to eat high-fat foods and feel they lack control over their eating and hunger. The chronically stressed were also more likely to try to control their weight through "rigid restraint" techniques such as vowing to avoid certain foods or skipping meals -- strategies that often backfire. USA TODAY (11/1)

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Providers & Suppliers

• Alternative medicine part of medical, nursing curriculum
  The U.S. government has given medical and nursing schools more than $22 million to teach students about alternative medicine, according to an Associated Press report. Critics said the money pays for programs that teach unproven treatments, but the government said physicians need to know about popular remedies to provide nonjudgmental and competent advice to patients. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (11/2)

• Which trend would you like to see rolled out more broadly in 2010?
  Look out for the AHIP Solutions SmartBrief Year-End Report on Dec. 8 and 15. The results of this poll will appear in Part 2 on Dec. 15.

	Retail and urgent-care health clinics
	Patient-centered medical homes
	Use of consumer-directed health spending accounts
	Computerized physician-order entry systems

• Other News

• Employers prepare for H1N1 with cross-training, hand sanitizers
  The Wall Street Journal (11/2)

Medical Update

• Government study measures state-by-state sleeplessness
  A government study found people in West Virginia have the most trouble getting enough sleep, with almost one in five reporting they didn't get even one good night's rest in the previous month. Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma also were above the national average of one in 10, while in North Dakota only one in 13 people reported they had trouble sleeping. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (10/30)

• High fructose intake increases blood pressure, study finds
  Researchers found in a study of 4,528 adults that consuming more than 74 grams of fructose, or about 2.5 sugary soft drinks, a day increases the risk of hypertension, even among those with no previous history of hypertension. More research is needed to determine if lowering fructose intake could help lower blood pressure, the researchers said. HealthDay News (10/30)

• Study: Vaccine protects women from group B strep bacteria
  U.S. researchers found that women of childbearing age who received group B Streptococcus vaccine had a lower chance of carrying the bacteria in the vagina and gut than those who took a dummy vaccine. They think the vaccine could reduce pregnant women's risk of contracting the bacteria, which can cause blood and brain infections in newborns. WebMD (10/30) , Yahoo!/Reuters (10/30)

Emerging Trends

• HIPAA rule to stiffen privacy, security penalties
  The HHS has released an interim final rule that substantially increases fines for violations of the privacy and security rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as mandated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's HITECH Act. The agency has set a Dec. 29 deadline for public comments on the HIPAA rule, which is set to take effect Nov. 30. Health Data Management (10/30) , Modern Healthcare (free registration) (10/30)

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Other Company News from AHIP Solutions

• CIGNA: New DocRock Music Video Teaches Kids How to Avoid H1N1 Flu

• HSA Clearing Corp Alliance with StreetWise HSA

• MediGap Advisors: Medicare Open Enrollment Begins in 3 Weeks

• Health Dialog Employees Help Bring Healthcare to Rural Ecuador

• OptumHealth: Counseling Help Line Available for People Coping with Recent Storms

• Raintree Systems, ZirMed Announce Partnership to Jointly Offer Healthcare Management Solutions

• HHS Strengthens HIPAA Enforcement

• Nation's Hip Fracture Rate Could Drop By 25 Percent With Aggressive Osteoporosis Prevention Plan, Kaiser Permanente Study Finds

• Former CIGNA HealthCare Exec Joins American Specialty Health as Group Sales VP

• Blue Cross And Blue Shield Of Kansas City Announces Retirement Of Chief Marketing Officer

• David M. Cordani Elected to CIGNA Board of Directors

Hot Topics

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

• CMS chief says Medicare should consider cost to determine coverage (The Wall Street Journal)

• President declares H1N1 flu outbreak a national emergency (Yahoo!)

• Heart disease, stroke deaths linked to low vitamin D (Reuters)

• Bundled provider payments seen as way to reduce costs (USA TODAY)

• Wellness programs benefit workers, company (Reuters)

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

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Pharma News

• FDA approves Covidien's generic Actiq
  The FDA approved Covidien's version of Actiq, a pain drug from Cephalon used in cancer patients who do not respond to other drugs. Covidien plans to sell six doses of the drug, fentanyl citrate, early next year. Forbes/The Associated Press (10/30)

Policy Watch

• Rep. Boehner: GOP to introduce health reform plan soon
  House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Sunday that Republican lawmakers are preparing to introduce their own health reform proposal that would be less costly to taxpayers and take "a step-by-step approach" to expanding insurance coverage with limited government intrusion. The GOP plan would also leave out mandatory insurance for individuals and businesses, Boehner said. The Wall Street Journal (11/2)

• Reform bills cap flexible spending account contributions
  Employee tax-free contributions to flexible spending accounts would be capped at $2,500 a year under health reform bills in the Senate and House, to raise an estimated $13 billion over 10 years to help pay for health care reform. A coalition of insurers, businesses and others -- called the Save Flexible Spending Plans -- is trying to stop the change, saying it would tax the middle class and hurt chronic disease patients. Yahoo!/The Associated Press (11/2)

AHIP News

• Professional Development Training -- An Important Investment
  As you navigate the changing health care landscape, fostering employee development to position your staff and your organization for long-term success should remain a priority. The AHIP Foundation's 2010-2011 Executive Leadership Program, Executive Leadership Program for Medical Directors and the Minority Management Development Program help you to cultivate and motivate your strong performers. Applications due March 15, 2010.

• Fall 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. For more information, visit the Center's Web site or download the Fall/Winter Educational Program Catalog now.

• Stay informed: Health care reform blog and Twitter
  The Campaign for an American Solution is following all the latest developments on health care reform and sharing them with you through our blog and Twitter feed. We post the latest information from Capitol Hill, the White House, the stakeholder community, think tanks and the news media. Go to www.americanhealthsolution.org/blog/ or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CFAS2009.

SmartQuote

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." --George S. Patton Jr., World War II general