| December 5, 2008 | America's Health Insurance Plans |
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- Analysis: Daschle to launch health care overhaul
President-elect Barack Obama's pick for HHS secretary, former Sen. Thomas Daschle, will have dual challenges: running a huge government health care bureaucracy and leading efforts to reform the U.S. health care system. Daschle, in a speech to be delivered in Denver today, is expected to discuss the importance of expanding insurance coverage, cutting costs and improving quality. He also will call on Americans to get involved in the debate on health care reform. The Washington Post
(12/5), The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model)
(12/5)      
- CDC: Many Americans don't comply with exercise guidelines
CDC researchers found fewer than 65% of Americans met HHS 2008 exercise guidelines for 150 minutes a week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. Only 49% of people surveyed met the government's Healthy People 2010 recommendations that call for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three days weekly. Reuters
(12/4)
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| | Free White Paper: Thomson Reuters P4P & the Medical Episode Grouper (MEG)
Assembling the Building Blocks of a Sustainable Program, by J. Conklin and A. Weiss, PhD, defines the essential elements of a successful P4P program. And to help drive P4P efforts, our leading MEG methodology integrates illnesses and conditions for fair physician comparisons. Click here for White Paper and Toolkit. Or call Nick at +1 734 913 3797. | |
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- Study: Number of retail clinics continues to grow
Retail health clinics are back on the rise, Merchant Medicine found. Much of that growth can be attributed to Walgreen, which has nearly 300 clinics in operation nationwide. "Demand for primary-care health services has outstripped supply, and the problem is going to get worse as fewer medical-school students choose primary care," a Walgreen spokesman said. Chicago Tribune
(12/4)
- Early exposure to health careers may help attract students
North Carolina health experts say a growing shortage of nurses remains a top concern but health care employers also struggle to fill nonclinical jobs because students and laid-off workers don't know they exist. Educators say students as early as kindergarten should begin learning about health care careers, including the idea that girls can by physicians and boys can be nurses. Winston-Salem Journal (N.C.)
(12/4)
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| | The individual policy opportunity is $6.5 billion dollars
And growing. Fundamental aspects of the health insurance market are changing. Consumers have reported an overwhelming demand for more detailed information about their health insurance options. Learn what insurers can do to adapt to this changing landscape by downloading our white paper. | |
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- High chemo dosage improves survival for AML patients
Research shows a higher dose of the chemotherapy drug daunorubicin increased median survival rates for patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukemia, when compared with using the standard dosage. Patients in the high-dose group had overall survival of 23.7 months, compared to 15.1 months for patients in the standard-dose group. Yahoo!/HealthDay News
(12/4)
- Winter brings seasonal affective disorder
Less sunshine in the winter can trigger symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, which strikes between 4% and 6% of the U.S. population and is more common in women in their 20s to 40s. Genetics may play a role in SAD, and for some, light therapy, psychotherapy or medication can help reduce symptoms. CNN
(12/3)
 | MEDai's Risk Navigator Guidelines™ provides real-time decision support at point of care. This stand-alone module monitors a population's compliance to evidence-based medicine guidelines and alerts stakeholders when there has been a deviation from treatment protocol. Users can edit existing guidelines and/or create new ones to fulfill quality initiatives specific to their organization. To learn more visit www.medai.com. |
- St. Vincent plans all-digital, all-green IT infrastructure
As part of an extensive financial and operational restructuring, St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York has revamped its IT infrastructure and digitized 85% of its clinical processes. St. Vincent adopted a virtualization solution from VMware and plans to replace its traditional PCs with thin clients and VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure in its efforts to make the hospital digital and green. Healthcare IT News
(12/2)
 | DSS Research brings market segmentation and insurance product design to street level, and puts these powerful tools to work to drive your business. Whether you are interested in individual, limited benefit, group, MA, dental or any other type of health-related insurance product, DSS has the most experience. To learn more about our services click here. |
| Company News from PR Newswire |  | |
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| Other Company News from AHIP Solutions | | |
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| Pharma News | | |
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- Study: Combo of hypertension drugs beats diuretic-based therapy
A study backed by Novartis showed that a pill containing two blood-pressure medicines -- benazepril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, and amlodipine, a calcium-channel blocker -- caused 20% fewer serious cardiovascular problems and death than a combination pill consisting benazepril and the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide. The finding calls into question guidelines recommending a diuretic-based strategy for managing hypertension, researchers said. NYTimes.com
(12/4)
- Arthritis drug Actemra faces another FDA setback
Deferring its ruling a second time, the FDA is seeking more clinical data on the possible effects of Actemra, a rheumatoid arthritis drug from Roche Holding and Chugai Pharmaceutical, on pregnancy or fertility. Japanese health care analysts said the agency could reach a decision in October at the earliest or in March 2010 at the latest. Bloomberg
(12/5)
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| The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS)
Informed consumers make smart choices
Empower your health plan members to make informed decisions about musculoskeletal care to increase value and reduce costs. Healthways' musculoskeletal transparency program gives your members the power to choose. Learn more at www.healthways.com/chiro
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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| AHIP News | | |
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Quick, convenient and flexible ways to learn
With the AHIP Center for Insurance Education and Professional Development's new all-in-one online learning management system you can now manage individual and company accounts anywhere and anytime -- putting you in control of professional development. With the new LMS, you can enroll, check grades, order publications, sign up for courses and tests, handle billing, view training history, track progress, and more.
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Posting jobs is easy on AHIP Career Source
Follow our simple steps. First, create an account. Then, save your job posting. Finally, purchase a subscription to post and activate your job in our searchable database. And that's it. After setting up your account, you can search our database of resumes to find your company's next employee. Visit AHIP Career Source today.
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AHIP Store sale -- save through Dec. 31
The AHIP Store is a one-stop shop for health insurance industry information. Browse through the AHIP Store and find publications on topics like Health Insurance Fundamentals, Medicare and Medicaid, Corporate Governance, HIPAA, Executive Management and Leadership, Anti-Fraud, Dental, and more. Take advantage of the AHIP Store's year-end sale to find select titles at 20% off through Dec. 31.
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