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Medica's clinic-based chronic care management program delivers promising results

Medica’s clinic-based chronic care management program with six clinic partners shows that focusing on care coordination is beginning to deliver promising results. A recent program evaluation reported that members participating in the clinical pilots had 1 percent more doctor visits and 3 percent more prescription fills than members with similar conditions seen in traditional clinic settings.

19 Dec 2009

Roundup of health policy research and analyses

Urban Institute/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: What Would Health Care Reform Mean for Small Employers and Their Workers? - "Small employers and their workers face a broad assortment of barriers to obtaining health insurance coverage today," such as "high administrative costs, limited ability to spread health care risk, and a low-wage workforce."

18 Dec 2009

Antidepressants may play a key role in improving adolescents’ mental health

Suicidal adolescents who were prescribed an antidepressant medication during inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment were 85 percent less likely than others to be readmitted within a month after discharge, a new study found.

18 Dec 2009

Proposed health care legislation to set new standards in employer-based insurance system

If proposed health care legislation is enacted, it would set new standards in the employer-based insurance system. Approximately 18.4 million Californians and 161 million Americans under the age of 65 rely upon employer-based insurance for their health care coverage.

17 Dec 2009

ODAC to review Cell Therapeutics' NDA for pixantrone

Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (CTI) announced today that on February 10, 2010 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) will review the New Drug Application (NDA) for pixantrone for the treatment of relapsed/refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).

17 Dec 2009

Reid assures Medicare Part D 'doughnut hole' will be closed

CBS News: "With the clock ticking on Senate Democrats' efforts to draw up a health care bill they all can agree on before the end of the year, Senate leaders on Monday said they would commit to providing seniors with better prescription drug coverage through Medicare." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., pledged to close a gap -- known as the "doughnut hole" -- in Medicare's drug coverage.

16 Dec 2009

Cost-effective alternative to original Medicare or Medicare supplement plan for Syracuse-area residents

At a time when many people with Medicare in Syracuse are increasingly concerned about finding affordable health insurance, they now have a new Medicare Advantage option for 2010.

16 Dec 2009

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccine in 27 states

Walgreens, the nation’s largest drugstore chain and an industry leader with more than 17,000 certified or licensed immunizers, today announced it is offering H1N1 vaccine at more than 1,500 Walgreens pharmacies and select Take Care Clinics in 27 states, as well as the District of Columbia.

16 Dec 2009

AARP says bipartisan amendment can bring down medication costs

The U.S. Senate today rejected an amendment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that would have helped make prescription drugs more affordable by allowing for the safe and legal importation of lower priced drugs from abroad. The bipartisan amendment, endorsed by AARP and sponsored by Senators Dorgan, Snowe, McCain, Grassley and Stabenow, would have improved competition and helped to bring down the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.

16 Dec 2009

Pharmaceutical manufacturers controlling health reform debate, Senate disallows prescription drug import

The failure of the U.S. Senate to allow importation of prescription drugs to cut costs, much less the more effective direct bulk purchasing of prescription drugs, is just the latest example of how big industry controls the health reform debate, according to Consumer Watchdog.

16 Dec 2009

Nebraska Medicare beneficiaries to make important decisions about their health coverage

Through the end of the year, thousands of Nebraska Medicare beneficiaries will be making important decisions about their health coverage. This is when the state's 268,000 Medicare beneficiaries get to decide which health benefits they will sign up and pay for in 2010.

16 Dec 2009

Prescription drug import amendment divides Senate Democrats

The Senate is battling over a proposed amendment that would allow prescription drugs to be imported from other countries where prices are lower.

15 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 15, 2009

A glance at today's health policy headlines offers a common theme: Senate Democrats are likely to abandon the Medicare buy-in plan, which just last week was heralded as part of a compromise plan in that chamber's health bill.

15 Dec 2009

UnitedHealthcare completes previously announced acquisition of Health Net

UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group company, and Health Net, Inc. today announced that UnitedHealthcare has completed the previously announced acquisition of Health Net of the Northeast’s licensed subsidiaries and has obtained rights to renew Health Net’s membership in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

14 Dec 2009

Senators at odds about drug importation amendment

The New York Times: "Debating an overhaul of the health care system, the Senate found itself tied in knots on Thursday over a bipartisan proposal to allow people to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and certain other countries."

13 Dec 2009

UPMC Health Plan signs agreement to offer brain fitness software from Posit Science

UPMC Health Plan announced today that it has signed an agreement to offer award-winning brain fitness software from Posit Science®, at no cost, to all UPMC for Life Medicare Advantage members.

12 Dec 2009

Prescription drug and healthcare expenditures increase for U.S. adults

In 2006 the average cost for a prescription drug purchase for Americans age 18 to 44 was double the inflation-adjusted average for 1996, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

11 Dec 2009

Prescription Solutions achieves overall generic prescription drug penetration rate of 68.8 percent

Prescription Solutions, a leading pharmacy benefits management (PBM) organization and a UnitedHealth Group company, has achieved an industry-leading overall generic prescription drug penetration rate of 68.8 percent year-to-date for 2009.

11 Dec 2009

New campaign urges Americans to oppose Senate restrictions on flexible spending accounts

Save Flexible Spending Plans, a national grassroots organization dedicated to protecting flexible spending accounts (FSAs), today launched a new campaign, "Ten Before Ten," that encourages Americans to voice their support for protecting the cost-saving benefit by sending 10,000 emails to their senators before the start of 2010.

11 Dec 2009

FDA Drugs Advisory Committee recommends approval for Gilead Sciences' aztreonam for inhalation solution

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that the Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that aztreonam for inhalation solution be approved for the treatment of infections due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).

11 Dec 2009

Prescription Drug News and Research

Medica's clinic-based chronic care management program delivers promising results

Roundup of health policy research and analyses

Antidepressants may play a key role in improving adolescents’ mental health

Proposed health care legislation to set new standards in employer-based insurance system

ODAC to review Cell Therapeutics' NDA for pixantrone

Reid assures Medicare Part D 'doughnut hole' will be closed

Cost-effective alternative to original Medicare or Medicare supplement plan for Syracuse-area residents

Walgreens offers H1N1 vaccine in 27 states

AARP says bipartisan amendment can bring down medication costs

Pharmaceutical manufacturers controlling health reform debate, Senate disallows prescription drug import

Nebraska Medicare beneficiaries to make important decisions about their health coverage

Prescription drug import amendment divides Senate Democrats

First Edition: December 15, 2009

UnitedHealthcare completes previously announced acquisition of Health Net

Senators at odds about drug importation amendment

UPMC Health Plan signs agreement to offer brain fitness software from Posit Science

Prescription drug and healthcare expenditures increase for U.S. adults

Prescription Solutions achieves overall generic prescription drug penetration rate of 68.8 percent

New campaign urges Americans to oppose Senate restrictions on flexible spending accounts

FDA Drugs Advisory Committee recommends approval for Gilead Sciences' aztreonam for inhalation solution

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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