Managed Care Weekly articles from April 2004

Managed Care Weekly archives from April 2004

Plans redeploy targeted care restrictions.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Confronted with conflicting pressures to contain costs and provide unfettered access to care, health plans in the U.S. are stepping up scrutiny of some high-cost services while shifting more financial...

Study finds confidence waning in competition as healthcare system cure.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Confidence in market competition to spur high-quality, affordable healthcare is waning in communities across the U.S., according to research by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC)...

Iowans' use of cough and cold prescription drugs nothing to sniff at.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sniffling, sneezing, and coughing Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa members age 18 to 64 filled more than 132,000 brand name and generic prescriptions for cough and cold relief at a cost of...

Survey: Working-age Americans support government-mandated healthcare coverage.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As California prepares to vote on whether to repeal recent legislation requiring employers to pay for health insurance for employees, nearly half of Californians and half of Americans agree that the...

Financial challenges lead physicians to cut back in services, increase costs.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Financial pressures are leading physicians to increase fees and cut back on traditional, less lucrative practices, resulting in impaired access to healthcare and increased costs for certain populations....

Company helps hospitals, manufacturers respond to new FDA rules.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AmerisourceBergen Corporation (ABC), a pharmaceutical services company, said it has the broadest array of solutions to help pharmaceutical manufacturers and hospitals respond to the U.S. Food and Drug...

Study demonstrates clear survival benefit of treatment in clinical trials.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study from Canada has found that breast cancer patients who were treated according to accepted standards of care or who took part in clinical trials were from 30% to 60% less likely to die from...

Treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ varies widely in United States.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study has found that treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a group of abnormal cells confined to the breast ducts, varies widely in the United States. Treatment ranges from potential...

Banner Baywood Medical Center in Arizona planning expansion.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Banner Baywood Medical Center is planning an expansion that will make it the area's second-largest hospital campus. The expansion would consist of a seven-story tower in front of the east Mesa...

Berlin, Vermont, hospital re-submits expansion plan to state.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Central Vermont Medical Center is resubmitting its multimillion dollar expansion plan to the state. The hospital was denied permission for a similar proposal almost three years ago. The $18...

Deal withdrawn for North Carolina bankrupt hospital.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A North Carolina company has dropped its $3 million plan to buy the bankrupt Deaconess Hospital. Charlotte-based Hospital Partners of America won an auction to buy the hospital, which has been...

Scripps Research Institute plans Florida research hospital.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Scripps Research Institute plans to bring a 200-bed research hospital to northern Palm Beach County, Florida, to speed the process of turning research into new treatments for cancer, heart disease,...

Vista Medical Technologies receives Nasdaq notification.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vista Medical Technologies, Inc., (VMTI) received notification of a Nasdaq Staff Determination indicating that the company fails to comply with the Stockholders' Equity requirement for continued listing...

Health insurer president has $2.8 million compensation package.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The president of health insurer Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island was paid $2.8 million in wages and benefits in 2003, while other executives saw hefty raises, according to the company's filing...

State gives Kaiser only part of its requested rate increase.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hawaii's Insurance Division has given Kaiser Foundation Health Plan only part of its requested 14.5% rate increase. The state agency has suggested an increase in the range of 11.5% to 11.7%. ...

Wisconsin health plan to provide online customer service capabilities.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Network Health Plan (NHP), Affinity Health System's health plan serving northeastern Wisconsin, will offer new online services to its providers, members, employers, and brokers through HealthTrio...

Plasmat Futura HELP apheresis system safe and effective.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Plasmat Futura therapeutic apheresis system is safe and effective for cardiovascular disease patients. Scientists in Germany conducted a study "to examine whether the recently introduced...

Aloxi injection incorporated into NCCN antiemetic guidelines.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MGI Pharma, Inc., (MOGN) announced that Aloxi (palonosetron hydrochloride) injection has been incorporated into the 2004 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) antiemetic guidelines for prevention...

Stricter qualifications proposed for Texas' insurance program.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A proposal that requires stricter qualifications for Texas' Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will become a hurdle for low-income families and will increase the already growing number of...

Meridian awarded $6.2 million defense department contract.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Meridian Resource Co. was recently awarded the claims audit review services contract for TRICARE Management Activity, the Defense Department's health insurance program for active duty members of the...

Medicare weighs defibrillator coverage.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medicare is considering expanding coverage for expensive cardiac defibrillators that are surgically implanted, following a government-funded study that showed the technology significantly reduced deaths...

Insurer aims to change the way Americans look at health.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The cubicles at Definity Health's St. Louis Park headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sport an icon that seems out of place for a health insurance company. Virtually every desk has a yellow hard...

IMPATH enters into national agreement with Humana.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IMPATH, Inc., has entered into a multiyear provider participation agreement with Humana, Inc., (HUM) that adds IMPATH to Humana's nationwide network of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare...

Regency Hospital of Odessa announces new services.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Regency Hospital of Odessa, Texas, is introducing inpatient kidney dialysis along with a High Observation Patient Unit. The inpatient kidney dialysis service will allow Regency to admit critically...

Matria Healthcare awarded two new disease management accounts.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Matria Healthcare, Inc., (MATR) has been awarded two new disease management accounts. The company's two most recent awards of business are from one national health plan and one large self-insured...

Drug benefits clients beat national drug cost trend.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A drug trends "scorecard" published by AdvancePCS (ADVP) reveals an impressive tally by health plan sponsors that have aggressively employed pharmacy benefit management tools to slow rising prescription...

Companies benefit by shifting health costs.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Employers who aggressively shift healthcare costs to their employees expect lower levels of spending increases than the average company, and sharply less than firms without strict policies to make...

Consumer protection needed against MEWA health plan insolvency.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With healthcare costs and insurance premiums rising in the U.S., many state and federal policymakers are promoting association health plans (AHPs) as a way to expand access to affordable health...

Majority of employers support policies to expand employer coverage.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. employers strongly support providing health coverage for their workers, with a majority even backing a mandate that companies either provide such benefits or pay into a fund to cover the uninsured,...

Study: Workers happy with their benefits are more productive.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study of selected large employers who offer their workers health insurance coverage augmented by a comprehensive array of worksite-accessible health management resources concludes that such...

Ardent Health Services reports net revenue of $1.3B.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ardent Health Services announced its fourth quarter and 2003 year-end financial results. Total net revenues for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2003, increased 157.5% to $355.4 million...

Geriatrix raises $8M; achieves profitability in fourth quarter.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- James A. Deal, chairman and CEO of Geriatrix, announced that the company has completed an $8 million private placement of preferred stock led by River Cities Capital Funds of Cincinnati, Ohio, and...

HealthSouth says its 2003 annual report will be filed late.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthSouth Corp., which is under investigation for its accounting practices, will miss the deadline to file its annual report, according to a regulatory filing on March 16, 2004. The Birmingham,...

Molina announces secondary offering of common stock.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Molina Healthcare, Inc., (MOH), a multistate managed care organization providing quality care and accessible services to low-income families and individuals, has filed a registration statement with the...

Netsmart announces year-end results for 2003.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Netsmart Technologies, Inc., (NTST), a supplier of enterprise-wide software solutions for health and human services providers, reported results for the year ended December 31, 2003. Net income for...

Nursing services firm reports income of $0.83 per share.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amedisys, Inc., (AMED) reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and the year ended December 31, 2003. For the year ended December 31, 2003, the company reported net income of $8.4...

On The Go reports financial results for 3 and 6 months ended January 31, 2004.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- On The Go Healthcare, Inc., (OGHI) announced its unaudited financial results for the 3 and 6 months ended January 31, 2004. The company reported record total revenues of $1,069,641 for the 6 months...

Remote-presence company secures $6.7M series B funding led by Acacia.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- InTouch Health, Inc., a company focused on remote-presence technology for healthcare providers, announced the completion of a $6.7 million series B financing. The round was led by Acacia Venture...

Tenet amends certain terms of revolving credit agreement.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tenet Healthcare Corporation (THC) announced that participants representing 94% of its bank credit commitment have agreed to amend certain terms of the company's revolving credit agreement. The...

Tenet reports 2003 fourth quarter results.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) reported on March 15, 2004, results for its fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2003. "This was a tough quarter made even tougher by rising bad...

British government pledges higher spending on medical research.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- England Prime Minister Tony Blair's government avoided significant tax increases and pledged to increase investment in Britain's public services in its annual budget presented March 17, 2004. ...

Grants to be awarded for studying effectiveness of patient-provider web portals.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced in March 2004 the availability of $2.45 million in grants to study the effectiveness of patient-provider Web portals. "Web portals hold promise for...

Assisted, independent living facility prices rise, skilled nursing prices drop.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- End-of-year results indicate that in 2003, the average price per bed paid for skilled nursing facilities plummeted, while resurgence was seen in the average price per unit of assisted living and...

One million disabled adults lack adequate help with essential needs.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- About 3.3 million adults living in the community need assistance from another person in two or more activities of daily living essential for their survival, and nearly a million of those individuals...

Former guardian of Virginia girl with AIDS convicted of Medicaid fraud.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A Henrico County jury convicted the former legal guardian of a missing girl with AIDS on one count of Medicaid fraud March 17, 2004. The jury deadlocked on two other counts against Kim Elizabeth...

Aetna combines health, disability management for employee wellness, productivity.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aetna (AET) announced an industry-leading approach to the coordination and delivery of benefits across medical, disability, behavioral health, and pharmacy. Through Aetna Integrated Health and...

Underwriters' group makes recommendations to expand coverage.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Association of Health Underwriters' (NAHU) Board of Trustees recently revised and updated Real Choice, the association's road map to reform and expand health insurance coverage in America....

Bush makes fresh pitch for healthcare remedies, tax cuts.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- President Bush on March 16, 2004, touted his proposals to rein in healthcare costs, portraying his election-year approach as a means to create employment amid the Democratic clamor over disappearing...

Judge OKs end to health benefits for Weirton retirees.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A bankruptcy judge on March 15, 2004, reluctantly ordered the April 1 termination of health care benefits for some 10,000 Weirton Steel retirees and dependents after lawyers argued continued monthly...

Mexican immigrants helped by Indiana clinic.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- On any given day, you'll find Luz "Lucy" Trinidad visiting restaurants, apartment buildings or beauty parlors in the Portage-Hobart area. Trinidad isn't selling insurance, offering aluminum siding...

Study considers school buses to transport rural residents to medical facilities.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Officials from a cooperative education program in southwestern North Dakota want to make use of idle school buses. The Roughrider Education Services Program received a $20,000 grant from the Center...

Idaho senate endorses $1 billion healthcare budget.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With little discussion, the Idaho Senate on March 17, 2004, approved the state's first $1 billion budget for subsidized health care. The bill, which now goes to the House for final action, finances...

Louisiana still in limbo over use of healthcare dollars.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Louisiana's budget is balanced on $772 million still needing federal approval, a shaky financial situation that leaves state officials awaiting a decision that could save or destroy the health care...

Access for poor children improves, but gap in care for uninsured grows.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Healthcare for U.S. children covered by government programs like Medicaid and the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) appears to be improving, but the gap in care is widening between these...

Americans know about healthcare costs, survey says.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Majorities of the U.S. public say they know what their healthcare premiums, doctor visits, prescription drugs, and deductibles cost while far fewer say they do not, according to the results of a recent...

Can the U.S. government require people to buy insurance?
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Recently some lawmakers have proposed a seemingly simple way to ensure that all Americans have health insurance: require them to buy it. To shed some light on this proposal, the Council for...

Cigna Choice Fund advances new options for consumers.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Empowering consumers with choices, information, and incentives and giving employers new benefit design options to encourage the savvy use of healthcare is the goal of new consumer-driven health plans...

Hawaii Governor says hospital budget cuts will hurt neighbor islands.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Governor Linda Lingle said March 16, 2004, that jobs and health care services in Hawaii may be lost if lawmakers do not fully fund the state's community hospital system. During a tour of the Big...

IntelliClaim executes national agreement with Kaiser.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IntelliClaim announced a multiyear agreement with the Kaiser Foundation Hospitals for the use of IntelliClaim's Enhanced Claim Editing service in Kaiser and Permanente entities outside California. ...

Iowa senators say health care can be paid by closing corporate loopholes.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some Iowa Senate Democrats are proposing a plan to close a loophole that allows out-of-state corporations to avoid paying certain Iowa taxes in an effort to raise revenue for health care services. ...

Kentucky house passes bill to allow mandate-light health plans.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health insurers could offer limited plans without most state-mandated benefits under a bill passed by the Kentucky House on March 17, 2004. Representative Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, said his bill was...

Missouri selects HMS to recover costs for Medicaid and mental healthcare.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The state of Missouri has awarded Health Management Systems, Inc., a contract to provide third-party liability services on behalf of both the Missouri Medicaid program and the state's mental-healthcare...

NEBCO launches new pharmacy benefits management division.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National Employee Benefit Cos. (NEBCO), an employee benefit wholesale brokerage firm and third-party administrator, announced the creation of IdealScripts, a pharmacy benefits management (PBM) division....

Study shows insurance rates spike in California.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Californians paid more for health insurance from their employers in 2003 than workers in any other state, according to a study released March 16, 2004. Insurance premiums rose 15.8% last year, the...

Border snowbirds enjoy cheap medicine, health services.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Barbara Sommerfeldt smiled as she limbered up in the late-morning sun at the annual downtown Yuma Lettuce Days. She was getting ready for the first of three square dances for the day. Sommerfeldt,...

Health insurance premiums for California workers grew 15.8% in 2003.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health insurance premiums for California workers grew 15.8% in 2003, slightly higher than the national average of 13.9% and nearly seven times the rate of inflation. Nevertheless, California...

Healthcare costs put a crimp on the classroom.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The struggle over surging healthcare costs in the U.S. is hitting the classroom as schools increasingly cut everything from teachers to textbooks to pay for insurance. When finance director Dave...

Delmarva to use evidence-based data to improve healthcare quality.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Delmarva Foundation, a national not-for-profit organization committed to improving the quality of healthcare, announced that it has been awarded a 3-year, $3 million contract by the Agency for...

Studies examine physicians' responses to market conditions.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Two articles in the March/April 2004 edition of the journal Health Affairs explore in detail how physicians are responding to current market conditions. The first article, "Financial Pressures Spur...

Radiofrequency ablation for liver cancer approved for reimbursement in Japan.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RITA Medical Systems, Inc., (RITA) announced that the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has approved and established reimbursement for the treatment of liver cancer with radiofrequency...

Nabi to supply Novaplus Nabi-HB.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nabi Biopharmaceuticals (NABI) has signed an agreement with Novation, LLC, to supply Nabi-HB, [Hepatitis B Immune Globulin (Human)] through Novation's Novaplus Private Label Program. Novaplus, the...

FDA approves TiMESH for hernia repair.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GP Surgical, a Nashville, Tennessee-based distributor of medical products, announced the recent U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval of TiMESH, a new mesh device for hernia repair. TiMESH...

Pensacola hospital reports $2.56M savings from hospitalist program.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, winner of this year's Malcolm Baldrige award for quality, announced that it has saved $2.56 million in 2 years due to its inpatient management program. The...

Memorial Hermann selects Encompass for cardiac image and information management.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, Texas, has selected Heartlab's Encompass Cardiac Network to manage the enterprise-wide cardiology image and information management needs of its eight...

Baylor Health Care System chooses software that shortens revenue cycle.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CodeCorrect, Inc., announced that the Texas-based Baylor Health Care System is now using CodeCorrect's online products to assist in management of their chargemasters, improve net revenue and maintain...

Cardiology practice selects eDOCS application to generate EMRs.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cor Specialty Associates of North Texas (CSANT) has chosen Clear Technologies' eDOCS application to generate electronic medical records and customized medical forms. CSANT is Texas' largest medical...

Duke launches consumer-focused initiative.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Duke University's Fuqua School of Business announced it is launching an initiative to gain widespread consumer support for a national electronic health information network. The goal of the...

Healthcare provider selects program to monitor key performance indicators.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cary, North Carolina-based SAS announced that Centra Health, a provider of hospital and outpatient care for families throughout central Virginia, will use SAS Strategic Performance Management for...

New clinical information system launched.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eclipsys Corporation, The Outcomes Company, (ECLP), announced the general commercial availability on February 2, 2004, of Release 3.3 of its SunriseXA advanced clinical information solution. The...

Partnership announces plans for repository of longitudinal patient information.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Siemens Medical Solutions and Anceta LLC, a subsidiary of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), have initiated a strategic partnership in which Siemens will supply information technology (IT)...

THESYS claims software to provide Web-based solutions to health plans.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Verilet, Inc., and Linnaeus, Inc., have formed a strategic alliance to provide interactive, rule-based, configurable Internet solutions to healthcare organizations. The joint marketing and sales...

VHA signs emergency department information system agreements.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- VHA Inc. has signed 3-year agreements with ibex Healthdata Systems, Rosemont, Illinois, and MedHost Inc., Addison, Texas, to offer emergency department (ED) information system software to its nationwide...

Medical privacy law makes health research harder, more expensive.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As the 1-year anniversary of the U.S. medical privacy law approaches, a new study shows the negative impact that its implementation may be having on certain kinds of health research. At the Annual...

Group launches campaign to fight unauthorized insurance.
April 5, 2004... 2004 APR 5 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has finalized plans to initiate an awareness campaign designed to help consumers identify unauthorized insurance activity. During the...