Managed Care Weekly articles from August 2003

Managed Care Weekly archives from August 2003

Benefits of medical technology have limited reach.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advances in medical technology are not reaching millions of Americans who lack health insurance - an access gap that is costing the nation an additional $1.1 billion a year, according to a new study....

Studies identify drivers of expenditure growth in out- and inpatient services.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Julie B. Henderson, MS, senior editor - The general economic condition in the U.S. was the primary driver of increased outpatient costs in the late 1990s, finds a study in the American Journal of...

Women's heart disease self-management program reduces healthcare costs.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- by Julie B. Henderson, MS, senior editor - Data from the "Women Take Pride" program, a study of interventions to manage heart disease led by University of Michigan public health researchers, show that a...

Study reports sharp increase in senior healthcare expenditures.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A reality for many seniors today is deciding each month whether to fill their prescription for heart medication or pay the electric bill. A new study shows healthcare costs for seniors have risen...

Dropping 2-year wait would aid the seriously disabled, save $1.8 billion/year.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Over 1.2 million seriously disabled Americans under age 65, including as many as 400,000 without health insurance, are currently in the 2-year waiting period for Medicare coverage, according to a new...

Trends in private Medicare+Choice plans should inform debate.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As Congress debates Medicare proposals that would shift more beneficiaries into private insurance plans, legislators may first want to examine the often tumultuous history of the 6-year-old...

Health literacy policy urged.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ruth M. Parker, MD, associate professor of medicine at the Emory University School of Medicine and general internist at Grady Memorial Hospital, recalls the account of a mother whose 2-year-old was...

Performance areas for random, unannounced surveys in 2004 to be revised.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Beginning in 2004, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) will revise the fixed and variable performance areas evaluated during random unannounced surveys. Under...

Distribution agreement signed for Xolair.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AdvancePCS (ADVP) announced that its specialty pharmacy, AdvancePCS SpecialtyRx, has signed an agreement with Genentech, Inc., (DNA) to provide Xolair (omalizumab) for subcutaneous use to patients whose...

Network established for coronary artery bypass surgeries.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross of California announced the establishment of a "Centers of Expertise" network for coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG). Selection for the network was based on requests for information...

Reducing out-of-pocket payments could increase health care access globally.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In an article in the July 11, 2003, issue of the Lancet, public-health experts suggest that reducing out-of-pocket health expenditure to below 15% of the total cost of health services could...

Couric's exam sparks colonoscopy craze.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The rate of people who were screened for colon cancer jumped by more than 20% after Katie Couric showed her colonoscopy on the "Today" show, a new study found. Researchers documented what many...

Prison healthcare costs still going up in Nebraska.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The cost of providing medical care to inmates in Nebraska's prison system has risen from $8.8 million in fiscal year 2000 to around $18 million for the last fiscal year which ended June 30, 2003. ...

Effort to simplify physician credentialing launches in New Hampshire.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- To ease credentialing for New Hampshire physicians, the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) announced the launch of its Universal Credentialing DataSource system in the state. CAQH, a...

Marketing agreement signed with distributor.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biosensors International announced that it has entered into a marketing agreement with DeRoyal to expand distribution of its lines of critical care products. Under the agreement, DeRoyal,...

Team approach improves patient health and satisfaction with care.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A team approach to chronic disease management for patients with diabetes and hypertension resulted in improved patient health and patients' satisfaction with the quality of their care, according to a...

Medtox announces the acquisition of accounts from Cox Toxicology.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medtox Scientific, Inc., (TOX) announced the acquisition of forensic drug testing accounts from Cox Toxicology, a full-service, SAMHSA-certified drug testing laboratory and a division of CoxHealth, a...

Michigan Blues offer funding to prevent elderly falls.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths in people 65 and older, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, and 60% of those falls happen at home. Michigan's fall...

Demonstration project will test ASP EHRs in family physician practices.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) are collaborating on a 6-month demonstration project studying the implementation of...

First Data and ProxyMed form strategic relationship.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- First Data Corp. (FDC), an electronic commerce and payment services company, and ProxyMed, Inc., (PILL), a provider of electronic healthcare transaction processing services, announced that the two...

Programs bring innovation to palliative and end-of-life care.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Three programs that expand the reach of palliative and end-of-life care are the 2003 recipients of the Circle of Life Award: Celebrating Innovation in End-of-Life Care. Providence Health System in...

Cigna reduces forecast amid shakeup.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cigna Corp. said on July 11, 2003, that the $100 million restructuring of its healthcare division has not gone as well as planned, leading to a management shakeup and forcing the company to lower 2003...

Deal struck to add hospital to Michigan's Spectrum Health System.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Spectrum Health System is acquiring hospitals in the towns of Greenville and Lakeview, Michigan. The boards of directors at Spectrum and United Memorial Health Systems...

HCA lowers earnings prediction, cites uninsured uncollected bills.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospital giant HCA lowered its second quarter earnings forecast on July 15, 2003, saying it expects to collect less money for uninsured patient care. The nation's largest healthcare chain, based in...

Healthcare service provider completes financing.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Broadlane, Inc., announced that it has completed a strategic financing, solidifying its position as an independent company. The financing has created a permanent capital structure that poises...

Hospital awarded program grant to reduce emergency department crowding.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inova Fairfax Hospital, Virginia, has been selected by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) as one of 10 hospitals in the country to participate in its Urgent Matters program designed to help...

Genesis signs letter of intent with ElderTrust.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genesis Health Ventures, Inc., (GHVI) announced that it has entered into a nonbinding letter of intent to secure amendments and consents under existing agreements with ElderTrust (ETT), a Maryland real...

Coalition urges Thompson to prevent disruption from HIPAA transaction rule.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A broad-based coalition of healthcare providers has written Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson urging him to act to prevent the disruption in the healthcare system that may occur with...

Military Health System selects team led by Booz Allen Hamilton.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Booz Allen Hamilton announced that Military Health System has awarded the firm a multiyear contract that will support military compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of...

Reminders boost weekly exercise in older women.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Phone calls and mailed reminders can help older women increase their amount of weekly exercise, according to a new study in the American Journal of Health Behavior. Women who received these prompts...

The 'video doctor,' a personalized feedback device, is always in.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- She's warm, friendly, empathetic, nonjudgmental, respectful, and collaborative. She's everything you wanted in a doctor. She listens carefully, asks good questions, responds thoughtfully, gives useful...

New Zealand-based i-Health to help develop global EHR solution.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SeeBeyond (SBYN), a global provider of enterprise integration and composite application assembly solutions, has entered into a collaborative development agreement with i-Health, a New Zealand-based...

Aetna signs 5-year contract with Central Montgomery Medical Center.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aetna announced on July 9, 2003, that it has signed a 5-year contract with Central Montgomery Medical Center. The contract will provide covered hospital services for Aetna members in Southeast...

Congressional probe looks at hospital bills for uninsured.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Republican lawmakers in Washington, DC, began an investigation on July 16, 2003, of hospital billing practices that charge uninsured patients far more than insurance companies do for the same services....

Experts: It's more expensive to not treat HIV.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A leading economist dismissed arguments that treating HIV in developing countries is not cost-effective and increases the virus' resistance, saying it is more expensive not to treat the virus that...

College students concerned about lack of health coverage after graduation.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a very small survey of 425 college and graduate students, most say they're concerned about going without health insurance after graduation. Yet, about one-third of them remain unsure as to...

Costs are expected to increase across Southwest.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Healthcare costs are predicted to increase 26% in Oklahoma and the rest of the Southwest in 2004, leaving workers with managed care plans to pay higher co-pays at doctors' offices and steeper premiums....

Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield offers individuals a new product.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield now offers another health insurance option to individuals, regardless of their health history, who purchase insurance on their own. PreferredBlue Individual...

Humana launches new prescription benefit.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humana, Inc., (HUM) launched its RxAllowance benefit option, a pharmacy allowance design that offers consumers and employers the independence to choose how to manage the healthcare cost crisis. The...

Humana receives CMS okay for enhancements to Humana Gold Plus Plan.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humana Health Plan, Inc., has received approval from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services to enhance the benefits for seniors enrolled in their Humana Gold Plus plan. As of June 1, 2003,...

Accreditation program offers special protections for children.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Private accreditation can play a central role in strengthening protections that safeguard children involved in human research programs, without adding new laws and regulations to those already in place,...

New guidelines released for prevention of infection during endoscopy.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With multi-society endorsement, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has published a position statement for reprocessing flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes in its journal,...

HEI, Inc., signs agreement with Cerner Corp.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HEI, Inc., (HEII) announced that it has signed an agreement with Cerner Corp. (Cerner) to develop and supply bedside healthcare integration products, including device integration components, for...

HSS and TriZetto form strategic partnership.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HSS, Inc., a coding, compliance, and reimbursement management (CCRM) company, announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with the TriZetto Group, Inc. This partnership enables customers to...

IVP acquires XML-based product.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IVP Technology Corp. (TALL), dba ActiveCore Technologies, Inc., announced it has acquired a perpetual, exclusive source code license for XMLConnector from Karora Technologies, Inc. The agreement...

Minnesota health plan signs on with edocs technology.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- edocs, Inc., announced that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota has deployed its technology platform to provide members with online access to their Explanation of Benefits (EOBs) information. ...

Newest software for clinical care management released.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Excelcare, Inc., announced the release of its newest software product, Excelcare for Windows. For the first time, Excelcare is available for use with Microsoft's Windows on SQL Server 2003. Bill...

Three new modules added to predictive model software.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DxCG, Inc., an independent provider of predictive modeling software for healthcare organizations, has introduced three new modules to RiskSmart, its web-based suite of predictive modeling tools. ...

Utah hospital system in top 100 most technological savvy, 1 of 3 most wired.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Intermountain Health Care (IHC), Salt Lake City, Utah, has been named as one of the nation's top 100 most technology savvy health systems in an independent survey. The survey was conducted by...

Blue Cross raises rates, angers direct subscribers in Rhode Island.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island has raised premiums by as much as 33.5% for a small group of subscribers who buy health insurance directly from the company. The increases have affected...

Iowa's largest health insurer and largest hospital system resolve dispute.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa and the Iowa Health System announced on July 15, 2003, agreement on a contract that will bring to an end a 20-month legal dispute between the two...

Groups want Congress to improve access to quality health care in rural areas.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) on July 14, 2003, joined other national organizations in expressing support for Congressional efforts to improve access, quality, and equity in rural health...

Fitch lowers ratings of hospital chain to "BB+".
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fitch Ratings has lowered Tenet Healthcare Corp.'s (Tenet) senior unsecured debt and bank facility ratings to BB+ from BBB-. The ratings remain on Rating Watch Negative. The change in ratings...

South Florida health plans compared for member satisfaction.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AvMed Health Plans outperformed South Florida managed care competitors in six out of seven member satisfaction categories in a national J.D. Power and Associates study. AvMed received high ratings...

Doctors-to-be must pass bedside manner test.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Starting next year, medical students around the country will have to pass a live-action test of their clinical skills and bedside manner before they become doctors. The National Board of Medical...

Liability reform tops states' legislative agendas.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sharply rising expenses for medical malpractice insurance resulted in the passage of comprehensive reforms in a number of states this year, according to a briefing held in Washington, DC, on July 10,...

West Virginia doctors let licenses lapse; new insurance fee partly blamed.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 300 physicians have not renewed their West Virginia medical licenses, and a new $1,000 fee imposed to fund a physicians' insurance mutual is partly to blame, the head of the state Board of...

HHS to launch demonstration to promote high quality care in hospitals.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced on July 10, 2003, a new Medicare demonstration program that will use financial incentives to encourage hospitals to...

Survey: Bills would force 53% of cancer physicians to limit care for seniors.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new survey of oncologists and cancer centers in the U.S. finds that severe cuts to cancer care included in the Medicare bills would force more than half of cancer physicians to limit the number of...

Managed behavioral health programs improve workplace productivity.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Results from a recent study conducted by Magellan Behavioral Health demonstrate the positive impact that the company's employee assistance and managed behavioral health programs have on a number of...

INFe completes merger with Pacer Health Corp.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- INFe, Inc., (INFE) announced it has completed the acquisition of 100% of the stock of Pacer Health Corp., a Miami-based company offering assisted living and residential care facilities for the growing...

Institute aims to close racial gap in health care.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- After 2 years of planning, the fledgling Grand Rapids (Michigan) African American Health Institute is ready to launch efforts that backers say will help close the racial gap in health care. But the...

Employee benefit programs increase coverage of smoking cessation.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Coverage for smoking cessation programs is part of comprehensive cancer screening and prevention programs agreed to by the CEOs of several dozen major corporations. The programs will extend the...

Group aims to keep medical liability reform on political agenda.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) said on July 9, 2003, that it vows to keep medical liability reform high on the nation's political agenda after the U.S. Senate voted to...

First U.S. hospital accredited as a chest pain center.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio, recently announced it has just become the first hospital in the nation to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers & Providers. "Mercy clearly...

HHS, Premier announce initiative to improve, reward healthcare quality.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a demonstration project with Premier, Inc., that will use financial incentives to encourage hospitals to continuously improve the...

Device helps remind patients to take medications on time.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical "noncompliance" - more readily understood as "not taking your medicine on-time as prescribed" - causes 10% of all hospitalizations and more than 125,000 deaths annually in the cardiovascular...

Health plan marks anniversary of information technology installation.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NaviMedix, Inc., physicians and hospitals, announced that Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BCNEPA) has reached a 1-year milestone with its NaviNet platform. BCNEPA, a provider of healthcare...

Blue Cross chosen for Wyoming's Kid Care program.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming has been chosen as the state's child health insurance provider. The Legislature's switch to a private insurer from a Medicaid-type government program will allow...

Agreement could lead to higher reimbursements for network hospitals.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield will pay higher reimbursements to Jewish Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky, and four other hospitals in its network if they rate well on performance measures. It's...

Group hails HHS payment-for-quality demonstration plan.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP) commended the new payment for quality demonstration announced by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Tommy Thompson, and challenged the...

Gentiva names new VP to spearhead business service unit expansion.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Gentiva Health Services, Inc., (GTIV), a provider of home health services, announced that Rexanne Domico has been appointed vice president, business services. A 16-year veteran of the business...

Health Net of California hires Herman Wright.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Herman Wright has been named emerging markets and public programs officer of Health Net of California, one of the state's largest health plans. In this newly created role, Wright is responsible for...

Kurt J. Hilzinger joins Humana board of directors.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humana, Inc., (HUM) announced that Kurt J. Hilzinger, president and chief operating officer of AmerisourceBergen, has been appointed to the company's board of directors. With Hilzinger, Humana's...

Mary E. Corbett to head Broadlane's human resources department.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Broadlane, Inc., a provider of cost-management services to the healthcare industry, announced it has named Mary E. Corbett to head its human resources department. In her new position, she will head...

Michele J. Hooper joins DaVita board of directors.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- DaVita, Inc., (DVA) announced that Michele J. Hooper has joined its board of directors. Hooper has many years of experience in healthcare services. "We are excited that Michele is joining our...

New Genesis Vice Chairman John J. Arlotta to lead NeighborCare.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Genesis Health Ventures, Inc., named John J. Arlotta, 53, as vice chairman. His primary responsibility will be for the company's $1.2 billion NeighborCare institutional pharmacy business. Arlotta...

I-trax and NationsRx sign joint marketing agreement.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- I-trax, Inc., (DMX), a health management solutions company, announced it has signed a 3-year joint marketing agreement with NationsRx, Inc., (NRXI) a national pharmaceutical benefits management firm....

National Medical Health Card Systems opens mail order pharmacy division.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National Medical Health Card Systems, Inc., (NMHC), a national independent pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) doing business as NMHC(RX), opened its new mail-order-pharmacy division, NMHCmail, in Miramar,...

Battle brewing in Oregon over new state drug rule.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With little fanfare, Oregon state health officials have imposed a new state rule that's aimed at cutting the cost of providing prescription drugs to people on the Oregon Health Plan. But the...

Rhode Island officials say adjustment has saved state.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An adjustment to prescription drug charges would save Rhode Island about $600,000 annually on state employee benefits, state officials said. Gov. Don Carcieri has called the change the latest...

National participating physician directory on CMS website gives more background.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made more information available at www.medicare.gov about the medical background of thousands of physicians currently participating in the Medicare...

HMO pays more than $100,000 fine for payment violation.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A St. Louis, Missouri-area health plan has paid a fine of more than $100,000 for failing to quickly process medical claims filed by physicians and patients, the Missouri Department of Insurance said on...

Less well-known health professions face shortage.
August 4, 2003... 2003 AUG 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health professions such as physical and occupational therapy, radiography, and laboratory science face one of the most critical worker shortages in decades. "In many cases, the shortfall is more...