Managed Care Weekly articles from December 2003

Managed Care Weekly archives from December 2003

Quality improvement program enhances heart care, closes gender gap.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Using a low-cost, hospital quality improvement program substantially improved care for heart attack patients and significantly reduced treatment differences for men and women in 1 year, study results...

Significant shortfalls found in recommended medical care for vulnerable seniors.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- People in the U.S. who are 65 and older with health problems that make them vulnerable to losing their independence and ability to carry out daily activities fail to receive recommended medical care for...

Healthcare safety net has significant limitations at hospitals.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A recent survey of teaching-hospital faculty finds that such physicians may have difficulty accessing specialty care for their uninsured patients. U.S. teaching hospitals, many of which are located...

Availability drives use of medical technology and healthcare costs, study says.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An assessment of the use of new technologies in four areas - diagnostic imaging, cardiac care, cancer care, and newborn care - links increases in the availability of several new medical technologies to...

U.S. healthcare cost, quality problems require government leadership.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. federal government needs to take a leadership role to solve problems of quality and cost in the country's healthcare system, best carried out by a new independent federal agency that would set...

Michigan project cuts problems and deaths.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Angioplasty patients in Michigan are getting far better care - and suffering far fewer complications - than they used to, thanks to a cooperative quality improvement project involving local hospitals...

Hispanics and limited-English speakers in California report worse health.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- California's Hispanic seniors report that they are less healthy and have less access to basic preventive health care than whites in their age group, according to a University of California, Los Angeles...

Health officials urge new mammograms for patients of New York clinic.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A review of a mammography clinic in the borough of Manhattan in New York City found that the facility had a risk for missed cancer in 74% of cases, the New York health department said. State Health...

Blue Cross to reduce insurance rate hikes in Massachusetts.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Massachusetts' largest health insurer and others in the state have announced they will reduce health insurance rate hikes for employers. The chief executive of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of...

County's health plan changed to boost local pharmacies.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Jackson County, Mississippi, supervisors have approved an option on the county's healthcare plan to encourage 700 county employees to fill their prescriptions at local drug stores instead of through...

Insurer continues to grow in shadow of federal fraud charges.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthSouth's new management is moving ahead with plans to open new hospitals, reinforce relationships with physicians, and rebound financially, while company founder Richard Scrushy prepares for a...

Insurer lowers earnings forecasts.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pacificare Health Systems Inc., one of the country's largest Medicare health maintenance organizations, said on November 12, 2003, that it has lowered its earnings outlook for the rest of the year due...

Medical office services co. acquired by healthcare technology & services firm.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PracticeXpert, Inc. (OTCBB:PXPT), based in Los Angeles, California, announced that it has completed the acquisition of National Healthcare Management Services, Inc. (NHMS). NHMS, located in...

Minnesota health plan to return $80 million in one-time rebate.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medica, the largest health plan in Minnesota, will return $80 million as it cuts the December 2003 healthcare premium in half for 450,000 members, the company announced. The rebate resulted from an...

Minnesota insurer to lay off 130 workers.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Minnesota's largest health insurance company, will cut as many as 130 jobs as part of an administrative expense cutback, the company said. The company told employees on...

Oklahoma city weighs hospital options.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A proposal to build a private hospital in Muskogee, Oklahoma, has raised concerns that the city-operated hospital could be forced out of business. A group of more than 30 investors, mostly local...

Oklahoma ends three HMO contracts.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Oklahoma Health Care Authority voted on November 7, 2003, to end its association with three health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and place all Medicaid patients under a state-run managed care...

Pennsylvania hospitals announce merger.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Following a year of losses and job cuts, two struggling hospitals in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, have announced a merger. Westmoreland Health System and Latrobe Area Hospital said in early...

State study finds commercial health insurers financially fit.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new review found Rhode Island's commercial health insurers in strong financial shape. In 2001, Rhode Island's commercial health insurers were significantly more profitable and had stockpiled...

Two smaller New York health systems agree to merge.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Unity Health and ViaHealth, the two smaller healthcare systems in Rochester, New York, are merging operations to keep pace with front-runner Strong Health, which is operated by the University of...

Vermont hospital ending contract with large insurer.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vermont's largest hospital is threatening to sever its contract at the end of 2003 with an insurer covering 85,000 people. Fletcher Allen Health Care said it would continue to care for all...

Minnesota healthcare provider loses money again.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CentraCare Health System, the largest employer in St. Cloud, Minnesota, lost money for the second straight year, officials said. The annual report for CentraCare, which was released on November 12,...

Cardiac patient with complications delivers healthy baby.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- At the age of 25, Nancy DePrete was told that she had a 10% chance of having a baby. After suffering a stroke at the age of 24 and being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 25, Nancy's...

National coverage initiated for DNAwithPap test.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Digene Corporation (DIGE) announced that Cigna Healthcare has updated their cervical cancer screening Clinical Resource Tool to include human papillomavirus (HPV) testing in combination with a Pap test...

Tens of thousands of Texas children off CHIP insurance rolls.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 54,000 low-income children dropped off the rolls of Texas' popular Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in 2003 as new, stricter rules passed by the state Legislature took effect. ...

AlphaNet to provide services to emphysema patients who rely on Zemaira.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aventis Behring, LLC, announced an agreement with AlphaNet, Inc., a not-for-profit health management company, to provide health management and support services to patients who rely on Zemaira...

Marketing agreement signed for Collagenase Santyl Ointment.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (BSTC) announced that the Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories, Inc., will assume United States marketing responsibility for Collagenase Santyl Ointment...

Diabetes management improves when patients, doctors agree on treatment goals.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- People with diabetes who agree with their physician's treatment goals and strategies are more likely to be successful at managing their condition, but few patients agree with their doctor's top three...

Big cut in heart failure problems seen after 1 hour of education.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A single hour of individualized education before heart failure patients leave the hospital appears to make a major difference in how well they take care of themselves once they get home - and cuts by...

Care inconsistent for heart patients.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A third of heart failure patients left hospitals without some of the tried-and-true therapies that could add years to their lives, according to one of the largest studies of its kind, reported at the...

Simple tests could signal and prevent heart disease in women.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A few safe and simple tests could identify, and possibly prevent, coronary heart disease in middle-aged women, study findings suggest. "Most women gain one to two pounds per year as they approach...

University to provide healthcare to jail inmates.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Faculty and students from the University of New England will provide health care to inmates at the York County, Maine, jail under an arrangement that officials say is ideal for both institutions. ...

Study: Mandatory reporting of adverse incidents could enhance safety.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The safety of cosmetic surgery performed in a doctor's office could be enhanced if all states required physicians to report any adverse incidents or medical complications that occurred as a result of...

Among elderly, depression is more prevalent in Hispanics and blacks.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Elderly Hispanics and African Americans have higher rates of depression than their white counterparts, due largely to greater health burdens and lack of health insurance, a Northwestern University study...

Nonresponsive bullous pemphigoid may be bullous scabies.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nonresponsive bullous pemphigoid may be bullous scabies. "Scabies is an infestation caused by Sarcoptes scabiei, characterized by polymorphous lesions that may include burrows, papules, nodules,...

Survey finds women overwhelmed by antiaging treatment options.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When consumers visit the cosmetic counter at a department store or walk through the skin care aisle at the local drugstore, they are met by a wide variety of antiaging products available for the face...

More risk factors for heart disease increase Medicare cost.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Preventing heart disease risk factors in younger adults could be a money-saving investment for the federal Medicare program, researchers reported in two studies presented at the American Heart...

Drug use climbed in the U.S. workforce in the first half of 2003.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drug use in the general U.S. workforce climbed in the first half of 2003, driven by continued growth in the use of amphetamines, according to the semi-annual Drug Testing Index released by Quest...

Baptist launches campaign focused on emergency rooms.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In response to nationwide emergency room overcrowding, Baptist Memorial Health Care announced the launch of a Mid-South educational campaign focused on area emergency rooms, an issue that not only...

Ob-gyn practice says EMR improves workflow, patient care.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Prime Clinical System's Patient Chart Manager, an innovative electronic medical records (EMRs) system, is streamlining work processes, improving patient care, and making life much easier for attending...

Healthcare inching up on West Virginia legislators' 2004 agenda.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Whether lawmakers, lobbyists, and the governor like it or not, health care is shaping up to become a major issue during the 2004 legislative session in West Virginia. The ongoing Kroger grocery...

Police union files grievance over insurance changes.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The local Fraternal Order of Police in Louisville, Kentucky, has sent a grievance to metro government about recent changes in health benefits. It also is asking officials to extend the insurance...

Medicare reimbursement rates posted for VNS therapy.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cyberonics, Inc., (CYBX) announced that 2004 Medicare outpatient reimbursement rates for Cyberonics' VNS Therapy System were posted on the CMS website and were published in the Federal Register. ...

HMA completes acquisition of five nonurban hospitals from Tenet Healthcare.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health Management Associates, Inc., (HMA) has completed the acquisition of five nonurban hospitals from subsidiaries of Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC). The five hospitals include the 128-bed Seven...

Ambulatory surgery centers report 19% increase in revenues.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ken P. McDonald, president and CEO of AmSurg Corp. (AMSG), announced financial results for the third quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2003. Revenues for the quarter were $75,573,000, an...

Diagnostic imaging center operator announces record third quarter revenues.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MedQuest, Inc., an operator of independent, fixed-site, outpatient, diagnostic imaging centers, announced record revenues for the quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2003. Based upon...

Health Net's third quarter EPS income from continuing operations climbs 35%.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health Net, Inc., (HNT) announced that 2003 third quarter income from continuing operations per diluted share climbed 35% to $.74 compared with $.55 in the third quarter of 2002. Excluding the...

HealthSouth in negotiations with bondholders; gets notice of technical default.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthSouth Corp. (HLSH), which previously announced that it has initiated discussions and submitted term sheets to its creditors providing for the restructuring of the company's outstanding...

MAMSI announces third quarter earnings.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mid Atlantic Medical Services, Inc., (MAMSI) (MME) reported diluted earnings per share of $1.10 for the third quarter of 2003 compared to $0.54 in the third quarter of 2002. "Quarter over quarter,...

Molina Healthcare reports positive results for third quarter.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (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, announced results for the third quarter and...

NHC reports third quarter earnings up 23.2%.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National HealthCare Corp. (NHC) announced earnings for the quarter ended September 30, 2003, of $5,294,000 or 46 cents per basic share compared to $4,297,000 or 37 cents per basic share for the same...

National Research Corp. achieves highest quarterly revenues in its history.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National Research Corp. (NRCI), a company that measures healthcare performance, announced results for the third quarter and 9 months ended September 30, 2003. Revenues for the third quarter ended...

Physician services provider reports record third quarter results.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc., (PDX) reported record earnings per share of 97 cents for the 3 months ended September 30, 2003, up 33% from the prior year. Highlights for the 3 months ended September...

Women and men differ in heart disease traits and treatment.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study led by researchers from the University of Michigan (U-M) Cardiovascular Center shows that women who suffer chest pain or a heart attack are more likely than men with the same conditions to have...

Study: Newborn screening cost-effective in detecting MCADD.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Screening newborns for a rare but treatable genetic disease benefits families and society, according to a team of pediatricians and healthcare economists who analyzed patient records and data from mass...

10 common healthcare mistakes made by seniors.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- While seniors are living longer today than ever before, there are still serious health issues that occur with the aging process, ranging from arthritis and vision problems to hearing loss and...

MedAptus' Charges In Hand 4.1 released.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MedAptus announced the general availability of v4.1 of its Charges In Hand product. In response to the Electronic Transactions and Code Sets requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and...

Pale retina inclusions in dementia with Lewy bodies may cause hallucinations.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pale retina inclusions in dementia with Lewy bodies may cause hallucinations. According to recent research from France, "visual hallucinations are a core feature of dementia with Lewy bodies. Their...

Society launches public awareness campaign.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) launched a new public awareness campaign to promote the practice of hand surgery and injury prevention to the general public. The campaign,...

AdvancePCS enhances consumer-directed pharmacy benefit services.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- AdvancePCS (ADVP) announced the launch of additional consumer-directed pharmacy benefit options, offering clients the opportunity to reduce health care spending while providing members with greater and...

Consumer-driven healthcare plan projects membership to exceed 320,000.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Less than 4 years since the launch of its consumer-driven healthcare plan, Definity Health announced that it expects to cover more than 320,000 employees and their families nationwide this coming...

Insurer launches nursing program directed at acute or chronically ill members.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is offering its commercial health plan members access to its innovative Personal Nurse service. The workforce of 60 highly skilled registered nurses who staff the Personal...

Louisiana, Oklahoma rank low in new study of state social health.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new state-by-state study of social health places Louisiana 49th and Oklahoma 40th. Louisiana's high dropout rates, unemployment, and child poverty, and its low health insurance coverage are among...

Nevada lawmaker says state isn't good for women's health.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Statistics cited by Nevada state Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce at the 2003 First Lady's Conference on Women's Health Issues were grim. Nevada ranks among the lowest in per-person healthcare spending,...

Study ranks Iowa tops for social health.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Iowa ranks at the top of the U.S. for social health, the Fordham Institute for Innovation in Social Policy said, noting the state's low unemployment rate and its high rate of health insurance coverage....

U.K. drops to 18th place in study of industrialized countries' health systems.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.K. dropped from 10th to 18th place on the chart of the best performing health care systems in industrialized countries, according to a study in the November 14, 2003, British Medical Journal,...

Lieberman proposes tax credits, deductions for long-term care.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman proposed tax deductions and credits to make long-term care more affordable for seniors and their families. "Under George W. Bush, our country doesn't...

Oklahoma governor eyes expanded healthcare coverage in 2004.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Expanding healthcare coverage to Oklahomans will be one of the top goals of the state's governor, Brad Henry, in 2004. In an interview with The Associated Press, Henry envisioned a plan that would...

Presidential-hopeful Edwards outlines healthcare plan.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- U.S. Sen. John Edwards promised on November 7, 2003, to lower the cost of prescription drugs and health care for working families if he's elected president. Edwards also said he would improve...

West Virginia's gubernatorial candidates divided over healthcare.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Candidates vying to become West Virginia's next governor are divided over what, if anything, the state can do to help more of its citizens find and afford healthcare coverage. The stances of the...

Mexico asks state leaders to provide services for illegal immigrants.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mexico's President Vicente Fox has asked state leaders in New Mexico for better treatment of illegal immigrants from his country, saying they "contribute important benefits" to New Mexico's economy. ...

85 million Americans had no health insurance at some point during 1996-1999.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly two of five (38%) Americans under age 65, and more than two-thirds (68%) of those with low incomes, had no health insurance at some point during 1996-1999, according to a new analysis for The...

Grant will fund insurance for low-income Virginians.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Virginia Department of Health has received nearly $1 million in federal grant funding to develop programs that will deliver affordable health insurance to the state's uninsured. Officials said...

Health insurance an impossible dream for many.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Diana Aaronson, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, says she didn't expect a lot from retirement, but she did expect better than this. At 60, she found herself unemployed and unemployable, uninsured and...

New health coverage offered for Montanans without insurance.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A handful of the estimated 165,000 Montanans without health insurance will be offered bargain-priced coverage through a new program a Helena, Montana, company is offering. The New West Health Plan,...

Alabama governor to propose changes in state worker insurance.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Looking to curb the rising cost of health insurance for teachers and state employees, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley plans to ask state lawmakers to revamp laws related to the amount workers pay for premiums....

Maryland summit meeting focused on seeking solutions to healthcare crisis.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With the number of uninsured Marylanders growing and Medicaid eating up increasingly large chunks of the state budget, health care is emerging as a major issue for the state's 2004 General Assembly...

Report says underfunding hampers healthcare delivery in Vermont.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hospital and healthcare-related businesses account for 11% of all jobs in Vermont, according to a new report. But chronic underfunding of health care by both the state and federal government could...

Report: Premiums could push poor families off Medicaid.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- About 24,000 children in Washington state could lose their health insurance because their parents may not be able to afford healthcare premiums the state intends to charge, according to a report...

Wyoming officials defend health department's high-cost budget items.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Officials at Wyoming's State Health Department defended a $252.9 million increase in the agency's proposed budget. During a hearing by the Joint Appropriations Committee, agency director Deb...

Insurers stepping up fight.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Healthcare fraud will cost Americans at least $50 billion in 2003, but insurance companies are working with state and federal authorities to step up enforcement. The crimes are committed by a small...

City to prepare universal healthcare plan after residents pass referendum.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Philadelphia residents voted overwhelmingly on November 4, 2003, for a referendum that declared health care "an essential safeguard of human life and dignity." The vote requires the city to prepare...

Groups try to jump start debate on universal healthcare in Minnesota.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- With employees striking, employers hollering, and public coffers hemorrhaging over healthcare concerns, a smattering of interest groups in Minnesota is trying to restart the debate over universal...

Agreement signed to distribute NeedleZap to medical, dental markets.
December 1, 2003... 2003 DEC 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- E Med Future, Inc., (EMDF), manufacturer of NeedleZap, a medical device that disintegrates used hypodermic needles, announced that their exclusive sales and marketing partner, American Health & Safety...