Managed Care Weekly articles from June 2004

Managed Care Weekly archives from June 2004

DNAwithPap test covered by UnitedHealthcare.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Digene Corp. (DIGE) announced that UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group Company has updated its policy on cervical cancer screening to include use of Digene's DNAwithPap Test. UnitedHealthcare's...

Colorado employers can enrich health benefits with new options.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For the first time, Colorado employers can directly purchase complementary health benefit plans from a specialty health insurance company, making popular options such as acupuncture and chiropractic...

Double-digit increases will continue in 2004.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to Aon Consulting's Spring 2004 Health Care Trend Survey, employers can expect more of the same: double-digit increases for all types of medical coverage, with HMOs and POS plans forecast to...

Most Americans have sought mental healthcare but cost, insurance still barriers.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly half of Americans have had someone in their household seek mental health treatment, but most still perceive cost and lack of insurance coverage as barriers according to national poll results...

Highmark eliminates social security numbers on member ID cards.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Highmark, Inc., will issue approximately 500,000 identification cards monthly to ensure that its 4 million members receive new cards with randomly generated identification numbers in place of Social...

Small study shows weekly cycles of anti-HIV drugs successful.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A small study conducted at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed that treatment of HIV-infected patients with a once-daily regimen of anti-HIV drugs given in pre-planned, 7-day-on,...

CIGNA Behavioral Health announces enhanced web-based services.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) has enhanced its online capabilities to encourage consumers to access confidential help, coaching, information, and support via the web. CBH website users have grown...

General obesity, not abdominal fat, linked to increased cancer risk in women.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Among factors that influence breast cancer risk, body fat has been shown to play a role, but studies on fat distribution are uncertain. A new large-scale study conducted in Europe and published May...

Male breast cancer on the increase, but remains rare.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Male breast cancer represents less than 1% of all male cancers, but a recent study by Dr. Sharon H. Giordano of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has found male breast cancer on the...

AmericsourceBergen Corp. looks to aging America for growth.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Getting older? Pennsylvania's top Fortune 500 company is counting on it. That is one trend AmerisourceBergen Corp., the third-largest U.S. drug wholesaler, says will get its profits back to...

CalPERS drops 38 hospitals from health network to trim spending.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The nation's largest public pension plan voted May 19, 2004, to drop more than three dozen hospitals from its HMO plan, severing ties with the most expensive facilities in its network to save money. ...

HealthExtras wins Louisiana PBM contract.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthExtras, Inc., (HLEX) announced that the Office of Group Benefits (OGB) for the state of Louisiana has entered into contract negotiations with its pharmacy benefit management (PBM) subsidiary,...

HealthStream announces contracts with Tenet Healthcare Corp.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthStream, Inc., (HSTM), a provider of learning solutions for the healthcare industry, announced that it has signed two contracts with Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC). Tenet will license the...

Indiana hospital to stop home health and hospice care.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A home health care and hospice service with 73 patients in Grant County, Indiana, will close at the end of June, officials said. Marion General Hospital had operated 1st Call Home Health and...

On The Go Healthcare and Vital Baby Innovations sign purchase, sale agreement.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- On The Go Healthcare, Inc., (OGHI) has signed a purchase and sale agreement to acquire Vital Baby Innovations Inc. The company issued a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Form-8K after the...

Strategic alliance to provide medical transcription services.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- iLIANT Corporation and CBay Systems, Ltd., announced a strategic alliance to provide medical transcription services. Effective immediately, CBay will manage and assume operational responsibility of...

Aequitas and Physicians Interactive announce strategic partnership.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Aequitas, a strategic healthcare advisory firm, in conjunction with Physicians Interactive, a provider of interactive solutions connecting pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with physicians and...

Disease management firm signs wound care services agreement.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Curative Health Services, Inc., (CURE) announced that it recently entered into a contract to provide wound care services, with certain subsidiaries of Trans Healthcare, Inc., (THI). THI provides...

New study shows African-Americans more likely to die of colon cancer.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to a new study published in the May 24 online edition of Cancer, African-Americans with colon cancer are more 50% likely to die from their cancer within 5 and 10 years after surgery than...

Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Shield to offer Medicare-approved drug discount card.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has begun selling its Medicare-approved drug discount card to both members and non-members in the nine states where Anthem does business. "Americans want...

University hospital selects ibex PulseCheck ED Information System.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The University of Colorado Hospital has selected ibex Healthdata Systems' ibex PulseCheck Emergency Department Information System for its two hospital campuses. ibex PulseCheck will be implemented...

Public health group renews call for improving access to 'morning-after pill'.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The following statement was issued by the American Public Health Association: The American Public Health Association [has] renewed its call for improving access to emergency contraception following...

MedAire to provide Mediterranean airlines with inflight medical support.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Health and security provider MedAire, Inc., (MDE) has reached agreements with three Mediterranean carriers that will give the airlines immediate inflight access to MedAire's hospital-based physicians....

New QoL assessment tool developed for adults with hypopituitarism.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Endocrinologists in France have developed a quality-of-life (QoL) questionnaire called "Questions on Life Satisfaction-Hypopituitarism (QLS-H)" for adults with hypopituitarism. M. Rosilio and...

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to open care center in Anchorage, Alaska.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new ambulatory care center in Anchorage, Alaska, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, is part of a comprehensive plan by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to modernize its...

Blood-products company reports second consecutive profitable quarter.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HemaCare Corp. (HEMA) announced first quarter 2004 results of operations that resulted in a profit of $246,000, or $0.03 per share basic and diluted, on revenue of $6,736,000. This represents the...

Blue Cross, Blue Shield of North Carolina reports lower 1Q financial results.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- First quarter net income decreased by 14% for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) when compared with the same period last year. BCBSNC reported net income of $52.8 million for the...

Curative Health Services reports income of $0.23 per share.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Curative Health Services, Inc., (CURE), reported first quarter results for the period ended March 31, 2004. Total revenues for the first quarter 2004 were $65.6 million, compared with $58.0 million...

HealthSouth announces success of consent solicitation for 8.500% senior notes.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthSouth Corp. (HLSH) announced that a majority in principal amount of the holders of its 8.500% senior notes due 2008 have delivered a sufficient number of consents to approve proposed amendments...

Hearing company report decreased revenues, increased losses in first quarter.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HearUSA, Inc., (EAR) announced first-quarter revenues of $16.9 million compared to $17.4 million for the comparable period last year. Losses for the first quarter were $1.6 million or $.05 per share...

Home health nursing company reports income of $0.34 per share.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amedisys, Inc., reported its financial results for the first quarter of 2004. For the quarter ended March 31, 2004, the company reported net income of $4.2 million, or $0.34 per diluted share, on...

Ion Health Holdings closes on initial funding round of $13.5 million.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ion Health Holdings, Inc., announced that it has, along with its affiliate Ion Health, Inc., successfully closed on an initial funding round of $13.5 million, enabling the company to operate a Medicaid...

Mariner Health Care reports strong first quarter results.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mariner Health Care, Inc., (MHCA) announced net income for the 2004 first quarter of $6.2 million as compared to $2.8 million for the comparable 2003 period. Revenues decreased 3.4% to $408.8...

Medical product manufacturer reports second quarter sales increase.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sterion Incorporated (STEN) reported results for the second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2004. Sales for the second quarter ended March 31, 2004, were $2,520,191, a 2.16% increase over the...

Molina Healthcare reports first quarter net income of $11.1 million.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Molina Healthcare, Inc., (MOH), a multistate managed care organization, announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2004. Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2004, was $11.1 million,...

Odyssey net patient-service revenue increases 41%; record admissions.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Odyssey HealthCare, Inc., (ODSY), one of the largest providers of hospice care in the United States according to the company, announced financial results for the 3 months ended March 31, 2004. Net...

OptiCare Health Systems reports first quarter 2004 financial results.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- OptiCare Health Systems, Inc., (OPT) announced that for the quarter ended March 31, 2004, OptiCare reported positive net income of $4,000. This compares to net income of $160,000 for the first...

PHC, Inc., announces increase in third quarter revenues.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- PHC, Inc., dba Pioneer Behavioral Health (PIHC), announced financial results for the third quarter and nine-month period ended March 31, 2004. The results for the quarter and nine-month period do...

QuadraMed announces increase in first quarter revenues.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- QuadraMed Corporation (QMDC.OB) announced its first quarter 2004 financial results. Revenues were $36.5 million for the first quarter, representing an increase of almost 25% over the same period in...

Sharps Compliance Corp. reports increase in third quarter revenues.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Sharps Compliance Corp. and subsidiaries (SCOM) announced its operating results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2004. For the 3 months ended March 31, 2004, the company generated revenues of...

Team Health announces first quarter 2004 financial results.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Team Health, Inc., announced results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2004. For the first quarter of 2004, net revenue less provision for uncollectibles (revenue less provision) increased 9.6%...

Surveyed emergency physicians report increase in uninsured patients.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Seven in 10 (72%) emergency physicians say the number of uninsured patients they treated in the past year increased, and 8 in 10 (79%) say it's likely to increase again during the coming year, according...

HMS signs Care1st as client, grows Medicaid managed care business.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Care1st Health Plan, one of California's largest Medicaid managed care plans, has selected Health Management Systems, Inc., to provide coordination of benefits services. Under a 1-year contract...

ITAA: Chronic care improvements could net over $30B in Medicare savings.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new white paper from the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) finds that improvements to the care of Medicare patients with severe chronic conditions could prevent 1.7 million...

Colorado to lift cap on health insurance plan for poor children.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The cap on a Colorado health program intended to help thousands of poor children will be lifted July 1, officials said. The Legislature capped enrollment in Child Health Plan Plus at 53,000 last...

Drug costs continue to be prohibitive for American seniors.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fueled by an aging population with increasing health needs, the number of prescriptions filled by Americans each year continues to grow, according to new findings from Ipsos PharmTrends, a syndicated...

Hurdles await coverage for West Virginia small business.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Though passed by the Legislature and signed into law by West Virginia Governor Bob Wise earlier this year, the state's new health care program for small businesses must clear three hurdles before it can...

Justice Department probes Anthem contracts guaranteeing lowest rates.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Anthem Inc.'s use of contracts that require doctors and hospitals to give the rapidly growing health insurer the lowest rates offered on patient services....

MVP cleared to offer individual health insurance.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The state of Vermont has given MVP Health Care permission to offer health insurance to individuals in the state. The insurance offering by MVP will help fill in gaps in coverage that will be left...

North Carolina spending committee hears options on HHS reductions.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Advocate groups cringed as a joint House and Senate appropriations subcommittee unveiled options for potentially deep cuts to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). House...

Oregon researchers find Americans pay more for health care, feel worse.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Americans might pay a lot for health care, but in return they feel like $1 million bucks. Not quite. A new study published by a pair of Oregon researchers found that Americans are paying more...

Oxford to expand Medicare Advantage coverage in New Jersey and New York.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Oxford Health Plans, Inc., (OHP) will increase its Medicare coverage area to include counties in northern and central New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley in New York. Pending approval from the...

Study says Wisconsin growth industries lag in health insurance.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Wisconsin's growth industries are less likely to provide health insurance for employees than manufacturing and other sectors which are in relative decline, a report says. The Center on Wisconsin...

Switch to self-insurance on hold while lawmakers study proposal.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's proposal to have the state take over management of health insurance programs for its employees was put on hold May 18, 2004, while a legislative task force reviews...

Progress made in detection of pediatric hearing loss.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The World Council on Hearing Health (WCHH), in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM), released the results of...

Accelerated enrollment expected for RELIANT Trial due to reimbursement proposal.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- World Heart Corporation (WHRT) expects accelerated enrollment in it's RELIANT Trial due to the proposal announced by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which, if approved, would...

IPC enters hospitalist agreement with Parkland Health Center.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IPC, a hospitalist company, has entered into an agreement with Parkland Health Center in Farmington, Missouri, to provide a broad range of in-patient services at that 130-bed facility. These...

Correct HPV diagnosis in men can help prevent cervical cancer in women.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Correct diagnosis and treatment of human papillomavirus lesions in men plays a role in preventing transmission of the infection to women, which subsequently can cause cervical cancer. "The...

APIC calls on healthcare facilities to improve flu-shot rates among workers.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In response to the unacceptably low influenza immunization rates among healthcare workers, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) issued specific recommendations...

Cancer screening database developed for Maryland public health programs.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ciber, Inc., (CBR) announced that it has developed, in conjunction with the University of Maryland, Baltimore, a cancer client database for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH)....

Clinical information systems to improve patient safety in hospitals.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Premier Healthcare Informatics and Zynx Health have signed an agreement toward improving patient safety through clinical information systems and computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems in...

GRCI and PPS sign 3-year affiliate agreement.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GrassRoots Communications, Inc., (GRCI), a subsidiary of Newport International Group, Inc., (NWPO) announced the signing of a 3-year agreement with Prospective Payment Specialists (PPS), Inc. With...

Group Health to use RelayHealth for patient/physician communication.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- RelayHealth Corp., a provider of online doctor-patient communication services, announced an agreement with Group Health, Inc., (GHI), a New York, New York-based health plan covering more than 2.6...

Hannibal Regional Hospital chooses Omnicell for patient safety technology.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hannibal (Missouri) Regional Hospital has purchased and installed Omnicell, Inc., (OMCL) patient safety technology to automate the hospital's medication-use process. The new medication-dispensing...

IPVoice launches new healthcare service with Medical Office Software.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- IPVoice Communications, Inc., (IPVO) announced that its subsidiary, Medical Office Software (MOS) based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, has entered into a new agreement with Healthcare Financial...

MCCS announces NCCI software product for coding.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medical Coding and Compliance Solutions, LLC, (MCCS), the software division of PMIC, announced a new software product to help medical providers comply with the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI)...

Safety Advisor, Advisor View launched to improve hospital quality and safety.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Premier, Inc., announced the launch of two new products - Safety Advisor and Advisor View - to help hospitals improve performance in the areas of quality, financial performance, and safety. Safety...

Systems Xcellence and Liberty Healthcare Group announce processing contract.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Systems Xcellence Inc., (SXC) announced a contract through its U.S. subsidiary, SXC Health Solutions, Inc., to provide a variety of pharmacy benefits processing services to Liberty Healthcare Group,...

Women's IBS symptoms differ from men's.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) manifested by women differ from or occur more frequently than those presented by men, according to an article in Nursing Clinics of North America. ...

Blue Cross faces allegations of failing to pass on discounts.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- State and federal judges are considering combining complaints that Rhode Island's largest health insurer wrongly failed to pass along discounts to hundreds of thousands of subscribers. If the...

California board reaffirms commitment to MDs recommending medical marijuana.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Medical Board of California marked a milestone for California consumers and physicians by adopting a statement clarifying that the recommendation of medical marijuana by physicians in their medical...

Challenge to New Orleans' domestic partners law dismissed.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A judge has thrown out a lawsuit challenging New Orleans' 1999 'domestic partners' law, which allows city employees to include same- or opposite-sex partners in their family health plans. The...

Premera hearing ends, decision due by July 19.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Market forces rather than for-profit or not-for-profit status are driving health insurance decisions, the head of Washington state's largest health insurer says. In the windup of a hearing on a...

Varian Medical Systems enhances customer support with Axeda DRM technology.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Axeda Systems Inc. (XEDA) announced that Varian Medical Systems, Inc., is expanding deployment of Axeda's DRM technology to Varian's Acuity System. Varian has been an Axeda customer since 2001. The...

Connecticut Ob/Gyns say they'll surcharge deliveries.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A group of Connecticut doctors says it will levy a $500 surcharge on pregnant women to help pay for skyrocketing medical malpractice costs. Women's Health Connecticut (WHC), a statewide partnership...

American Hospice plans merger with Voyager HospiceCare.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American Hospice, Inc., announced plans to merge with Voyager HospiceCare, Inc. The merger, which is projected to close during the third quarter of 2004, will provide a platform from which Voyager...

Critical Home Care acquires Arcadia Services, Arcadia Rx.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Critical Home Care, Inc., (CCLH.OB) announced that it has acquired Arcadia Services, Inc., and Arcadia Rx, LLC. Arcadia Services is a national provider of staffing and home care services located in...

ISO acquires DxCG, a provider of predictive-modeling software.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- ISO announced it has acquired DxCG, Inc., a Boston, Massachusetts-based provider of analytical software solutions that promote fair and efficient healthcare. Terms were not disclosed. DxCG...

Pediatrix expands with maternal-fetal medicine group practice acquisition.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc., (PDX) has expanded its maternal-fetal medicine physician group practice into Georgia with the acquisition of Atlanta (Georgia) Maternal-Fetal Medicine, a four-physician...

Sleep-diagnostic equipment maker to acquire SleepTech, LLC.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medcare, a manufacturer of diagnostic equipment for sleep-treatment centers, announced that it has acquired 100% interest in SleepTech, LLC, a Kinnelon, New Jersey-based manager of hospital-owned...

Blue Cross shows reduction in smoking among members in Minnesota.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Smoking rates among adults insured by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota have fallen by 15.6% between 1999 and 2003, according to a new survey. Smoking among adult members declined from 14.7%...

Obese women more likely to have pregnancy complications, cesarean section.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Obese and morbidly obese women are more likely to have pregnancy complications and cesarean-section delivery than women of average weight, according to a study by physician-scientists at...

New survey reveals emerging "lifestyle of pain" in America.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Seventy-two percent of people with chronic pain have lived with it for more than 3 years, including a third (34%) who have lived with pain for more than a decade, according to results from the Americans...

Sharps disposal by mail system meets EPA guidelines.
June 7, 2004... 2004 JUN 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In keeping with the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations for the safe home disposal of needles, lancets, and syringes, Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX) offers its BD Sharps...