Managed Care Weekly articles from May 2004

Managed Care Weekly archives from May 2004

Continuous insulin monitoring does not raise hospital costs.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with diabetes whose glucose is continually monitored after coronary bypass artery graft surgery do not incur higher medical costs despite the additional testing, researchers at the Pennsylvania...

Costs can shrink when parents are trained to handle kids' common ailments.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medicaid costs for a child's trip to an emergency room or clinic can be reduced annually by at least $198 per family when Head Start parents are provided with easy-to-understand healthcare guidance,...

Drug card program could save all seniors without drug coverage $1 billion.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medicare's prescription drug discount card program could save seniors without any other drug coverage an average of 17.4% - or as much as $1 billion a year in total - in out-of-pocket costs, Harvard...

Computerized prescriber order entry systems may not decrease patient harm.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems decrease medication error, but they may not decrease patient harm due to medication error, according to the results of a study conducted at...

Strategies could make for safer shift changes at hospitals.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As hospitals across the United States develop policies to prevent worker fatigue and ensure patient safety, a study at Ohio State University has identified key strategies that might make the job easier....

Alcohol diagnoses being missed in hospital patients.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Many people admitted to hospitals in the U.S. have alcohol-use disorders that go undetected, according to a new study by scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), one...

Health officials studying workers for possible asbestos.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Workers at a former building insulation plant in St. Louis were unknowingly exposed to asbestos, and city, state and federal agencies are trying to determine if the exposure damaged their health,...

The Beryl Companies to handle inquiries about new bariatric surgery program.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Southwest Medical Center has selected The Beryl Companies to be its outsourcing partner to handle telephone inquiries about its new bariatric surgery program. Beryl is the nation's premier...

ValueOptions behavioral health service center earns NCQA accreditation.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) announced 3-year, full accreditation of ValueOptions' Great Lakes Managed Behavioral Health Service Center, which is the second consecutive full...

Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta purchases Leksell Gamma Knife.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Saint Joseph's Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia's 346-bed, tertiary-care hospital, has purchased the Leksell Gamma Knife to add to its treatment options by October 2004. Gamma Knife surgery avoids...

New reimbursement codes announced for MammoSite balloon catheter.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Proxima Therapeutics, Inc., announced that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has assigned new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for placement of its...

BioBalance parent's 2003 revenues come solely from healthcare services.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New York Health Care, Inc., (BBAL) announced financial results for the year ended December 31, 2003. Net patient service revenues of $45,060,449 were entirely generated from its healthcare services...

Dental, vision, and managed-care subsidiaries merged into one entity.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SafeGuard Health Enterprises, Inc. (OTCBB: SFGD) has merged the dental and vision benefits subsidiaries recently purchased from Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) into SafeGuard Health Plans, Inc., its...

Minnesota insurer flush with cash.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota says it has lowered some premium increases for employers after finishing 2003 with financial reserves that were $30 million above a ceiling set by state law. ...

SunLink Health Systems to sell Mountainside Medical Center.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SunLink Health Systems, Inc., (AMEX) has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Mountainside Medical Center hospital in Jasper, Georgia, to Piedmont Medical Center, Inc. for approximately $40...

Cost-management firm renews relationship with Alabama healthcare system.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS), a healthcare cost management company, announced it renewed its long-standing relationship with Baptist Health, a healthcare system in the state of Alabama. PHCS...

Davis Health System and PMH agree to create network.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Davis Health System and Pocahontas Memorial Hospital have agreed to create a network to help the Pocahontas County hospital achieve a "critical access hospital" designation and qualify for increased...

Medicine-flavoring company partners with 10 new providers.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- FLAVORx, a formulary system used by pharmacists to safely add flavorings to liquid medications to improve taste and increase compliance, announced the partnerships with nine new pharmacy chains and a...

NovaMed Eyecare announces name change.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NovaMed Eyecare, Inc., (NOVA) has changed its name to NovaMed, Inc. The name change was accomplished through the merger of a newly formed subsidiary, NovaMed, Inc., into NovaMed Eyecare, Inc. The...

Ohio HMO selects Internet-based health management system.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Health Plan of Upper Ohio Valley will offer new online services to its providers, employers, and brokers through HealthTrio connect, an Internet-based health management system. HealthTrio is a...

PBM's discount drug card approved by Medicare.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc. (MedImpact), a pharmacy benefit manager, announced that the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the company's drug discount card (DDC) program....

Premier announces new cardiac rhythm management agreements.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Premier Purchasing Partners, LLP, the group purchasing division of Premier, Inc., has entered into new 2-year cardiac rhythm management (CRM) agreements with Medtronic U.S.A, Inc., Guidant Sales Corp.,...

VA includes chiropractic care for veterans.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Banyan Corporation (BANY) and its subsidiary, Chiropractic USA, Inc., expressed commendation and support for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA) announcement of full inclusion of chiropractic...

Aegis enters into agreement with East Jefferson General Hospital.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie, Louisiana, has engaged Nashville-based Aegis to assist the facility in effectively linking the hospital's services and programs with the health-related needs...

United Surgical Partners International announces joint venture.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- United Surgical Partners International, Inc., (USPI) has entered the Michigan marketplace through a joint venture agreement with McLaren Health Care Corporation to develop and operate ambulatory surgery...

Cholesterol test offered to consumers via website.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Atherotech, Inc., a specialty reference laboratory, and HealthcheckUSA, a direct-to-consumer laboratory service, announced the launch of the "Get a VAP" website, which allows consumers to order...

"Off-pump" coronary bypass surgery has similar outcomes, lower cost.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Coronary artery surgery performed "off-pump," that is, keeping the heart beating and not using the cardiopulmonary bypass machine, has similar outcomes after 1 year, and costs less, when compared to...

Older patients incur greater hospital costs when undergoing CABG.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients over 75 years of age had higher hospital costs than younger patients when undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, researchers find. According to recent research from Canada,...

Improved blood sugar control under supervision does not increase costs.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study released by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) found that patients with diabetes who undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and have strict blood sugar control...

One in four Medicare diabetics does not get eye exams.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Florida Medical Quality Assurance, Inc., (FMQAI) urges everyone with diabetes to have a dilated eye exam at least once a year to reduce the risk of visual impairment from diabetic retinopathy. The...

NMP22 BladderChek reaches milestone.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Matritech (MZT), a developer of proteomics-based diagnostic products for the early detection of cancer, announced that it has reached a significant reimbursement milestone for its NMP22 BladderChek...

Study documents cost-effectiveness of HPV test in cervical cancer prevention.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study finds that screening women 30 years of age or older with both a Pap and HPV (human papillomavirus) test reduces cervical cancer incidence by up to 93% and results in a 30% cost savings...

Monitors will be offered to members with congestive heart failure, diabetes.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American Medical Alert Corp. (AMAC), a national provider of home health monitoring appliances and 24/7 communication services, has been selected to provide remote patient monitoring to Healthfirst, a...

Quality Oncology announces contract with Delta.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Matria Healthcare, Inc., (MATR) announced that its subsidiary, Quality Oncology, Inc., (QO) is providing comprehensive disease management services nationwide for Delta Air Lines' employees and their...

ORALscreen declared suitable for drug enforcement in Japan.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Avitar, Inc., (AVR) received high marks for its ORALscreen instant test for drugs-of-abuse by Forensic Science Laboratory, Osaka Prefectural Police Headquarters, Osaka, Japan. In a recent article...

Prescription drug panel could meet soon in West Virginia.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A West Virginia-appointed council that must recommend ways to control prescription drug costs could be ready to meet within 2 weeks, its chairman says. "I think it will be done in very short...

Health emergency cards offered in Virginia.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Virginia Health Department is giving away 1.1 million health-emergency cards, about the size of a credit card, as part of its emergency preparedness planning. The federally funded project will...

Families struggle as employers cut benefits.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When Joe Witczak needed a root canal and a crown in 2003, he had to pay $395 for the procedure despite his family having two dental-insurance plans. The cost was the remainder of what Witczak's...

Medicare initiative aims to increase use of fistulas in providing hemodialysis.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is leading a national initiative to increase the use of fistulas in providing hemodialysis for Medicare beneficiaries with kidney failure, which is...

Hospital cardiac catheterization labs renovated as part of strategic alliance.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- As part of a 5-year, exclusive strategic alliance with Siemens Medical Solutions, St. Elizabeth's Hospital is renovating its cardiac catheterization (cath) laboratory facilities. The alliance,...

Mayo Clinic building new outpatient facility.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mayo Clinic has broken ground on a $35 million outpatient facility to rise beside the Mayo Clinic Hospital in northeast Phoenix. The Hospital Based Specialty Clinic is the first step in a 40-year...

CNS-focused pharmaceutical company announces pricing of IPO.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. (MEMY) announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 5,000,000 shares at $7.00 per share. All of the shares are being offered by Memory Pharmaceuticals. The...

Cigna raises first quarter, full year 2004 earnings outlook.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cigna Corporation (CI) announced that it expects to report first quarter 2004 consolidated income from continuing operations before realized investment results and special items of $245 million to $275...

Davis Health Systems posts first loss in networks history.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Davis Health System lost about $750,000 in fiscal 2003, the first deficit in the network's history. Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins finished about $125,000 in the black but was less profitable...

Healthaxis' operating loss declines 72% for the year.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Healthaxis, Inc., (HAXS) reported its financial results for the 3 months and 12 months ended December 31, 2003. Revenues for the year increased 5% compared to 2002, although down 6% for the fourth...

Horizon Health Corp. announces second quarter results.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Horizon Health Corp. (HORC) announced earnings of $0.47 per diluted share for the second fiscal quarter ended February 29, 2004, an increase of 9.3%, as compared with earnings of $0.43 per diluted share...

Med-Emerg 2003 revenue increases 45%, EBIDTA positive.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Med-Emerg International, Inc., (MDER) announced that revenue from continuing operations for the year ended December 31, 2003, increased to $54,335,558 from $37,428,043 for the period ended December 31,...

Quantum Foundation awards over $1.4 M in health-related grants.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Quantum Foundation awarded more than $1.4 million in health-related grants to organizations that aim to improve health and access to health care service in Palm Beach County, Florida. Florida...

West Virginia health network posts its first loss.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Davis Health System in West Virginia lost about $750,000 in fiscal 2003, the first deficit in the network's history. Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins, West Virginia, finished about $125,000 in the...

Only 35% of students pass Connecticut physical fitness test.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Connecticut lawmakers, responding to a poor showing by students taking the Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment, are considering legislation that would require schools to provide students with more...

New food-borne illness guide released.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new educational guide has been released for health care professionals on how to identify and treat food-borne illnesses, as well as consumer tips for patients. "Approximately 76 million Americans...

Privacy of medical records a complex issue, group says.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), during the first annual National Health Information Privacy and Security Week held in April 2004, urged the federal and state governments...

Survey: Organizations achieving HIPAA compliance, seeing positive results.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Healthcare organizations are achieving significant compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rule, according to a survey to assess the current state of...

Strategic alliance to address patient safety, care, and privacy.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Standard Register (SR) and Precision Dynamics Corporation (PDC) have formed a strategic alliance to address the critical challenge of more efficiently managing patient data to enhance patient safety,...

U.S. pharmacists lose business due to drug re-importation, study shows.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- American pharmacists estimate that they have lost 10% of their business to Canadian pharmacies, and most expect that loss to increase substantially, unless the government limits drug re-importation. ...

BCBSNC leads Blue plans nationwide in member growth.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), the state's largest health insurer, was the fastest growing Blue plan in the past 3 years, increasing its membership by an average of more than 15%...

Poll: Voters want more substance from candidates on healthcare priorities.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Likely voters in 17 "battleground" states say they think the election-year healthcare debate in the U.S. has been too political, and that politicians need to do more to address priorities such as...

Healthcare costs rank high on Wyoming House candidate's list.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Vowing to work for more affordable health care, a Casper attorney joined the race for the Democratic nomination for Congress on April 13, 2004. "Let me be clear: The health care pricing system is...

Maryland hospitals ask panel for rate increase to pay for building projects.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Maryland hospitals need higher rates and profit margins to finance building and renovation projects, hospitals representatives told the state's rate regulators. The Health Services Cost Review...

Study shows how Medicaid agencies determine preferred drug lists.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy (FMCP) released the results of a new survey of state Medicaid agencies. The purpose of the investigation was to determine how state Medicaid agencies...

U.S. senator promises legislation to help contain health care costs.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schools would offer carrots instead of Cheetos, restaurants would disclose the calories in their cheeseburgers and employers would give workers tools to stay fit under Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's plans to...

Banker issues warning to nonprofit hospitals regarding indigent care.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In an article in HealthBusinessandPolicy.com, investment banker James Unland, president of The Health Capital Group, urged community hospitals to proactively establish meaningful dialogue with their...

Bill tries to help increase Louisiana's federal health clinics.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A push for Louisiana to try to get more federally sanctioned primary health care clinics, one of the cornerstones of Governor Kathleen Blanco's legislative health care package, doesn't require a state...

Budget panel approves health insurance plan; still needs funding.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Hoping to make a minor dent in Louisiana's large uninsured population, a legislative budget committee agreed April 16, 2004, to a plan that would initially insure about 4,500 people, mainly the working...

California healthcare provider now accepting Mexican identification cards.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mexican immigrants without social security numbers who had been unable to apply for health insurance now can use their Mexican identification cards at a major healthcare provider. Blue Cross...

Experts: HSAs can become dominant healthcare financing in 5-10 years.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- New Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) permitted under legislation effective January 1, 2004, could well become the dominant kind of healthcare financing in the next 5-10 years, according to the business...

Health clinic for indigent in Houston closing despite donation offer.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A mobile health clinic for poor people will close despite a prospective donor's offer to help fund the facility, because its operators say the money is insufficient and comes with strings attached. ...

HealthGate, BCBS Tennessee partner in evidence-based medicine project.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HealthGate Data Corp. announced that its evidence-based clinical guidelines will be used as part of a study conducted by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee in collaboration with Vanderbilt University....

HealthSuite Partners to provide disease management for mid-west health plan.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Disease management (DM) companies QMed, Inc., (QMED) AirLogix, and Alere Medical announced the formation of an equally-owned company called HealthSuite Partners, in conjunction with the signing of an...

MAXIMUS awarded $13.3 million in new school-based Medicaid claiming contracts.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MAXIMUS (MMS) announced the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the Kentucky Department of Education, and the Michigan Department of Management and Budget have recently awarded MAXIMUS Medicaid...

Many farmers say insurance is unaffordable and go without.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Farmers recognize that each year is a gamble that the right amounts of sun and rain will provide for their crops. For some, going without health insurance is just one more game of chance. ...

Medco renews pharmacy agreement with Premera Blue Cross.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medco Health Solutions, Inc., (MHS) has renewed for 3 years an agreement to provide pharmacy benefit management services to Premera Blue Cross, the companies announced. Since 1996, Medco has been...

Medica holds average premium increase to 5.99%.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Medica announced that 2003 financial results showed an operating income of $34.9 million, or 1.5% of Medica's total revenue of $2.33 billion. These results reflect an increase in membership of 12%...

NDCHealth and McKesson form strategic alliance.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- NDCHealth Corp. (NDC) and McKesson Corp. (MCK) announced that NDCHealth has acquired McKesson's OmniLink pre- and postediting (PPE) business for pharmacy claims processing for approximately $14 million...

National Care Network announces a national agreement with CoreSource.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- National Care Network (NCN) announced a national agreement with CoreSource, Inc., as of January 1, 2004. The terms of the agreement state NCN will deliver CoreSource a comprehensive menu of cost...

Nebraska senator proposes making federal government reinsurer for health.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The federal government can help more Americans obtain health insurance by serving as the reinsurer for health insurance companies facing coverage costs for catastrophic illnesses and injuries,...

Oklahoma House approves piece of governor's health initiative.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A proposal to expand health care coverage to thousands of uninsured Oklahomans passed the House April 13, 2004, despite concerns the bill went too far. Senate Bill 1546, by Representative M.C....

Preferred Choices PPO applying for URAC health network accreditation.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Preferred Choices PPO, a subsidiary of Trinity Health, announced that it is applying for health network accreditation from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based health care accrediting organization that...

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announces provider contract.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Independence Blue Cross (IBC) and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia announced that an agreement has been reached on terms of a new, long-term provider contract. Officials for IBC and The...

Farmers feel medical insurance pinch.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Thousands of farmers across South Carolina struggle to maintain health insurance despite increasing costs. Scraping together money for insurance is a common dilemma for farmers, said Alton...

Health bills cost some seniors their homes.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Some Nevada senior citizens say they fear losing their homes to the state after the Nevada Supreme Court upheld state liens on the estates of people who received Medicaid healthcare costs. "They...

Rising insurance premiums hurting Arizona's doctor supply.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Arizona's population is growing at nearly 3% per year, but the supply of doctors is not keeping pace and some experts blame rising insurance premiums for that. "Many doctors are being asked to pay...

Louisiana officials work on alternate plan to avoid healthcare cuts.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Fearing a federal funding disapproval that could leave Louisiana's health care budget in shambles and short $772 million, health officials and lawmakers are working on an alternate plan that would...

Patients with liver disease report dissatisfaction with their doctors.
May 3, 2004... 2004 MAY 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- More than 40% of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in a new study reported communication problems with their physicians. The main problems patients cited were poor physician communication...