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Abraxis
Gets Another FDA OK
Abraxis Pharmaceutical Products, the
hospital-based business of Abraxis BioScience, Inc.,
where Patrick Soon-Shiong,
MD, is CEO, has received FDA approval to market Cefotetan Disodium for
Injection, which offers surgeons a convenient single-dose option for surgical
prophylaxis and secondary infections.
AIM
Enters Agreement with BCBS of Florida
American Imaging
Management, where David Soffa, MD, is Chief Medical Officer, has
been selected by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, Inc. to
deliver imaging network information and transparency services through
AIM’s OptiNet program, which
provides health plans the ability to
collect, store and monitor key quality indicators of diagnostic imaging
providers through an easy-to-use web interface.
Allegory Presents
Communications Training
Only a few seats left! "Communicating to be Heard and Remembered," a
training session for women only, September 12 & 15, presented by
Allegory Training, where Christina Harbridge-Law is President.
Click here for more information & to register.
Aperio Attracts Worldwide Audience to Conference
Aperio Technologies, where Dirk Soenksen is CEO, and the
California Society of Pathologists is hosting the third annual Pathology Visions
conference, October 21-23 in San Diego. Focused solely on digital
pathology, this year’s conference features topics that include clinical, image
analysis and research, education, and IT and implementation. For more
information, go to aperio.com.
CMS:
Strong Competition Impacts Part D Premiums
Due in large part
to strong competitive bidding by health and prescription drug plans
and beneficiaries’ choices, CMS, where David Sayen is Associate
Regional Administrator, anticipates that the actual average premium paid by
beneficiaries for standard Part D coverage in 2008 will be roughly $25
-- far
below the original estimate for 2008 of $41, and below the
most recent estimate of $27 from the 2008 Mid-Session Review.
Dynamic Healthcare's Voyager Made a "Priority"
Dynamic Healthcare
Systems, where Ken Stockman is CEO, announced that 585,000-member
Priority Health has purchased Dynamic’s complete Voyager product suite
to automate and streamline back office operations. Voyager provides
Priority with comprehensive Medicare Advantage management capabilities,
from automated enrollment, and revenue reconciliation to risk adjustment
analytics.
HeartMath's emWave Glowingly Reviewed
HeartMath, where Bruce Cryer is CEO, and its emWave heart rate
monitor are extensively reviewed in the September 2007 issue of
Today's Golfer magazine, which lists these proven benefits for office
workers:
Reduction from 53% to 29% in tiredness, from 51% to 10% in
sleeplessness, from 65% to 8% in anxiety, up to 65% in stress, from 28%
to 5.9% in staff turnover, and 50% improvement in workers' efficiency
and productivity.
IBM
Installs Servers at Antelope Valley Hospital
IBM, where Bill Craddock is Associate Partner and Client Service Leader
West,
announced that Antelope Valley Hospital, with the second busiest emergency
department in Los Angeles County, is migrating from 70 Dell
systems to just four virtualized IBM System x servers to dramatically
improve data center performance and reduce energy costs.
Isotis
Gets FDA Clearance for Accell
IsoTis, Inc.,
where Pieter Wolters is CEO, has FDA clearance to market the Accell Family of
Products in the U.S. as Class II medical devices. The products are
indicated for use as bone graft extenders in the spine, extremities and
pelvis, or as bone void fillers in extremities and pelvis.
MZI's
EZ-CAP Chosen by AHCIPA
MZI HealthCare, LLC, where Darryl Low is President, announced that Accountable Health Care IPA
has selected the EZ-CAP benefit administration software to automate its
claims processing and benefits administration, as well as EZ-EDI
to help it simplify the complexities of formatting HIPAA transactions.
Pediatrix Acquires Seattle Ultrasound Group Practice
Pediatrix Medical Group, where Dave
Mintz is VP of the Pacific Region, has acquired a physician group in
Seattle that concentrates on obstetrical and high-risk maternal-fetal
medicine ultrasounds, with seven board-certified radiologist physicians.
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ABL's HRA:
We're an Organization of "Heavy Weights"
Thanks to our Member Margaret
Sabin, CEO of Sutter Health Partners, 120 ABL Healthcare
Members received Personal Wellness Profiles (AKA: Health Risk
Assessments) in the mail. SO FAR, 30 (25%) of our Members have
returned them to Sutter. It appears that the first to respond
must have suspected that they could use the feedback, because
here it is: 73% of the Members responding weighed-in with a
BMI over 25 (a major risk factor). After that, our other
"elevated disease risks" plunged to 27% at risk for High Blood
Pressure, 13% with High Cholesterol, 10% need more Physical
Activity, and only 3% need to worry about their Blood Glucose
level. (Frankly, we appear to be a rather healthy group
considering how overweight we are!) But, what are the economic
risks of our extra pounds? Turns out if we were a "company,"
according to Sutter Health Partners, we could potentially save
$64,279 if all of us reduced our "risks" to the low risk
category. And we'd probably feel better, too! So,
maybe it's time for ABL to sponsor a "Biggest Loser" event. If
you want to play, tell us your goal - and let us know when you
reach it. We'll be happy to publicize your feat (or not, as
you prefer) in future issues of ABL Healthcare Online. Even
more important, we'll all be practicing the good health we
preach!
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Kaiser & BSC CEOs Endorse Provisions of Governor's Plan
Kaiser Permanente CEO
George Halvorson said he supports provisions of Governor
Schwarzenegger's plan that
would require all Californians to maintain health insurance coverage
and bar insurers from denying applications for coverage because of
pre-existing medical conditions. Kaiser, along with Blue Shield of California
and Health Net, is part of a coalition backing healthcare reform in
California. (Reuters, 8/16) Also,
Blue Shield of California CEO Bruce Bodaken said health insurance
costs have risen significantly in states that have required insurers
to offer coverage to all applicants without requiring state residents
to buy coverage: Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York "had the
three highest average insurance premiums in the country." (San
Francisco Chronicle, 8/16/07)
Healthy San Francisco Beats Enrollment Target
Enrollment in San
Francisco's universal health access program hit 1,047 mid-August,
beating city officials' expectations of 600 to 1,000
enrollees by the end of the month. Healthy San Francisco launched at two clinics
in
July with plans for 20 more clinics in September. The program is currently enrolling only city residents whose
incomes do not exceed the federal poverty level, but will
open to all residents this January. It's expected to cost $200 million annually and rely on federal, state and
county funds, and mandatory contributions from businesses. (San
Francisco Chronicle, 8/15; California Healthline, 7/13/07)
Medicare Benefit Expanded Rx Coverage for Seniors
The percentage of seniors without prescription drug coverage dropped
from 33% in 2005 before the Medicare prescription drug benefit took
effect to 8% in 2006, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey. Overall,
about half of the 44 million Medicare beneficiaries were enrolled in
the drug benefit, 31% received drug benefits from a former employer
and 3% were covered through the VA. About one-quarter of seniors
enrolled in the Medicare drug benefit said they had switched to
lower-cost generic drugs, and more were using mail-ordering programs
for 90-day supplies at a lower cost. (L.A. Times &
Cox/Longview News Journal, 8/21/07)
Court Denies Terminally Ill Access to Experimental Drugs
Terminally ill
patients do not have the right to obtain access to unapproved
prescription drugs that potentially are lifesaving, even if their
physicians say the treatments offer the best chance of improved
health, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
Circuit has ruled. (Baltimore Sun, 8/8/07)
King-Harbor Hospital Closes
Los Angeles County
supervisors unanimously voted to terminate inpatient services at
Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital following CMS' report that
King-Harbor no longer will be eligible to receive $200 million in
federal funding after failing two inspections. CMS found the hospital
fell below minimum federal standards in eight out of 23 areas assessed
in an inspection last month. King-Harbor has closed everything but
outpatient services while county officials search for a
private operator to reopen the facility. (L.A. Times, 8/14;
L.A. Daily News, 8/13; New York Times, 8/21/07)
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HSAs May Have "Breakout Year" in 2008
Enrollment in high-deductible health plans linked with health savings
accounts in 2008 is expected to increase by an estimated four million
to a total of 10 million as more large companies begin to offer such
plans to help reduce healthcare costs, according to some healthcare
consultants. The increase is due in part because health insurers have
begun to offer more high-deductible health plans linked with HSAs and
in part because companies have become more effective in efforts to
educate employees about the benefits of such plans. (Washington Times,
8/20/07)
U.S. Trails 41 Countries in Life Expectancy Rates
Life expectancy in the U.S.
has reached its highest point ever, but is exceeded by the rates
in 41 other countries, including Japan, most of Europe, Jordan and
the Cayman Islands. A U.S. resident born in 2004 has a life
expectancy of 77.9 years, placing the U.S. in 42nd place, down from
11th place two decades ago. Researchers attribute the lower ranking
to the high uninsured rate among the U.S. population, rising obesity rates and racial disparities in life
expectancy. The U.S. also has a high infant mortality rate compared
with other industrialized nations, with 40 countries having lower
infant mortality rates in 2004. (AP/Arizona Daily
Star)
CalHospitalCompare Adds More Ratings Measures
CalHospitalCompare.org, which provides ratings for 210 California
hospitals, now includes pneumonia mortality and key surgical
infection prevention measures. Data on more than 50 other quality
and consumer experience measures has been updated. A
Spanish-language version will be introduced this fall.
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