|
Abraxis Teams with Scripps to Treat Cancer
Abraxis BioScience, Inc.,
where Patrick Soon-Shiong,
MD, is CEO,
and The Scripps Research Institute have
entered an exclusive licensing agreement for the worldwide
development and commercialization of a novel epothilone
therapeutic for the treatment of cancer. Abraxis has
rights to 11 potential drug candidates for pre-clinical evaluation and
selection of a lead candidate for clinical development.
DWT's Hinkley Named "Super Lawyer"
Congratulations to
Gerry Hinkley, Partner in the Health Care Law Practice of Davis Wright
Tremaine, on being named by his peers as a Northern California
"Super Lawyer" for 2007 in a survey conducted by Law & Politics.
El Camino Hospital Among "Most Wired"
For the fifth year in a row, El
Camino Hospital, where Ken Graham is CEO, has been named one of the "100 Most Wired
Hospitals" in a survey published in Healthcare and
Health Networks magazine, representing 1,298 hospitals.
Hythiam Sponsors Online Social Network to Aid Recovery
Hythiam, Inc., where Rick
Anderson is Senior Executive VP, has launched Recovery Media
Network, a free online social network that supports the traditional
addiction recovery process, on a 24-hour-per-day basis worldwide.
Meanwhile,
Panamanian medical facility Centro
Medico Paitilla has licensed Hythiam's PROMETA Treatment Programs for
alcoholism and stimulant addiction to service the Central and South
American marketplace.
HeartMath Makes Positive Impact at Duke
Bruce Cryer, CEO
of HeartMath, recently wrote about the achievements of Duke
University Health System after implementing HeartMath’s stress reduction
and staff development program, including
a reduction in staff turnover, from 38% to 5% in 16 months. Said a Duke
executive: "...our primary focus – taking care of staff so they could
care for patients – is repeatedly cited as one of the main reasons they
stay. There are numerous comments from staff who tell us HeartMath has
transformed their lives."
(Future Healthcare, the Journal of Medical Innovation, Q3 2007)
IntelliDOT & Medacist Partner on Medication Safety
IntelliDOT Corporation, where Tom Klopack is CEO, and Medacist
Solutions Group have formed a joint marketing
agreement. In it, Medacist will incorporate data from IntelliDOT to
produce a report that matches medication withdrawal information from a hospital’s storage
cabinet with IntelliDOT’s transaction data, assuring an accurate and
safe medication process.
Kaiser Plays Key Role in Developing IT Standards
Kaiser Permanente,
where Christine Paige is
Senior VP of Marketing & Internet Services, is providing expert
guidance for Health Level Seven's proposed industry standard for
personal health records. Today, more than 1.5 million KP members can securely
email their care providers and check lab test results online, with
60,000+ people signing up each month. HL7 will receive public comment
about its proposed standard through its website until Sept. 13.
Keenan's Rx Purchasing Coalition Demonstrates Savings
Keenan &
Associates, where Steve Richter is Senior VP, announced that
California employers who have joined the Keenan Pharmacy Purchasing
Coalition are saving more than 10% compared to their projected pharmacy
expenditures, with savings as high as 28% of prescription drug costs.
The coalition, which has grown to serve 144,000+ employee members in
just eight months, encourages use of lower cost drugs, provides
significant retail and mail order discounts, among the lowest dispensing
fees in the market, guaranteed rebates and is completely transparent.
LA Biomed Offers Low-Dose Radiation Cardiac CT Scans
Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, where Ken Trevett is CEO,
is one of the first facilities in the western U.S. to offer a new heart
disease screening technology that may reduce patients’ radiation
exposure by up to 70%. The new equipment produces a timed, automated response to a patient’s heart rate,
ensuring the X-ray is only on for portions of the scan.
Pediatrix Launches National Anesthesia Group Practice
Pediatrix Medical Group, where Dave
Mintz is VP of the Pacific Region, has completed their acquisition
of Fairfax Anesthesiology Associates -
via its new division, American Anesthesiology. The transaction launches Pediatrix's
effort to develop a national group practice specializing in
anesthesia services.
Vocera Named to the Inc. 500
Vocera Communications, where Bob Zollars is CEO, is ranked #462 on
the 26th annual Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private
companies in the U.S.
|
Surprising Small
Business Views on the Healthcare Debate
For
years, conventional wisdom has been that for those running
small companies (those with fewer than 100 employees),
healthcare simply wasn't a priority. New research,
commissioned by "Small Business Majority" and uncovered by
ABL Member Marshall Toplansky, CEO of Core Strategies,
reveals that 75% of the 506 owners and senior managers
surveyed rated the availability of affordable healthcare “Very
Important" or “One of the top one or two issues we face in
business today." As has long been reported,
most of these
employers don't currently provide their workers with health
coverage; in fact, only 40% of those surveyed offer their
workers some type of health insurance. Yet, what was really
impressive was that the majority (57%) of these business
owners see healthcare financing as a shared responsibility
among individuals,
employers and government. And, to that end, they
were willing to "pay" to solve the problem - with at least the
plurality supporting various "solutions" to the crisis that
are currently making the rounds in Sacramento. For example:
- 47% support a mandated 7.5% employer contribution (the California
Legislature's plan)
- 47% support a requirement for individuals to purchase insurance, and a
4% employer contribution (Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan)
- 46% favored a 1% sales tax increase to make healthcare more affordable,
and
- 42% favored a single payer system (vs. 40% against it).
In all, our small businessmen and women - who are frequently
depicted as devout libertarians, may turn out to be the secret
weapon healthcare reformers can tap for support in the months
ahead.
|
Weems Named to Head CMS
President Bush has officially named Kerry Weems acting
administrator for the CMS, even though Weems’ formal
nomination is pending in the Senate. Weems has said that one
of his goals will be to establish a value-based purchasing, or
pay-for-performance, plan for hospitals and other providers.
(Modern Healthcare, 9/5/07)
Governor Signs Budget with Cuts to Medi-Cal & More
Gov. Schwarzenegger has signed a $145 billion state budget for
fiscal year 2007-2008 after using his line-item veto authority
to cut funds from Medi-Cal and mental health services to help
reduce state spending by $700 million.
His
largest veto was a $332 million cut from Medi-Cal's reserves,
as well as $55 million from the Integrated Services for
Homeless Adults with Serious Mental Illness; $13.8 million
intended to help enroll 94,000 eligible children in public
health insurance programs; $15 million in county grants under
the Children's Outreach Initiative; $6.3 million intended to
help implement the California Discount Prescription Drug
Program; and $1.3 million to track hospital efforts to
eliminate infections. (San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times,
Sacramento Bee, 8/25/07)
High Court Ruling May Unlock Key Data on Doctors
The
U.S. District Court for DC recently ruled that HHS must
release data on every physician claim paid by Medicare in
Washington, DC, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia and Washington
state. The lawsuit was brought by a not-for-profit
consumer research group, Consumers' Checkbook, which said it
will create a free resource disclosing the various types and
amounts of procedures performed by each physician. Checkbook
expects that some health plans will collaborate and pool data
with the Medicare information "to create an even more
comprehensive procedure count for each physician." (AIS's
Government News of the Week, 9/03/07)
|
Number of U.S. Uninsured Rises
The number of people in the U.S. without health insurance
coverage rose to 47 million in 2006, or 15.8% of the
population, up from 44.8 million, or 15.3%, in 2005, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Modern Healthcare, 8/28/07)
$31 Million Awarded to
Expand Use of Health IT
HRSA has announced $31.4 million in grants to help health
centers - including several in California - prepare to adopt
and implement electronic health records and other health
information technology innovations.
The funds are "vital" for reaching President Bush’s goal of
EHR adoption for most Americans by 2014, according to HRSA,
and health IT's expansion is a priority. (HRSA
Release, 8/27/07)
|
