Harry Kovar, chief executive officer of WellNet Healthcare Inc., is worried about the proposed merger between Pennsylvania health insurers Highmark Inc. and Independence Blue Cross. Kovar says he thinks the proposed merger, which would create Pennsylvania's largest health insurer, might well have the ability to push pharmacy-benefits management businesses like his right to the sidelines. Kovar will testify on the merger during the Pennsylvania Insurance Department's public hearings, and he will urge the department to forbid the companies from "bundling," even if it does allow the merger.
Bar codes were long touted as the perfect solution to medication mistakes in hospitals. But bar codes make new problems and aren't the panacea that safety advocates expected, according to a research team at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Bar coding has not yet been proven to reduce medication errors, and often the shortcuts that caregivers develop undermine its effectiveness, the researchers found.
Connecticut has opened enrollment in the state's Charter Oak health plan. The plan is open to those who don't qualify for existing state programs and aren't insured through an employer. Individual premiums will range from $75 a month to as high as $259 a month. The state expects to serve a projected 19,200 adults during the first year, rising to 47,200 in its third year. The state is contracting with three private insurers to coordinate benefits and medical providers.
The quality of a patient's care will become the central focus of the National Health Service in England, the government has announced. Hospitals and care teams will be rewarded for achieving high standards, and patients will be able to use quality reports to help them choose where to go for treatment. The measures were announced as part of a major review into the future of the health service in England conducted by surgeon and Health Minister Lord Darzi.
The U.S. government has proposed payment changes in the Medicare health insurance program that could impact reimbursement of medical imaging, diagnostic testing and dialysis providers. The proposal is part of an annual update of how Medicare pays for the treatment of 44 million elderly and disabled individuals. Among the changes proposed are an expansion of diagnostic imaging services for which the government will trim payment when multiple procedures are done on the same patient. It also proposes no update to payment for drugs used during dialysis.
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center has turned to a Web-based technology to help obtain sample medications for patients.
The UPMC eSample Center will allow physicians to order medication through a "virtual sample closet" developed by MedManage Systems Inc. UPMC has begun sending letters describing the new program to its physician offices, outpatient sites, hospital-based clinics and pharmacies. Other letters are being sent to drug manufacturers inviting them to participate.
Butler County, PA, commissioners have endorsed a bond issue of up to $175 million by the Butler County Hospital Authority to fund expansion of Butler Memorial Hospital. Attorney Thomas W. King III told commissioners that up to $150 million would go toward new equipment and a new tower containing more than 65 single-bed patient rooms. Another $25 million will be used to refinance existing debt.
West Penn Allegheny Health System and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield have announced the signing of a new five-year contract, providing coverage by the region's largest insurer in all six of West Penn Allegheny's hospitals. The agreement comes a year after West Penn Allegheny's chief executive officer accused Highmark of paying hospitals controlled by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center substantially more for the same services.
July 1 marks the one-year anniversary of the deadline for most Massachusetts residents to carry health coverage, and those who don't face tax penalties. Since the program began, the percentage of uninsured adults has dropped by nearly half, from 13% to 7%, according to studies cited by the state. Yet the Massachusetts experiment, enacted in 2006, still faces a huge challenge: costs.
The Cleveland Clinic will join with nationally known weight control program Weight Watchers to help its employees shape up and slim down. The clinic plans to announce that it will offer Weight Watchers programs at no cost to any employee enrolled in an in-house health plan that covers more than 27,000 of its 37,000 employees. Employees will have access to weight management programs, fitness centers and smoking cessation programs at no cost.
