May 2010
Reimbursement Runaround Redux
- Fri, 5/21/10 - 12:46pm
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- 1065 reads
Lawmakers Continue to Struggle with Doc Fix
Temporarily delaying mandated reimbursement cuts for physicians providing Medicare services has become a routine and recurring event in the US Congress. Since 2002, lawmakers have repeatedly passed legislative stopgaps to forestall reductions in the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) mandated by Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) formula, but some of the recently enacted pay patches have lasted little more than a month. While lawmakers procrastinate, frustrated doctors continue to advocate a permanent solution, ofte
Counting Their Medical Losses
- Fri, 5/21/10 - 12:52pm
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- 947 reads
Insurers Contemplate New Spending Requirements
Health insurers are considering the financial impact of mandatory medical loss ratios (MLRs) requiring them to spend minimum percentages of the premiums they collect on providing healthcare to customers. Starting in 2011, insurers will have to comply with federally mandated MLRs or provide rebates to consumers based on the amount that spending falls below these minimums. While stakeholders in the insurance industry work with regulators to determine precisely how the MLRs will be calculated and applied, some are taking preemp
Cost-Effectiveness of Chemotherapeutic Agents for Colorectal Cancer in a Medicare Population
- Mon, 5/24/10 - 9:54am
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- 866 reads
The US Food and Drug Administration between June 14, 1996, and February 26, 2004, approved 6 chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Two of these drugs, bevacizumab and cetuximab, have been singled out as examples of high-cost/low-value medical care. In previous randomized controlled clinical trials, bevacizumab has been shown to extend median survival time by 3 to 5 months at a cost that can exceed $8000 per month.
Researchers recently conducted a study to compare trends in life expectancy and lifetime medical costs in a population of 4665 Medicare benefi
Health Disparities Collaboratives Have Minimal Effect on Racial/Ethnic and Insurance Disparities in US Community Health Centers
- Mon, 5/24/10 - 10:01am
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- 780 reads
In a recent controlled preintervention/postintervention study, researchers found that although Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Health Disparities Collaboratives (HDCs) are known to improve quality of care in community health centers (CHCs), they had minimal effect on racial/ethnic and insurance disparities. The results were published in Archives of Internal Medicine [2010;170(3):279-286].
Publicly supported CHCs are responsible for caring for >15 million Americans, many of whom are members of groups that have previously been documented to receive
Value-Based Designs Are a Solid Investment Even in a Slow Economy
- Mon, 5/24/10 - 10:13am
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- 792 reads
San Diego—Value-based design insurance programs have remained a viable investment strategy even during the latest economic downturn, according to the results of a recent survey.
The survey results and the benefits of value-based design were recently discussed in an educational session at the AMCP meeting. Cynthia Nayer of the Center for Health Value Innovation and Michael Jacobs of Buck Consultants led the presentation.
The Center for Health Value Innovation just released the Val
Actemra (tocilizumab)
- Mon, 5/24/10 - 10:44am
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- 1359 reads
Actemra (tocilizumab) is an interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitor used to treat adults with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have not adequately responded to or cannot tolerate other approved drug classes for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The drug is a humanized monoclonal antibody that works by blocking the action of IL-6, an immune system protein that is overabundant in people with RA.
Product News
- Mon, 5/24/10 - 2:30pm
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- 912 reads
Product News
New Combination Oral Contraceptive
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Natazia, a combination hormonal tablet for use as an oral contraceptive. Natazia contains two female hormones, an estrogen (estradiol valerate) and a progestin (dienogest), and is the first four-phasic oral contraceptive marketed in the United States. Four-phasic refers to the doses of progestin and estrogen varying at 4 times throughout each 28-day treatment cycle. The product is manufactured by Ba
