Managed care

In an experiment likely to create controversy, the Wisconsin Health Information Organization said it will pool data on healthcare costs in the state. Four managed care companies participating in the effort will share claims data. Supporters say the idea will help cut costs and improve quality. Doctors and hospitals often resist such studies, arguing there is no evidence they are reliable. Article

> Shares of Molina Healthcare were up $5.39, or 25 percent, as the California-based Medicaid managed care company put out better than expected numbers. Article 

> California insurers sending patients south of the border for care. Article

> At the Cleveland Clinic, …

A Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive poll finds that a majority of Americans want regulation of key industries, particularly those involved in the healthcare field. Americans want tougher regulation of the pharmaceutical (51 percent) and insurance sectors (46 percent). However, despite higher insurance premiums, the appetite for regulation appears diminished. Most Americans seem to think hospitals are doing fairly well on their own, with only 28 percent favoring …

The Department of Health and Human Services approved changes to Florida's Medicaid program proposed by Gov. Jeb Bush. Under the plan, which has been harshly criticized by many Democrats, Florida has the authority to limit spending on the benefits each program recipient receives. The approval also allows managed care companies more flexibility in restricting benefits. The spending cap specifically excludes pregnant women and those under the age of 21. The HHS approval gives the state the …

Under pressure from Democrats, patient advocates and public hospitals, California will not go ahead with a planned shift of thousands of elderly, blind and disabled Medi-Cal recipients to managed care plans. The failure to meet the deadline will cost the state $98 million in federal funds. California had agreed to the proposal to move patients into the private plan as part of a compromise with the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. California's decision is likely to be viewed as …

A plan to move thousands of Florida Medicaid patients to managed care goes to Washington for approval this week. Florida officials said disagreements between the state and CMS over hospital reimbursements may cause a delay in the implementation of the scheme. On Wednesday, Florida released details of its ambitious pilot project which will move patients from its state-run program to a market-based alternative. The experiment will see Medicaid enrollees in Broward and Duval counties moved …

> A Malaysian state-owned investment fund has bought a 13.2 percent stake in Indian hospital company Apollo. Story

> Caremark reports a healthy 53 percent jump in second-quarter net income; the company credits sales of specialty drugs. Release

> California's Insurance …

WellPoint announced this morning that it will pay $135 million to settle class-action lawsuits brought by physicians who accuse the company of unfair reimbursement practices. The deal would affect more than 700,000 physicians in the US participating in two major lawsuits against the insurer and other managed care companies. The settlement, which still must be approved by the courts, appears to resolve a major question mark for the nation's largest insurer at a time when it faces increased …

California's Department of Managed Health Care fined Kaiser Permanente $200,000 for allowing the confidential personal information of 150 of its patients to be published on the Internet. The fine is one of the largest yet assessed to a health care provider for an error involving privacy rules. The incident in question occurred when a disgruntled ex-staff member involved in a dispute with a supervisor decided to draw attention to a poorly secured internal Kaiser web site.
The Bay Area …

A new survey by Harris Interactive finds public attitudes towards companies in the healthcare sector are improving. Despite their collective problems in recent years, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and managed care providers are all doing a little better than they have in the past. Pharma companies did surprisingly well in the poll, showing an improvement of 17 points over a year ago. Fifty-six percent of respondents say drug companies "do a good job of serving their customers." …