> Wellpoint announces 360 Health, which it claims is "the industry's first program to integrate all care management programs and tools into a centralized, consumer-friendly resource that assists members in navigating the healthcare system, using their health benefits and providing information to help them to access comprehensive and appropriate care." The service includes the opportunity for members to compile a personal health record. Other insurers, including Aetna, have announced various tools to help consumers make sense of their healthcare choices. Release
> Memorial Hermann Healthcare in Houston is expanding upward, with a 35-story, 918,000-square-foot tower on its Memorial City campus. It will house 15 floors of in-patient services and 20 floors of out-patient services, doctor offices and corporate office space. Article
> Rising gas prices and fixed reimbursements drive a home health agency to the brink of oblivion in the Las Vegas area, where long drives are becoming cost-prohibitive for both skilled and unskilled homecare workers. Medicaid sometimes pays for gas, but the agency has to apply for each individual visit. Article
> Kaiser Permanente has received approval from Sacramento's Planning Commission to expand its South Sacramento Medical Center. The $251 million project would increase the size of the medical center by about one-third, adding a new patient-bed tower and expanding the emergency room. Kaiser will also use the expansion to establish a regional trauma center. Article
> California Governator Arnold Schwarznegger has called for a healthcare summit July 24 at UCLA, but the California Nurses' Assn. says it's an election-year ploy by a politician who has blocked every meaningful reform presented during his three years in office. Release
> Healthways, a disease-management company, has received clearance for its merger with LifeMasters Supported SelfCare. The $307.5 million cash merger is expected to close on Sept. 1. The combined company will provide services to more than 500 employers and 3 million individuals. Release
And Finally... Medical spa treatments--Botox injections, microdermabrasion facials, laser hair removal--have hit big in North Carolina, fueled by demand from sagging Baby Boomers. Article