kaiser
PacifiCare faces $1.33B fine
Man, California regulators are tough. Over the past year, I wouldn't be surprised if there had been more fines imposed by the state's Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) then by state health... Read more...
Vytorin, Avandia raise doubt on FDA approvals
With recent studies raising questions about the safety of Avandia, and the benefits of costly cholesterol combo drug Vytorin, public debate has begun again as to whether the FDA's approval process... Read more...
Study: Blacks avoid clinical trials
It seems that many black U.S. residents are less likely to participate in clinical studies, possibly due to distrust of physicians and fears that they might be harmed by participation, according to a... Read more...
Patients afraid to challenge surgeons
In theory, patients should ask surgeons some probing questions prior to getting their procedure done, including what success rate they have and how many procedures they've performed, most safety... Read more...
PA works to shift patients to community care
Moving in a direction which has widely been encouraged in national policy circles, the state of Pennsylvania has begun shifting its funding in a manner intended to keep people out of nursing homes... Read more...
ME judge nixes law limiting prescribing data access
It looks like the prescription data miners have won another victory. After successfully challenging a similar law in New Hampshire, Wolters Kluwer Health, IMS Health and Verispan have won an action... Read more...
Study: Hospital bills up 90 percent over past decade
Even when adjusted for inflation, hospital bills have increased by about 90 percent over the past 10 years, according to new data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The report,... Read more...
CA seeks $12.6 million fine for Blue Shield
The state of California's insurance chief is seeking a $12.6 million fine against Blue Shield of California, accusing it of 1,262 claims-handling law violations and regs and more than 200 improper... Read more...
Trend: Hospital EDs continue to face strain
Evidence continues to mount up that emergency departments are facing an overcrowding crisis. According to a new report published this week in the Annals of Emergency Medicine, ED visits by people... Read more...
TX may use Medicaid funds to subsidize insurance for poor
A new plan under discussion in Texas would redistribute DSH funding to fund a program subsidizing health insurance for the poor. The $246 million fund would subsidize health policies on a sliding... Read more...
