News From Around the Web
> LexisNexis Risk Solutions last week announced its acquisition of healthcare provider data and information solutions company Enclarity. The deal is expected to boost LexisNexis' ability to help its customers contain healthcare costs. Announcement
> An employee at MNsure, Minnesota's new online health insurance exchange, accidentally sent an email file containing identifying information for more than 2,400 insurance agents to an insurance broker's office last week, the Star Tribune reported. The email contained Social Security numbers, names, business addresses and other information, according to the article. Article
Provider News
> The Food and Drug Administration, in an attempt to curb nation-wide prescription painkiller abuse, has approved new labeling guidelines for extended-release and long-acting opioid pain relievers, such as Oxycontin. Federal officials say prescription painkiller abuse has reached epidemic proportions. Nearly three out of four prescription drug overdoses are caused by prescription painkillers--also called opioid pain relievers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Article
> Nearly 80 percent of trauma centers in the United States that serve predominantly minority patients have higher-than-expected death rates, according to new Johns Hopkins research published in the October issue of Annals of Surgery. Moreover, the research shows trauma patients of all races are 40 percent less likely to die--regardless of the severity of their injuries--if they receive treatment at hospitals with lower-than-expected mortality rates, the vast majority of which serve predominantly white patients. Post
Health Insurance News
> As the Oct. 1 health insurance exchange enrollment date quickly approaches, hospitals are ramping up their efforts to sign up consumers for coverage through the new online marketplaces, The Washington Post and Kaiser Health News reported. Some hospitals are opening phone hotlines and conducting community outreach at churches, child-care centers, soup kitchens and health fairs to help uninsured Americans obtain coverage under healthcare reform. Article
And Finally… This may be true, but that doesn't mean I want to try it. Article