News From Around the Web
> The Department of Justice has extended by one month its antitrust review of Aetna's proposed acquisition of Humana, though Aetna says it still projects the transaction will close late next year, the Hartford Business Journal reports. Article
> The fact that fewer of its pharmacy customers pay in cash for prescription drugs--because more are "now benefiting from greater drug insurance coverage"--has dented Wal-Mart's second-quarter operating margins, the company's President and CEO Doug McMillon said during an earnings call with investors. Call transcript
> Document verification delays on Connecticut's insurance exchange, Access Health CT, have affected more than 7,000 customers who bought private insurance through the exchange, though it's not certain how many of those customers had their coverage terminated, the New Haven Register reports. Article
Practice Management News
> With the movement toward value-based care still not dramatically changing how physicians are paid, joining an accountable care organization may not be a matter of urgency for most practices, according to an article from the American Academy of Family Physicians. Article
Health IT News
> Government workers should be part of the healthcare conversation, and while federal employees should not control those discussions they can "seed it with facts and ideas," according to Health and Human Service Department Chief Technology Officer Susannah Fox. Article
And finally… A good place to have an old friend for dinner. Article