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Disease Management News

Disease Management News is an electronic, weekly, eight-page newsletter devoted exclusively to competitive business intelligence and analysis of the entire disease management field. It contains in-depth coverage of DM startups, shutdowns, acquisitions, partnerships, contracting, clinical and cost outcomes, new disease and geographic markets, technology, and names/phone numbers of key industry contacts.

2008

Disease Management News

Issue 3, March 1, 2008

• CMS: MHS ends this year

  Proving cost savings is a goal of any program administered by the CMS, but Medicare Health Support...

Issue 41, October 27, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Healthways’ 4Q08 revenues up 12% from 2007

  Healthways, Inc., acknowledged that an “uncertain economic environment” would play a...

• Employer communication key to improving health

  Although employees may have the best of intentions about improving their health, many are finding...

• DMAA voices concerns about chronic care in downturn

  DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance called forrenewed vigilance in the fight against chronic disease...

Issue 40, October 20, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Program incentives not always related to goals

  Employers appear to use a shotgun approach in developing incentives programs to promote work force...

• SilverSneakers lowers costs in two separate studies

  Older adults with diabetes who participate in Healthways, Inc.’s SilverSneakers Fitness...

Issue 39, October 13, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Consortium launches update of CVD guidelines

  The Consortium for Southeastern Hypertension Control (COSEHC) is launching a major five-year study...

• Insomnia DM program produces productivity savings

  A low-cost, Web-based program to manage insomnia has produced productivity savings of $2,235 per...

• News in brief

  Hoffman acquires expanded position in MedAssurant TCS Healthcare launches data mining tool...

Issue 38, October 6, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Jefferson launches population health school

  Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University—the sponsor of an annual disease management...

• Study: Medical home concept reduces costs

  A review of the patient-centered medical home system at the privately held Geisinger Health System...

Issue 37, September 29, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• LifeMasters, McKesson report success in Medicare, Medicaid programs

  Although disease management’s foray into the Medicare fee-for-service arena through the...

• Caterpillar develops own HRA for health promotion

  Industrial building equipment manufacturer Caterpillar Inc. said it is making inroads into...

Issue 36, September 22, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• DM, wellness vendors can help transformation

  Disease management (DM) and wellness vendors have a role to play in helping transform the U.S...

• FPL successful with on-site clinics, fitness centers

  Florida Power & Light (FPL) is using on-site fitness and health centers—which provide...

Issue 35, September 15, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• DMAA survey: Interest in wellness strong

  A survey of 114 major health plans, employers, and companies that provide population health...

• HealthFitness launches HRA for global workers

  Multinational employers can use data collected with Minneapolis-based HealthFitness’ new...

Issue 34, September 8, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Healthways issues 1Q09 guidance below consensus

  Healthways, Inc.’s stock took a hit when its fiscal guidance for the first quarter of 2009...

• Care management in first phase of HIT automation

  A period of “remarkable innovation” is emerging as the care management industry...

Issue 30, August 4, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Inverness still hopes to spin off health management

  Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc., said last week it remains committed to spinning off its health...

Issue 29, July 28, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Iowa CHF telemonitoring demo shows good outcomes

  A population- and technology-based remote monitoring platform can greatly reduce the need for...

Issue 28, July 21, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Medicare law includes chronic care model study

  Medicare legislation approved last week with the main goal of averting a 10.6% physician pay cut...

• TRICARE expects to expand DM programs in 2009

  TRICARE, the federal managed care program that covers active military, retirees, and dependents, is...

Issue 27, July 14, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Workplace weight-loss programs work short-term

  Workplace weight-loss programs can result in modest weight loss, but it's unclear whether patients...

Issue 26, July 7, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Hypertension controlled via Web-based program

  A disease management program involving Web-based care from pharmacists and at-home blood pressure...

Issue 25, June 30, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HCSC to buy MEDecision for $121 million

  Chicago-based Health Care Service Corp. (HCSC), the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield...

• Healthways profits up 30%; 2008 outlook strong

  Disease management (DM) vendor Healthways, Inc., says its 2008 third-quarter income rose 30% as the...

Issue 24, June 23, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• XLHealth C-SNP focuses on medication use

  Baltimore-based XLHealth Corp., which manages chronically ill Medicare patients as part of the...

Issue 23, June 16, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Keystone Mercy to integrate dental into DM

  Keystone Mercy Health Plan intends to roll out a program in Pennsylvania next year that will...

Issue 22, June 9, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• DMAA outlines obesity benefits package

  DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance late last month outlined new research it says could help create a...

• DM, care coordination could save $47 billion

  The United States could reduce total healthcare spending by $145 billion in the next seven years...

Issue 21, June 2, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• DM industry eyes partnership with physicians

  The population health management industry, which for many years seemed to focus far more heavily on...

Issue 20, May 19, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Inverness Medical completes Matria acquisition

  Inverness Medical Innovations said May 9 that it has completed its acquisition of Marietta...

• Aetna integrates search engine into care management

  Hartford, CT-based Aetna, Inc., in partnership with Healthline Networks, is implementing a...

Issue 19, May 12, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• DMAA hopes Congress will step in on MHS

  With the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services' (CMS) Medicare Health Support (MHS) program...

Issue 18, May 5, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Wellmark implements medical home-based program

  Des Moines-based Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa...

• Low-income family asthma program shows promise

  A culturally sensitive family asthma management program tested in Puerto Rico led to reduced...

Issue 16, April 21, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Kennedy backs DM as part of health reform

  Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), the influential head of the key Senate health committee, said this...

Issue 15, April 14, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HCSC Blues plans implement wellness initiatives

  Blue Cross Blue Shield plan parent Health Care Service Corp. (HCSC) is taking aggressive steps to...

• Momentum grows for Medicaid DM, care management

  There is considerable momentum among the states to move beyond fee-for-service in Medicaid to more...

Issue 14, April 7, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Nationwide Better Health upgrades productivity services

  Columbus, OH-based Nationwide Better Health has been quietly upgrading and enhancing its health and...

Issue 13, March 31, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Diabetes takes large toll, but DM can help

  The prevalence of diabetes continues to grow, and annual productivity-related costs of the disease...

• Healthways 2Q08 earnings in line, but concerns linger

  Healthways, Inc., this month reported earnings of 33 cents per share for its second quarter, right...

Issue 12, March 24, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Walgreens buys two worksite health center vendors

  Walgreen Co. last week jumped into the health and productivity management market as it announced...

Issue 11, March 17, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CEO: XLHealth expects continued strong growth

  Despite a two-year moratorium on new and expanded Medicare Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans...

Issue 10, March 10, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Healthways lowers outlook; Matria disappoints

  In what's turning into a bad few weeks for publicly traded disease management (DM) companies...

Issue 9, March 3, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS extends LifeMasters' Florida demo project

  Even as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is preparing to close its Medicare...

Issue 8, February 25, 2008

• CMS to kick off Senior Risk Reduction demo

  As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services prepares to shut down its Medicare Health Support...

• Disease Management News, February 25, 2008

  Disease Management News, February 25, 2008

Issue 7, February 18, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• BUPA buy gives Health Dialog room to grow

  With its acquisition in late 2007 by British United Provident Association (BUPA), a nonprofit...

• Study: Nursing interventions effective on smokers

  Nurse counseling for patients who smoke is effective in persuading those patients to quit the...

Issue 6, February 11, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Eventual MHS expansion unclear at best

  The stealth announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that the Medicare...

Issue 5, February 4, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Inverness to buy Matria for $1.18 billion

  Medical diagnostics company Inverness Medical Innovations said last week it hoped to add to its...

Issue 4, January 28, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Study: Copayment decrease improves adherence

  Decreasing medication copayments improves adherence to treatment regimens within a disease...

• Massachusetts Blues plan takes on renal disease

  Although there are evidence-based guidelines available to manage kidney disease, gaps in care...

Issue 3, January 21, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Inverness moves into DM with Alere, Paradigm

  Medical diagnostics company Inverness Medical Innovations intends to use its new disease management...

Issue 2, January 14, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• MHS program to eliminate 5% savings target

  In a development that Medicare Health Support (MHS) disease management (DM) vendors called...

• RAND finds little evidence that DM programs save money

  A report from the Santa Monica, CA-based RAND Corporation showed that disease management (DM...

Issue 1, January 7, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE