Top Stories

• Study links smoking, drug and alcohol abuse to early stroke
  Researchers looked at the medical records of nearly 1,200 stroke patients ages 54 and younger in the U.S. and found that in 2005, the most recent year covered, more than half of were smokers, while 1 in 5 used illicit drugs. Researchers also found that 13% of them had used alcohol or drugs or alcohol within a day of their stroke. The study appeared in the journal Stroke. Reuters (11/29)     

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Providers & Suppliers

• Fewer health care workers looking for jobs, report suggests
  Data from the third-quarter Randstad Healthcare Employment Report showed 68% of health care workers in the U.S. reported feeling confident about their employers' futures, and fewer said they were likely to seek a new job in the coming year than in the second-quarter survey. The respondents' views about the strength of the economy were unchanged. BeckersHospitalReview.com (11/30)     

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Medical Update

• Americans fall short on USDA's nutritional recommendations
  Children and elderly people appeared to have healthier diets compared with younger and middle-aged adults, while Hispanics were more likely than blacks and whites to eat healthy food items, according to a study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. However, none of the groups was close to a perfect score based on the Department of Agriculture's recommended food intake, researchers said. Reuters (11/29)     

• Study links RA to risk of joint arthroplasty complications
  Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were more likely than those with osteoarthritis to suffer from dislocation and infection after total joint arthroplasty of the hip or knee, a study in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism revealed. However, more studies are needed to back the findings, researchers said. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News (11/30)     

• Chronic kidney disease progresses differently by race
  U.S. black patients with chronic kidney disease were more likely to suffer kidney failure than other racial or ethnic groups, according to a study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Urine testing can be used to detect kidney disease and is cost-effective at five- or 10-year intervals, researchers said. U.S. News & World Report/HealthDay News (11/29)     

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Emerging Trends

• Software aids in management of radiation doses
  Unfors RaySafe has launched cloud-based software called RaySafe S1, designed to improve management of patient radiation doses. The software can capture patient dose during radiology procedures, thus allowing for better handling of tests, reduction of unneeded exams, cutting of radiation doses and other functions. AuntMinnie.com (free registration) (11/29)     

• Brain model can perceive, react to visual information
  Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a new computer model of the brain called Spaun that can simulate about 2.5 million brain cells, enabling it to sense, process and react to visual stimuli. However, researchers said Spaun does not have the capability to learn a new task. Los Angeles Times/Science Now blog (tiered subscription model) (11/29)     

	MedfusionRx Ascend is now BriovaRx™ Catamaran™ takes a hands-on approach to personalized care with new specialty pharmacy: BriovaRx™. We transcend patient care and take care of people, so every patient achieves not only successful treatment, but a healthy, vibrant life. Learn about our services for providers, payers and manufacturers at BriovaRx.com

Health Insurance Plan Company News

• AHIP Coverage: The Latest Health Care-Related Legislation

• AHIP Coverage: Bloomberg Article Warns that Health Care Coverage May Not be Affordable

• Aetna Launches New Managed Long-Term Care Program in Five New York Counties

• Amerigroup Corporation Sells Virginia Health Plan

• EHS Medical Group Acquires 78,000 New Members in the Central Valley

• Highmark teams up with Pittsburgh-based company to expand access to dermatology services

• Kwiksure to Sell New Comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan as Cigna Enters Hong Kong Market

• Aetna Makes “Best Places to Work” List for LGBTs Eleventh Year in a Row

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Vendor Company News

• NFP Health Sponsors America's Health Insurance Plans' 2012 Fall Forum

• Eliza Corporation and Voxiva Partner to Provide Personalized, Interactive mHealth Solution for Diabetes Support

• Verinata Health's Non-Invasive verifi Prenatal Test Now Includes Unique Ability to Detect Additional Fetal Chromosomal Abnormalities

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by AHIP Solutions SmartBrief readers in the past week.

• CDC: 5,245 sickened, 236 dead in West Nile outbreak (HealthDay News)

• Gastric bypass may not have long-term benefits in diabetes (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

• Draft USPSTF recommendation urges hepatitis C screening for all high-risk adults (Reuters)

• Preeclampsia linked to cardiac death risk in women (HealthDay News)

• Leapfrog issues patient safety grades for U.S. hospitals (HealthLeaders Media)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Pharma News

• Generic Ifosfamide gets FDA nod
  The FDA has granted Strides Arcolab's Onco Therapies unit approval for its generic version of the cancer drug Ifosfamide in multiple strengths. The Economic Times (India)/Press Trust of India (11/29)

• Study: Tdap vaccine as safe and effective as Td vaccine in seniors
  The tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis vaccine was comparable in safety and efficacy with tetanus and diphtheria vaccine in patients ages 65 and older, according to a study published online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. Tdap vaccine users showed no increased risk of adverse reactions including meningitis and encephalitis compared with Td users. Seniors who received the Tdap vaccine, however, were nearly four times more likely to develop generalized reaction and anaphylaxis and were more likely to need medical attention for allergic or inflammatory reactions within six days of vaccination. MedPage Today (free registration) (11/29)     

Policy Watch

• House panel probes CMS anti-fraud efforts
  CMS has had some success in rooting out fraud and abuse but has not made use of all available tools, House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee members said this week. During a hearing, Kathleen King of the Government Accountability Office cited numerous recommendations that the office has been made but has not implemented, including improving the standards and process for enrolling providers in Medicare. MedPage Today (free registration) (11/29)     

AHIP News

• Expand your learning. Not your budgets.
  Are you trying to do more with less? Are you working with smaller budgets but higher expectations that you stay ahead of health care reform implementation? If so, take advantage of AHIP’s year-end sale. When you register for various 2013 conferences by 12 p.m. ET on Dec. 31, you’ll enjoy deeply discounted pricing. Get details here.     

• New influenza vaccination resources for health professionals
  National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is Dec. 2 to 8. The single, best way to prevent the flu is to get a flu vaccine each season. To observe NIVW, the CDC has released new print materials, social media tools and additional resources for health care professionals. Resources can be downloaded online and used to develop targeted messaging around influenza vaccination.     

• Fraud, Waste & Abuse: The Next Generation of Detection
  Join us from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. ET on Dec. 7 to learn how health plans can maximize available resources to ensure members are receiving the right care in the right setting from the highest quality providers. Speakers will discuss inter-dependencies between various business units and the need to meet competing priorities within an organization. Register now.     

Position Title Company Name Location Project Associate America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) Washington, DC Associate General Counsel BMC HealthNet Plan Boston, MA Vice President - Exchange Business MVP Health Care Schenectady or Rochester, NY Vice President, Operations & Information Technology Louisiana Health Cooperative, Inc. New Orleans, LA Pharmacy Customer Service Manager HealthPartners Bloomington, MN Sr Data Analyst CVS Caremark Northbrook, IL Associate Director, CORE Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) Washington, DC Chief Executive Officer Beth Israel Deaconess Care Organization (BIDCO) Boston, MA Internal Audit Director UCare Minneapolis, MN Senior Director Claims Administration Kaiser Permanente Denver, CO Sr. Director, Healthcare Quality Assurance Evolent Health Arlington, DC Executive Vice President of Health Insurance Wisconsin Physicians Service Health Insurance Madison, WI Medical Director Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Quincy, MA CAQH CORE Manager, Education, Outreach and Participant Relations Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare Washington, DC Medical Director Arizona Integrated Physicians Inc. Peoria, AZ Director Compliance, Medicare Part D Director Compliance, Medicare Part D Scottsdale, AZ Provider Network Management Director Blue Cross Blue Shiled of Georgia (WellPoint) Statewide, GA

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SmartQuote

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." --Gladys Bronwyn Stern, British writer