Meridian Health Plan of Iowa is the number one Medicaid HMO in Iowa and is the number 38 Medicaid HMO in the US according to NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015.

Meridian Health Plan of Iowa’s performance in NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014-2015 immediately follows its recent NCQA accreditation status elevation from Accredited to Commendable for achievement in the areas of consumer protection and quality improvement. NCQA Accreditation evaluates how well health plans manage all parts of its delivery system – physicians, hospitals, other providers and administrative services – in order to continuously improve the quality of care and services provided to its members.

Health Plan Accreditation and the Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015 are separate and distinct review processes and recognition. The complete list of NCQA’s Medicaid Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2014–2015 is available online at http://www.ncqa.org.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate passed the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act), legislation which includes hospice integrity provisions that are backed by the hospice community. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (www.nhpco.org) supports this legislation and the additional oversight it will bring to end-of-life care providers.

The IMPACT Act (H.R. 4994) requires more frequent surveys of hospice providers – a measure the hospice community NHPCO has championed for more than a decade. The bill mandates that all Medicare certified hospices be surveyed every three years for at least the next ten years.

A 2007 HHS Office of the Inspector General report found that current survey measures for Medicare-certified hospices was not providing sufficient oversight.

NHPCO has supported this provision since it was originally recommended by MedPAC in 2009.

NHPCO reports that more than 1.5 million dying Americans receive care for the nation’s hospice providers every year.

The Corporate Whistleblower Center is urging physicians, or employees of any type of healthcare company to call them at 866-714-6466, if they possess well documented proof the company is overbilling Medicare out of hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars each year, because the reward potential for this type of information really can be substantial.

http://CorporateWhistleblowerCenter.Com

The Corporate Whistleblower Center believes there are thousands of healthcare workers in the United States who have specific information about a healthcare company gouging Medicare out of hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars each year, and they say nothing, or they do nothing about it. As the Whistleblower Center would like to explain these types of individuals are potentially sitting on a winning lotto ticket, that could be worth hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars.

In a recent example of the potential rewards for a whistleblower, according to a May 2014 Justice Department press release, Baptist Health System Inc. (Baptist Health), the parent company for a network of affiliated hospitals and medical providers in the Jacksonville, Florida, area, has agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle allegations that its subsidiaries violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to federal health care programs for medically unnecessary services and drugs. The alleged misconduct involved Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program.

This settlement resolves allegations that, from September 2009 to October 2011, two neurologists in the Baptist Health network misdiagnosed patients with various neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, which caused Baptist Health to bill for medically unnecessary services.

The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, “We cannot emphasize enough if any type of healthcare professional has well documented proof a hospital, a medical practice group, a radiology center, a hospice provider, a nursing home, or a skilled nursing facility is overcharging Medicare please call us at 866-714-6466.

Propeller Health has raised $14.5 million in Series B financing, led by Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE:SFE) with participation from Series A investor The Social+Capital Partnership. Propeller Health will use the funding to accelerate product development, strategic alliances, client services, sales and marketing.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) currently cost payers and patients in the United States over $100 billion annually. By 2020, the Centers for Disease Controls and Prevention estimates that the cost of medical care for adults in the U.S. with COPD alone will increase 53 percent to more than $90 billion.

Propeller is a digital therapeutic designed to help patients and their physicians better understand and control COPD, asthma and other respiratory disease, reducing preventable emergency room visits, hospitalizations and unnecessary suffering. With a novel combination of sensors, mobile apps, analytics and personalized feedback, the system encourages adherence to maintenance therapy and remotely monitors use of rescue medications to predict exacerbations and facilitate early intervention by care teams.

In the last year, Propeller Health doubled its number of commercial programs and added its first contract with an accountable care organization. In addition, the company recently received FDA clearance for a new inhaler sensor and is concluding a 500-person randomized control trial at Dignity Health. Propeller Health also released a version of the app for people with COPD and major updates to its physician dashboards, adherence programs and predictive algorithms.

Transamerica Retirement Solutions, a sponsor of the Institute for Diversity in Health Management (“the Institute”), has announced the recipients of the 2014 Leaders in Health Care Scholarship. This year’s winners, Sheryl Muirhead-McCrae and Tina Huynh, will each receive a $5,000 scholarship toward pursuing an advanced degree in health care administration.

Each year, two deserving first- and second-year students whose field of study is health care administration or a comparable program are recognized. Candidates are also required to demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence and community service. The Institute coordinates the application and candidate selection process on behalf of Transamerica.

Muirhead-McCrae will begin her graduate studies in health care management at Florida International University (FIU) in the fall. She has also worked in the health care field for a number of years and is deeply committed to delivering health care services to underserved communities. Her volunteer work includes coordinating free health fairs aimed at helping women gain access to health services.

Huynh will pursue dual Master of Health Administration and Master of Public Health degrees at the University of Utah. In addition to her academic achievements, she has proven her dedication to community service. Huynh has volunteered for a number of organizations such as AmeriCorps, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the University of Utah Hospital. Ultimately, she plans to become a health care administrator for a non-profit organization.

NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials / ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites, today announced a strategic partnership with Maxwell Health that combines Maxwell’s revolutionary cloud solution for employee healthcare and benefits administration with the NetSuite TribeHR human capital management (HCM) platform. Leveraging the combined strengths, the partnership transforms the way companies manage their human assets by ridding them of tedious, time-consuming and error-prone manual processes. With a modern HCM platform, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) can now run end-to-end HCM business processes from recruiting, managing and rewarding employees, to facilitating flexible, streamlined healthcare benefits enrollment, administering benefits and promoting workforce wellness – all in the cloud.

The integration of both NetSuite TribeHR and Maxwell Health details:
NetSuite TribeHR is an integrated cloud ERP and HCM software suite for small and mid-sized businesses. It gives SMBs a single cloud solution to run their core business operations as well as a rich, social HR software solution to manage employees. Maxwell Health’s solution simplifies the onboarding and benefits management process and dramatically improves productivity for both HR teams and an organization’s workforce at large. Through the integration, the Maxwell Health solution acts as a benefits enrollment system and serves as the system of record for benefits information and administration, while bi-directional data exchange between the systems ensures that HCM data in NetSuite TribeHR and benefits information in Maxwell Health are always in sync. With modern, attractive user interfaces, NetSuite TribeHR and Maxwell Health align with social and mobile dimensions that extend HCM and benefits administration to HR teams and personnel in an accessible and transparent way, encouraging greater engagement.

The Combined Solution Delivers Unprecedented Features and Benefits Including:

Core HRIS (Human Resource Information System) – Manage essential employee information individually and in aggregate, featuring employee administration, employee profile, employee history, compensation tracking, organizational charts, company directory, employee self-service, manager self-service, employee and recourse document storage, and employee time-off tracking.
Advanced Recruiting – Social applicant tracking system (ATS) with integrations to LinkedIn and Facebook.
Complete Talent Management Solution – 360-degree feedback tools, goal management, performance appraisals, skills tracking, and values and culture tracking.
Social HR for a Social Workforce – Commenting, collaboration, and peer and public recognition tools that span the entire company.
Streamlined Benefits Open Enrollment Process – Remove inefficient and error-prone paperwork typical in open enrollment while handling complex rate structures with best-in-class benefits administration.
Simplified Benefits Shopping – Ecommerce-like benefits shopping experience in an open marketplace of providers.
Mobile Platform for Anywhere, Anytime Access – Mobile platform enables employees to access and use company benefits programs, reach a health care concierge for benefits help, improve health with an in-app fitness tracker, and to collaborate and connect no matter where they are.
Programs and Solutions to Encourage Employees to Stay Healthy – Offering includes a time and money-saving personal health advocate who acts as a liaison within the health care system, and a turnkey wellness program that rewards employees for better health.

Adult obesity rates remained high overall, increased in six states in the past year, and did not decrease in any, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

The annual report found that adult obesity rates increased in Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Jersey, Tennessee and Wyoming. Rates of obesity now exceed 35 percent for the first time in two states, are at or above 30 percent in 20 states and are not below 21 percent in any. Mississippi and West Virginia tied for having the highest adult obesity rate in the United States at 35.1 percent, while Colorado had the lowest at 21.3 percent.

Findings reveal that significant geographic, income, racial, and ethnic disparities persist, with obesity rates highest in the South and among Blacks, Latinos and lower-income, less-educated Americans. The report also found that more than one in ten children become obese as early as ages 2 to 5.

Other key findings from The State of Obesity include:

After decades of rising obesity rates among adults, the rate of increase is beginning to slow, but rates remain far too high and disparities persist.

In 2005, the obesity rate increased in every state but one; this past year, only six states experienced an increase. In last year’s report, only one state, Arkansas, experienced an increase in its adult obesity rate.
Obesity rates remain higher among Black and Latino communities than among Whites:
Adult obesity rates for Blacks are at or above 40 percent in 11 states, 35 percent in 29 states and 30 percent in 41 states.
Rates of adult obesity among Latinos exceeded 35 percent in five states and 30 percent in 23 states.
Among Whites, adult obesity rates topped 30 percent in 10 states.
Nine out of the 10 states with the highest obesity rates are in the South.
Baby Boomers (45-to 64-year-olds)* have the highest obesity rates of any age group – topping 35 percent in 17 states and 30 percent in 41 states.
More than 33 percent of adults 18 and older who earn less than $15,000 per year are obese, compared with 25.4 percent who earn at least $50,000 per year.
More than 6 percent of adults are severely** obese; the number of severely obese adults has quadrupled in the past 30 years.

The national childhood obesity rate has leveled off, and rates have declined in some places and among some groups, but disparities persist and severe obesity may be on the rise.

As of 2011-2012:
— Nearly one out of three children and teens ages 2 to 19 is overweight or obese, and national obesity rates among this age group have remained stable for 10 years.
— More than 1 in 10 children become obese between the ages of 2 to 5; and 5 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds are severely obese.
— Racial and ethnic disparities emerge in childhood (ages 2-19): The obesity rates are 22.4 percent among Hispanics, 20.2 percent among Blacks and 14.1 percent among Whites.
— Between 2008 and 2011, 18 states and one U.S. territory experienced a decline in obesity rates among preschoolers from low-income families.

CAQH® today announced that COB Smart™ has launched in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, enabling health plans and providers to identify overlapping insurance coverage nationwide. A CAQH Solution™, COB Smart determines when an individual is covered by more than one insurer and also indicates which insurer should pay first. The solution streamlines coordination of benefits (COB) activities so that healthcare claims can be processed correctly the first time.

Knowing accurate and timely COB information helps eliminate administrative inefficiencies that cost providers and health plans more than $800 million annually, according to CAQH research. COB Smart helps ensure that providers receive accurate payments, health plans reduce claim rework, and patients spend less time on registration forms and questionnaires.

Real-world use of the solution among health plans shows COB Smart to be highly successful in helping process claims accurately the first time by discovering unknown instances of overlapping insurance coverage. One national insurer and early participant of COB Smart concluded that approximately four out of five records identified by COB Smart had not been previously detected as having other insurance in its eligibility system.

CAQH has continued to enhance COB Smart since announcing its initial launch in February. Participating health plans may now access a new COB Smart payer portal to search and immediately identify instances where overlapping coverage exists for their members. This latest feature returns complete information that enables the participating health plan to contact the other insurer also covering the member.

Twenty Five percent of Americans say they currently have more medical debt than emergency savings, according to a new Bankrate.com (NYSE: RATE) report. This number nearly doubles (44%) among those earning less than $30,000 per year.

Furthermore, people who do not currently have medical debt are concerned about it. Over half of Americans (55%) are worried they will find themselves overwhelmed by medical debt (27% are very worried and 28% are somewhat worried).

The report found that worry levels were the highest among people in their prime earning years, between the ages of 30 and 64.

These results comprise Bankrate.com’s Health Insurance Pulse, a monthly survey that tracks how Americans are feeling about health care and their personal finances. The survey was conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International (PSRAI) and can be seen in its entirety here:

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/insurance/health-insurance-poll-0814.aspx

Millennium Health, a leading health solutions company, will have a significant presence at PAINWeek® 2014, the nation’s largest annual meeting for frontline clinicians with an interest in pain management. PAINWeek takes place Sept. 2-6 in Las Vegas.

Highlights of Millennium Health events include:

Sponsored Educational Symposium

Millennium Health will lead a symposium titled My Grandma’s Not a Zombie: Medication Monitoring & Pharmacogenetic Testing (PGT) Can Help Clinicians Individualize Safer Opioid Management, which will explore the growing need to improve care coordination for the treatment of pain and anxiety-related conditions in seniors. The symposium will examine the differences in patient medication responses and assess approaches for providing personalized care in cases of difficult-to-manage pain. The session will feature a panel of four nationally recognized pain experts, representing Millennium Health and partners:

Jeffrey Fudin, Pharm.D.
Anita Gupta, D.O., Pharm.D.
Kenneth Kirsh, Ph.D., vice president of research and advocacy, Millennium Health
Steven Passik, Ph.D., vice president of research and advocacy, Millennium Health

My Grandma’s Not a Zombie will be presented on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 12-1:30p.m. PST, Gracia 4, Level 3, at The Cosmopolitan.

Special Interest Session

Dr. Passik also will lead a separate special interest session titled “The Iceberg Cometh,” on the topic of prescription opioids and the stigma surrounding their use.

The Iceberg Cometh will be presented on Thursday, Sept. 4, from 10:50-11:50 a.m. PST at The Cosmopolitan.

Poster Presentation

Millennium Health, along with the Millennium Research Institute, a nonprofit national research center, and the University of Washington, will be presenting a poster: Value of CYP Genetic Testing for Opioid Therapy: An Exploratory Combined Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Study in a Chronic Pain Cohort.

The poster session will be held on Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Scientific Session and Reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m. PST.

American Academy of Pain Medicine Educational Program

Millennium Health has provided an educational grant to support the American Academy of Pain Medicine’s (AAPM) presentation of four learning modules at PAINWeek. The module topics from the AAPM’s Essential Tools for Treating the Patient in Pain™ curriculum are: the Brain in Pain, Neuropathic Pain, Headache, and Myofascial Pain Syndromes, and will include Strategies for Success with Chronic Opioid Therapy and Myofascial Pain Syndromes for the AAFP Assembly.

Edison Nation Medical, the premier healthcare innovation marketplace, today announced a partnership with the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC), the leading professional association of respiratory care specialists. Edison Nation Medical, which brings 12+ years experience working with individuals and small business to commercialize their innovation ideas, will work with AARC to assist the professional association’s community of more than 50,000 respiratory therapists in bringing their product innovation ideas to life.

AARC’s mission is to provide training, encouragement and support to respiratory care professionals. The organization has played a key role in advancing the science of respiratory care and serves as a tireless advocate for respiratory therapists as well as patients, their families and the public.

Edison Nation Medical works directly with people who have ideas or inventions — big or small — for new medical products that can improve the standard of care. The company provides a clear and easy pathway through which anyone — physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, entrepreneurs, even patients and caregivers — can submit a medical invention or idea for full evaluation and potential commercialization.

Joining Edison Nation Medical is free and inventions submitted through their confidential and secure online portal are reviewed in detail by medical, product development and legal experts. Following the in depth evaluations, these inventions are further invested in and improved upon by Edison Nation Medical’s expert design and engineering teams, as appropriate. The end goal is to commercialize each qualified product idea either by licensing the idea to a medical device manufacturer or by starting a company around the idea and, when successful, Edison Nation Medical shares licensing royalties or revenues with the inventor.

HealthLink Europe (http://www.healthlinkeurope.com) has expanded its North American operations through its subsidiary HealthLink International, by opening a 100% medical facility, providing warehousing, fulfillment and order to cash services for medical device manufacturers, throughout North America, utilizing our global ERP platform.

Building on the experience we have gained since 1994 serving our customers in Europe with customer service, VAT deferment, fulfillment and logistics services to the medical industry, HealthLink International offers our customers the same platform for growth in the American market.

Establishing a North American warehouse and order to cash operation, enables us to support our existing customer base, as well as provide value added services for medical device companies throughout North America.

HealthLink Europe is 100% medical, ISO 13485 certified, specializing in class II and III devices and their associated regulatory requirements. Acting as an extension of its customers’ business, HealthLink provides Customer Care Services, Financial Services, Warehousing and Logistics, Fulfillment and Value Added Services, IT Support, Authorized Representative services, and more.

Low T Center has acquired two new locations in Little Rock and Conway from APEX Men’s Health. Low T Center will bring their unique business model to the region, offering convenient, personalized and monitored testosterone treatment.

Low T Center Little Rock is located at 10700 N Rodney Parham, Suite C11, Little Rock, AR 72212. Little Rock location will be opening today; while the Conway location will open at a later date. Low T Center Conway is located at 2215 E Oak Street, Suite 4, Conway, AR 72032. Dr. Jeremy Warford, M.D. is the Medical Director of both Centers. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm.

Studies indicate testosterone deficiency has been linked to diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and high blood pressure. Low T Center was designed so men can walk in, take a simple blood test, and know within 45 minutes if they are a candidate for Testosterone Replacement Therapy. Experience shows testosterone injections may lead to improved energy, strength, and libido, as well as decreases in body fat, irritability, and depression.

We Care Insurance Broking Services announced the launch of its online portal http://www.wecareinsurance.in for searching, comparing and buying insurance policy over the web. With an ambitious library of 1000+ products covering 50 insurance companies, this online platform of We Care Insurance Broking, provides personalized, up-to-date and accurate information.

The search results are unbiased and all searches are anonymous. Currently, one can search for health, home, life or motor policies. An average search will display 25 to 40 policies of various companies and with various features.

All industry research and product related information is provided by http://www.policylitmus.com. Policylitmus has introduced scientific rating methodologies to rate insurance companies based on their sales, claims and customer satisfaction parameters.

In an industry which has seen misselling complaints, We Care aims to put all the relevant information in the public domain so that even the least savvy customer can make an informed choice.

According to the new research report “Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market by Product & Services (Equipment, Reagent, Primer, Probe, Custom Oligos), End-User (Research, Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology), Application (Diagnostics, PCR, QPCR, Gene Synthesis, NGS, DNA, RNAi) – Global Forecast to 2019″ published by MarketsandMarkets, the global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market is expected to reach $1,712.1 Million by 2019 from $1,070.7 Million in 2014, growing at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2014 to 2019..

Browse 84 market data tables and 40 figures spread through 185 pages and in-depth TOC on “Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market”

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/oligonucleotide-synthesis-market-200829350.html

Based on products and services, the market is broadly segmented into equipment, reagents, and synthesized oligonucleotides. Among these segments, the synthesized oligonucleotides market segment is expected to register the highest growth rate during the forecast period, owing to the increasing number of applications of synthesized oligonucleotides in research, diagnostics and therapeutics; and a growing demand for custom oligos.

The market by applications is classified into diagnostics, research, and therapeutics. Research applications are further segmented into PCR, qPCR, sequencing, gene synthesis, and others. The therapeutics market is further segmented into DNA/antisense oligos, RNAi, aptamers, and others. In terms of applications, the research segment commanded the largest share in 2014, while the diagnostics segment is forecasted to be the fastest-growing segment in the Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market. By end users, the market is segmented into academic research institutes, pharmaceutical and biotech firms, and diagnostic labs. Academic research institutes contributed the major market share in 2014; however, diagnostic laboratories are expected to be the fastest-growing end user segment during the forecast period.

Based on geography, the global Oligonucleotide Synthesis Market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia-Pacific (APAC). North America is expected to account for the largest share of the market in 2014. However, Asia-Pacific is poised to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, owing to increase in research and development activities, rising R&D funding and growing availability of synthesized oligos in the region.

For the seventh consecutive year, Rising Medical Solutions (Rising) has earned a spot on Inc. magazine’s Inc. 500|5000 list, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The honor roll represents the most comprehensive look at a vital component of the economy—America’s independent businesses. Companies such as Microsoft, Zappos, Pandora, Patagonia, Jamba Juice, Under Armour, Oracle, and other notable alumni have been members of the Inc. 500|5000.

The 2014 Inc. 500|5000 is ranked according to percentage of revenue growth when comparing 2010 to 2013. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2010. They have to be US-based, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of December 31, 2013. The minimum revenue required for 2010 is $100,000; the minimum for 2013 is $2 million. Complete results of the Inc. 500|5000 can be found at inc.com.

Inc. 500|5000 companies demonstrate impressive results. Over the last three years, their average growth rate was 516 percent with collective revenue of $211 billion, and 505,000 new jobs generated.

Beyond Rising’s own direct job creation, the company’s financial impact on America’s healthcare system is roughly equivalent to 150,877 years of employment added back to the economy. Considering the country’s healthcare challenges, Rising’s ability to improve patient outcomes, increase efficiencies, and reduce billing waste provides tangible advancements to a system in need.

A new study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society found that house calls to elderly patients with chronic conditions keep healthcare costs down by reducing the need for expensive emergency room visits. The patients who utilize this care are some of Medicare’s most costly patients with multiple chronic conditions and difficulty managing medication and understanding when preventative care is needed.

The house call program at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, led by Dr. Eric DeJonge, Chief of Geriatrics at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, sends primary care doctors into the homes of some of Washington’s sickest patients. Home visits allow for the doctors to see the patient in their element and get a better sense of the patient’s overall health. The study shows that patients who were provided care in the home had 20 percent fewer emergency room visits and saved Medicare $8,477 per patient over a two year period.

The Medicare home health benefit currently serves 3.5 million senior and disabled Americans who, due to their medical condition, are qualified as homebound and receive skilled care in the comfort of their own homes. Unfortunately, due to recent funding cuts to Medicare, 1.3 million of these patients are at risk of losing access to this critically important service.

Starting on January 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began implementing a four year, 3.5 percent annual cut to the Medicare home health benefit, that will slash a total of 14 percent from funding. CMS itself conceded this cut will leave “approximately 40 percent” of providers operating at a net loss by 2017.

Buckeye Health Plan (Buckeye), formerly known as Buckeye Community Health Plan, today announced a new name and look designed to project the innovative, customer-centered mission and goals of the company.

During the past few years, Buckeye has experienced growth in its member base and has expanded across the State of Ohio. The name change and new brand identity will be phased into marketing materials beginning in September, 2014.

Capital BlueCross has long supported programs that increase access to health care and health coverage for our community. This tradition of service continues through our work with the Children’s Health Insurance Program and most recently with our involvement in Governor Corbett’s proposed Healthy Pennsylvania plan to cover many uninsured individuals.

We were proud to be a selected plan by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to potentially serve our community through Healthy PA. With the news today the program has been approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we congratulate Governor Corbett and Public Welfare Secretary Mackereth on this important milestone.

Capital BlueCross looks forward to continuing our role to increase access to health care in central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley.

SOURCE Capital BlueCross

Edison Nation Medical, the premier healthcare innovation marketplace, today announced a worldwide search for product ideas to improve the health and wellness of the senior population. Promising ideas uncovered through the 6-month search (www.EdisonNationMedical.com/Seniors) will be presented to leading medical device manufacturers and healthcare retailers with whom Edison Nation Medical has partnered to improve the lives of individuals age 65 and older.

The objective of the search is to uncover ideas for products, devices, technologies or apps that improve the quality of life and the ability to maintain independence for seniors. Senior health and wellness products cover a broad spectrum of product categories, including (but not limited to):

— Products that assist with daily living activities
— Health monitors
— Medication management systems
— Products that improve safety and mobility
— Senior-friendly portable products and devices [Read more…]

Nonin Medical, Inc., the inventor of finger pulse oximetry and a leader in noninvasive medical monitoring, today announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Nonin Model 3231 OEM/eHealth finger pulse oximeter for use in the United States. The finger pulse oximeter plugs into a telemedicine hub or kiosk through a USB connector and measures oxygen saturation and pulse rate in pediatric to adult patients. The Model 3231 received EU certification last year.

The Model 3231 features accuracy advantages, including:

— Nonin’s clinically proven PureSAT® Pulse Oximetry (SpO2) technology, which utilizes intelligent pulse-by-pulse filtering to provide precise oximetry measurements—even in the presence of motion, dark skin tones, low perfusion, rapid SpO2 changes and other challenging conditions. PureSAT automatically adjusts to each patient’s condition to provide fast and reliable readings that clinicians can act on.
— Exclusive Nonin CorrectCheck™ technology, which provides feedback via a digital display if the patient’s finger is not placed correctly in the device. CorrectCheck is helpful since improper finger placement may lead to incorrect readings.
— SmartPoint™ capture, an algorithm developed by Nonin that automatically determines when a high quality measurement is ready to be stored. This helps to ensure that each reading transmitted by the Model 3231 is accurate. [Read more…]

EndoChoice® today announced David Gill has joined the company as Chief Financial Officer. The company also announced it has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year as one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine.

The continued rapid growth at EndoChoice has been fueled by the success of the company’s wide range of products and services purposefully designed and built for gastroenterologists. “We are in business to serve the gastroenterology caregiver and this unprecedented growth is recognition that our efforts are appreciated,” said Mark Gilreath, Founder and CEO of EndoChoice. “As a result of our expansion and plans for the future, it became important to have a CFO of David’s tenure and experience to guide us through our next growth opportunities,” Gilreath added.

David Gill has been the CFO of four public companies and led the IPO’s of Interland, CTI and NxStage. He joins the company as sales of the new Fuse® Full Spectrum Endoscopy® system have accelerated. “Although colonoscopy is considered the best tool to fight colon cancer, numerous clinical studies have shown this disease continues to plague populations around the world because not everyone is routinely screened and traditional endoscopes miss up to 40% of pre-cancerous polyps. I am excited to join the EndoChoice team and be part of the revolution Fuse is bringing to gastroenterology care,” said Gill.

Endoscopes are thin flexible tubes with imaging capabilities that doctors use to view the upper and lower GI tracts of their patients. The Fuse system uses three small cameras at the tip of a flexible GI endoscope, as compared with one at the tip of a standard, forward-viewing endoscope. With a wider 330 degree view, physicians using Fuse see nearly twice the surface area and anatomy, including behind and into folds where colon cancer causing polyps often hide. A recent clinical study found that Fuse detected 69% more pre-cancerous polyps versus the standard colonoscope. As a result, informed patients are beginning to ‘insist on Fuse’ for their next colonoscopy.

In recognition of the increased risks that seniors have of developing health complications from the flu, pneumonia, shingles and other illnesses, CVS/pharmacy® and MinuteClinic® have declared September to be Senior Vaccination Month. Because people’s immune systems weaken as they age, it is important that adults ages 65 years and older stay up to date on their vaccinations. CVS pharmacists and MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants will be raising awareness about the importance of vaccinations for their senior patients throughout the month.

All 7,700 CVS/pharmacy locations and all 900 MinuteClinic locations inside select CVS/pharmacy stores can administer vaccinations to patients to help protect them against the flu and other illnesses every day with no appointment needed, including evening and weekends. In addition to flu and pneumonia vaccinations, other shots such as the shingles vaccine are available at CVS/pharmacy and Hepatitis vaccines are available at MinuteClinic.

In addition to the regular flu shot that is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for everyone who is at least six months old, all CVS/pharmacy and MinuteClinic locations also offer the Fluzone® High-Dose vaccine for people 65 years and older. Fluzone High-Dose contains four times the antigens as the seasonal flu vaccine and is designed to provide a stronger immune response in people 65 years and older.

A recent consumer survey by CVS/pharmacy showed that three in five adults in the U.S. are not aware of the importance of the high dose flu vaccine in preventing the flu for adults ages 65 and up. The survey also showed that nearly one in three Americans say they have a role in helping an elderly family member or loved one make health care decisions, including whether to get a flu shot.

For children with food allergies, a trace amount of a substance can trigger deadly anaphylaxis within minutes of ingestion – the fear of which can be life altering for many families. To give hope to these patients and their families, researchers at Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine are embarking on a landmark peanut immunotherapy trial, using a process known as desensitization where patients swallow tiny, increasing amounts of peanut over time. For more information about Texas Children’s Hospital’s Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology Department, please visit http://texaschildrens.org/Locate/Departments-and-Services/Allergy-and-Immunology/.

The research team, led by Dr. Carla Davis, a specialist in the Pediatric Medicine, Immunology, Allergy and Rheumatology Department at Texas Children’s and assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor, begin enrolling children with peanut allergies in the trial this month. The study will investigate the ability of peanut allergic children to take peanut flour, the mechanism by which the body develops tolerance, and measure the effect of viral infections. The goal of the trial is to find a standard of care that may lower the risk of severe allergic reactions in patients and eventually cease the allergy completely.

In Europe, a recent oral immunization trail (OIT) showed promise, and in the United States the Consortium for Food Allergy Research and Stanford University are both conducting similar studies. Presently, desensitization is not the standard of care and no study has determined the mechanism by which the body develops a tolerance. Davis and her team plan to monitor how the immunotherapy works and why, as well as develop systems to accurately identify patients who are good candidates for immunotherapy.

BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Diagnostic Laboratories today announced the availability of an innovative Erythroid Chimerism test to monitor erythroid lineage chimerism in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. This allows the physician to directly gauge the success of the transplant in these patients and provides physicians with actionable information to guide patient care.

Sickle cell disease is a common and severe autosomal recessive disorder caused by a mutation in the hemoglobin gene. SCD affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States, one in every 300-500 African Americans. In SCD patients with severe clinical symptoms, allogeneic bone marrow transplantation can be used to replace the blood cell producing capacity, potentially curing them of the disease.1

In patients with SCD, several studies have demonstrated that standard chimerism assays do not always reflect chimerism in the erythroid lineage.2,3 Since red cells do not contain DNA, chimerism of the erythroid compartment can be monitored using HbA and HbS transcripts produced from the hemoglobin gene and expressed in red cell progenitors.

BloodCenter’s Diagnostic Laboratories help physicians provide clinical care to patients worldwide, fostering better understanding and treatment options for patients with difficult-to-diagnose diseases. In addition, the laboratories collaborate with other institutions and industry partners to bring new diagnostic testing and treatment options to patient care.

According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research “Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market (Tags, Readers, Middleware, Printers and Cabinets) – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2014 – 2020” the global radiofrequency identification (RFID) market was valued at USD 1.9 billion in 2013 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.9% from 2014 to 2040, to reach an estimated value of USD 5.3 billion in 2020.

Browse the full Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market Report: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/rfid-in-healthcare.html

Radiofrequency identification (RFID) is a system based on wireless technology which utilizes radio waves for collecting data from a tag attached to an object, for various purposes like automatic identification and tracking of objects. An RFID system mainly comprises tags, which are attached to objects that need to be tracked, readers, which collect radio signals emitted by tag and middleware or software which convert this data into user friendly format. RFID printers and cabinets have made RFID application easier, especially in healthcare sector. RFID printers can print useful information on RFID tags. Printing patient information on patient’s wrist band tags and shipment details on boxes in logistics are currently prominent application areas for RFID printers. RFID cabinets are metal cabinets used for storing blood bags, medical samples, medicines, or documents that need strict monitoring. These RFID enabled cabinets also find application in logistics industry. Advanced RFID cabinets employed in cold chain logistics also maintain a log of temperature, humidity and other vital parameters.

Although healthcare application accounts for a very smaller share of the overall RFID market, rapid growth is expected throughout the forecast period. Increasing scrutiny due to incidences of drug counterfeiting, medical device theft in hospitals, and need for more efficient supply chain management in pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and clinical trial management are other reasons driving the market growth. Barcode technology has been applied in various sectors for record maintenance, asset identification and billing systems. This technology is cost effective and easier to master as compared to RFID. Threat from barcode technology has largely impeded the RFID market growth, especially in middle and low income countries. Economic crises in 2008 have trimmed hospital expenses in European countries. Anticipating gradual recovery in major countries such as United Kingdom and Germany the Europe RFID market will gain momentum in the near future. Smaller hospitals in Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW) perceive RFID as an un-necessary expenditure, as smaller number of medical devices, medical samples, and patients can be managed otherwise. Further, only fewer members of the distribution channel have updated technology from barcode to RFID. Hence integrated record maintaining is not possible unless manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and other dealers accept RFID as prime method for asset tracking. In spite of these hurdles, RFID market in healthcare is expected to grow rapidly with a double digit growth rate owing to obvious advantages of automation, effective asset tracking and proven cost advantage in the long run.

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Currently the RFID market is highly fragmented, but is on the way to consolidation, as the market has seen some major acquisitions in the past few years. Notable acquisitions in the RFID market include acquisition of Intermec by Honeywell and Motorola Solutions by Zebra Technologies. Key players profiled in the radiofrequency identification (RFID) market in healthcare report include Alien Technology, Applied Wireless Identifications Group, CAEN RFID, GAO RFID, Inc., Impinj, Intermec, Invengo, Motorola Solutions (now Zebra Technologies), Sato Holdings and STiD.

Browse the full Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/rfid-in-healthcare.htm

The global radiofrequency identification (RFID) market in healthcare has been segmented as follows:

Global Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market in Healthcare, by RFID Components

RFID Tags
Active RFID Tags
Passive RFID Tags
Low Frequency
High Frequency
Ultrahigh Frequency
RFID Readers
Active RFID Readers
Passive RFID Readers
Low Frequency
High Frequency
Ultrahigh Frequency
RFID Middleware
RFID Printers
RFID Cabinets

For Further inquiries, ask here: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=413

Global Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market in Healthcare, by Application

Equipment Tracking
People Identification and Tracking
Medical Report, Samples and Blood Transfer Tracking
Medicine Tracking
Supply Chain

Global Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Market in Healthcare, by Geography

North America
Equipment Tracking
People Identification and Tracking
Medical Report, Samples and Blood Transfer Tracking
Medicine Tracking
Supply Chain
Europe
Equipment Tracking
People Identification and Tracking
Medical Report, Samples and Blood Transfer Tracking
Medicine Tracking
Supply Chain
Asia-Pacific
Equipment Tracking
People Identification and Tracking
Medical Report, Samples and Blood Transfer Tracking
Medicine Tracking
Supply Chain
Rest of the World
Equipment Tracking
People Identification and Tracking
Medical Report, Samples and Blood Transfer Tracking
Medicine Tracking
Supply Chain

Browse all Medical Devices Market Reports: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/medical-devices-market-reports-6.html

Sunshine Health, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation, completed the final stages of implementation of the Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) program in 9 of 11 regions and the Child Welfare (Foster Care) program statewide on August 1st. Additionally, Sunshine Health’s Long-Term Care (LTC) program celebrates its first anniversary. LTC implementation began a year ago and was complete on March 1st for the 10 regions in Florida served by Sunshine Health.

Today, Sunshine Health is the largest Long-Term Care plan in the Florida, providing services for more than 30,000 nursing home and home and community based members. Sunshine Health is also the only health plan providing Child Welfare services statewide and is serving nearly 400,000 Medicaid members under the Managed Medical Assistance program.

To meet increasing employer demand to have additional benefits delivered via an exchange platform, Aon Hewitt, the global talent, retirement and health solutions business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON) today announced it is expanding the coverage options offered under the Aon Active Health Exchange for 2015.

Participating employers will have the option of offering their employees a wide range of elective benefit plans during this fall’s annual enrollment season. The elective benefits that can be offered on the Aon Active Health Exchange for coverage beginning January 1, 2015, include:

Critical Illness
Accident
Hospital Indemnity
Life
Long-term Disability
Identity Theft
Legal
Home/Auto
Pet Insurance

According to AAHomecare, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is changing the way it deals with medical equipment repairs.

In response to complaints from patients across the nation, CMS has admitted that patients are having trouble getting equipment repaired and has released new guidance on supplier documentation for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) repair claims.

“From patient complaints to members of Congress, it has taken many voices to help CMS understand that the current state of medical equipment repair is unacceptable,” said AAHomecare CEO Tom Ryan. “This new guidance is a step in the right direction towards fixing the convoluted and confusing documentation requirements.”

CMS has instructed its Medicare Administrative Durable Medical Equipment Contractors (DME MACs) to only review the necessity of the repair when making a payment determination.

AAHomecare is reviewing the new guidance for its impact on the industry, however upon first review; providers will now be able to repair equipment, such as power wheelchairs, without the burden of finding the original medical necessity documentation from the original provider, many of whom are now out of business. If Medicare paid for the base equipment initially, medical necessity for the base equipment has been established. This guidance for repairs is to be applied to all DMEPOS equipment owned by Medicare beneficiaries as of November 4, 2014.

Specifically, contractors shall only review for continued medical necessity of the item and necessity of the repair. Contractors shall not expend resources to determine if the requirements for the initial provision of the DMEPOS item as/when it was originally ordered were met.

MagMutual Insurance Company, the Southeast’s policyholder-owned professional liability insurer, has promoted Mike Beckett to regional vice president for Georgia. He will lead the sales and policyholder services across the company’s first and largest market.

Beckett’s appointment extends a strategic focus by MagMutual on regional leadership that:

— improves service at the local level;
— closely aligns sales, claims, underwriting and risk management/patient safety; and
— allows greater presence and influence within Georgia’s medical, legislative legal and regulatory communities.

Beckett brings more than 20 years of malpractice insurance experience to his new role, having worked at MagMutual since 2002 as an account executive, director of retention for Georgia and vice president of premium accounts.

He holds a master’s of business administration from DeVry University and an undergraduate degree from College of Charleston.