Top Stories

• Flu activity eases in some regions, CDC says
  Influenza activity appears to be waning in the South, Southeast, New England and the Midwest, but levels remain high nationwide, CDC officials said Friday. Hospitalization and deaths overall were up, cases in the Northwest and Southwest are still rising, and eight deaths the week ending Jan. 19 brought the toll among children to 37. HealthDay News (1/25), CNN (1/26)     

Providers & Suppliers

• Poll finds Mich. doctors are open to new Medicaid patients
  Data from a Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation survey showed 81% of primary care doctors in Michigan are willing to take on newly covered patients, and 90% of those said they would take additional Medicaid patients should the state approve expanded eligibility. Crain's Detroit Business (free registration) (1/27)     

Medical Update

• Tracking platelet volume after PCI may help assess risk, study finds
  Mean platelet volume that rises over time following percutaneous coronary intervention may be linked to mortality risk, according to a study in The American Journal of Cardiology. Researchers who examined data from 1,512 patients found mortality was significantly higher among the 52.9% of patients whose MPV rose over time, compared with the 44.2% whose MPV levels dropped and 49.1% with stable levels. "Monitoring the MPV after coronary revascularization might play a role in risk stratification," the researchers wrote. PhysiciansBriefing.com/HealthDay News (1/25)     

• Technique may ID patients with GERD-induced asthma
  Gastroesophageal reflux disease was associated with asthma onset in adults, a study in JAMA Surgery indicated. However, a specially designed catheter helped researchers identify people with GERD-induced asthma, and the study found that surgery to address GERD helped relieve symptoms of asthma. HealthDay News (1/25)     

Emerging Trends

• Myoscience gets FDA OK for handheld pain therapy device
  The FDA has cleared a next-generation version of myoscience's Focused Cold Therapy system for use in treating pain. The patented device, which administers cold therapy to targeted nerves, can be used to treat pain with no addictive potential or systemic side effects. BeckersASC.com (1/24)     

Health Insurance Plan Company News

• AHIP Coverage: AHIP’s Robert Zirkelbach Talks Premiums on Varney & Co.

• Health Net Awarded Medi-Cal Dental Contracts in Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundaton: Health Care Reform Feature of 2013 Sapphire Awards and Symposium

Vendor Company News

• Healthyroads Program Offers Five Tips for Staying Healthy During Your Super Bowl Party

• TriZetto’s Value-Based Solution Enables BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee to Incent and Reward Members for Healthy Behaviors

• TASC’s Claim ConneX Adds Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico

• McKesson’s MED3OOO and Pioneer Medical Group Announce Strategic Partnership and Joint Venture

• Joell Keim Returns to Outcomes Health Information Solutions as Chief Strategy Officer

• Dr. Marcus Neubauer joins McKesson Specialty Health as Medical Director, Oncology Services

Hot Topics

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

• CDC: New norovirus strain spreads in U.S. (USA Today)

• 262 make Healthgrades' top hospitals list for 2013 (Healthcare IT News)

• Readmission trends analyzed for heart failure, MI and pneumonia (Nurse.com)

• CDC reports "worse-than-average" flu season (HealthDay News)

• USPSTF: Docs should screen women of childbearing age for domestic violence (HealthDay News)

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

Pharma News

• FDA OKs wider use of Pfizer's Prevnar 13 vaccine
  The FDA approved the use of Pfizer's pneumococcal conjugate vaccine Prevnar 13 in patients ages 6 to 17. The vaccine offers protection against pneumonia, ear infection and other diseases caused by 13 strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Reuters (1/25), Pharmaceutical Business Review Online (1/28)     

• Takeda gains FDA OK for 3 formulations of type 2 diabetes drug
  The FDA has granted Takeda Pharmaceuticals approval for its type 2 diabetes drug alogliptin as a standalone medication, and as an add-on to metformin in its Kazano formulation and with pioglitazone under the name Oseni. Alogliptin by itself will be branded as Nesina. Reuters (1/25)     

Policy Watch

• ONC issues memo on EHR test software problems
  A memorandum about problems with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT's Transport Test Tool for EHRs was issued by the agency to five independent groups involved in the testing and certification of EHR systems for stage 2 meaningful use. The ONC listed its efforts to solve the problems, such as the launch of a helpline to address inquiries about the software. A fix is expected by mid-February. Modern Healthcare (subscription required) (1/24)     

AHIP News

• Registration is open: AHIP’s new Dual Eligibles Summit
  AHIP’s new Dual Eligibles Summit: Improving Care, Coverage, and Cost, March 12 in Washington, D.C., will address issues related to access, care integration and quality measurement for dual eligibles in sessions such as “Integrating Behavioral Health, Physical Health and Personal Support Services” and “State Strategies for Streamlining and Aligning Initiatives.” Learn more and register.     

• ICD-10 and 5010 Mandate -- A Technology View
  AHIP offers a mobile-friendly course that provides a basic understanding of ICD-10 code sets, ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversions, and coding diagnoses and inpatient hospital procedures. The first of several courses focused on providing IT professionals with health care knowledge, this course leads the student toward earning the new Information Technology Professional (ITP) designation. For details, visit our website.     

• Health Exchange Data Management and Data Integration
  Join us from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 5 for in-depth understanding of the role of Medicaid Information Technology Architecture (MITA), Business Process Management (BPM), Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) in the health insurance exchange world and specific best practices of how to ensure the success of payer-exchange integration projects. Register now.     

Position Title Company Name Location Sales Manager RxAlly Leesburg, VA Medical Director Bluegrass Family Health, Inc. Lexington, KY Government Relations and Compliance Officer Louisiana Health Cooperative, Inc. Metarie, LA Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Louisiana Health Cooperative Inc. (LAHC) Metarie, LA Asst Director, Medicare Prod. Analytics/Rev. Mgmt Cambia Portland, OR Director of Product Management, UPD Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare (CAQH) Washington, DC CAQH CORE Manager, Education, Outreach and Participant Relations Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare Washington, DC CAQH Managing Director, Finance and Administration Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare Washington, DC CEO CarePoint Health Plan CarePoint Health Plan Bayonne, NJ Director Organizational Determinations and Appeals and Grievances Jackson Health System Miami, FL Director of Sales & Marketing Hometown Health Reno, NV Chief Executive Officer Nevada Health Information Exchange Carson City, NV Vice President, Medical Affairs and Senior Medical Director Confidential Not-for-Profit Health Plan Nationwide, United States Product Development Specialist Geisinger Health Plan Danville, PA Marketing/Communications Data Analyst America's Health Insurance Plans Washington, DC Media Relations Coordinator America's Health Insurance Plans Washington, DC

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SmartQuote

If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow." --William McFee, British-American writer