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- Employers, health plans use market data to boost wellness efforts
Some employers and health plans are using market data to track employee purchases to improve wellness efforts, such as weight-loss programs. Critics say it's a slippery slope between being protective and being invasive, but insurers say they follow medical privacy regulations and only give employers aggregate data, not personal details on workers. MarketWatch
(2/26)     
- Ohio hospital works on employee wellness
With 70% of employees deemed overweight, Wilson Memorial Hospital in Ohio's Miami Valley last year offered a 12-week Weight Watchers program and gave people rebates worth $10 per pound lost, up to 50 pounds, on their insurance premiums. The hospital's wellness program also encourages annual health risk assessments and offers premium rebates for workers who do not smoke. Dayton Daily News (Ohio)
(2/22)
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- USPSTF: Postmenopausal women should not take vitamin D, calcium
Noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women should not take vitamin D and calcium supplements, as they do not show efficacy in preventing fractures and are associated with higher risk of kidney stones, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stated. It is unclear whether the supplements work for younger populations, according to the statement published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Family Practice News
(2/25), Reuters
(2/25)
- Mo. tanning salons may misinform consumers on health risks
U.S. researchers surveyed operators at 243 indoor tanning facilities in Missouri and found that almost two-thirds of them said they accept customers as young as 10 or 12 years old, sometimes without consent from their parents. Of all the respondents, 43% said there were no health risks linked to indoor tanning, while 80% said that tanning could help avoid sunburns later in life. The findings appear in the journal Pediatrics. Reuters
(2/25)
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| Wellness Industry Developments | | |
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 | Improve your ACA knowledge with new online courses
For a better understanding of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), register for AHIP's new Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance Online Series. Available course topics include Medicare, Exchanges, the Summary of Benefits and Coverage, and Accountable Care Organizations, with more programs planned in the near future. For details, click here.
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| AHIP News | | |
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Strengthening care, services and support for dual eligibles
What programs are demonstrating success in achieving better care integration for the dually eligible population? How do these partnerships improve access and quality? At AHIP's Dual Eligibles Summit: Improving Care, Coverage, and Cost, March 12 in Washington, D.C., you'll learn the answers in sessions such as “Partnerships for Improved Access” and “State Strategies for Streamlining and Aligning Initiatives.” Register now.
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Want efficient back office operations? Consider TPA Direct
The TPA Direct program consist of AHIP member companies and offers guidance to health insurance plans and other payers and administrators interested in outsourcing. TMG Health, a TPA Direct partner, is a technology-enabled, Business Process Outsourcing services firm providing operational solutions and information systems for health plans, providers and insurers.
| SmartQuote | | |
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 | Shared joys make a friend, not shared sufferings."
--Friedrich Nietzsche,
German philosopher
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| AHIP Solutions Team |
Managing Editor, Online Publishing:
Yvonne Chanatry
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| | Recent AHIP Wellness SmartBrief Issues:
- Monday, February 25, 2013
- Friday, February 22, 2013
- Thursday, February 21, 2013
- Wednesday, February 20, 2013
- Tuesday, February 19, 2013
| | | Lead Editor: Kathryn Doherty
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