Medicine Card The Discovery Of Power Through The Ways Of Animal

Source: Healthleaders, Inc., Special Data Request, March 2009. (Kaiser Family Foundation)

Excerpt: "In 'Imagining 16% to 12%: A vision for cost efficiency, improving health care quality, and covering the uninsured,' [Milliman sets] forth 'actuarial insights to help health care reformers develop better proposals' while reducing health care's share of the gross domestic product (GDP) from the current 16% to 12%. The Milliman team's strategies support those of the Obama Administration to reduce costly waste in health care by relying more on evidence-based medicine, using comparative effectiveness evaluations of new and existing treatments to identify those that are the most cost effective, setting quality standards and measures, making providers accountable for outcomes, encouraging informed patient choice, and promoting electronic medical records, among other steps." (Wolters Kluwer)

8 pages. Excerpt: "Conclusions: Our results suggest that the programs did not reduce medical cost in their first year, despite a beneficial effect on hospital admissions. If we had been able to include program fees, it is likely that the overall cost would have increased significantly. Although this study had important limitations, the results suggest that a belief that these programs will save money may be too optimistic and better evaluation is needed." (The American Journal of Managed Care)

Excerpt: "Private health insurance carriers form the backbone of California's market-based health care system, providing coverage to 67% of its population. Health insurance carriers not only serve the privately insured, but also large portions of the publicly insured, in Medi-Cal, Healthy Families, Medicare, and other public programs. [Both the report and data files are linked from the target page.]" (California HealthCare Foundation)

Antibiotic giveaways by a growing number of supermarket pharmacies have raised fears among some physicians that they could feel more pressure to prescribe the medications when they are not necessary.

Overuse of antibiotics is blamed for the growth of resistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Several large grocery store chains with pharmacies have been marketing free 14-day prescriptions of generic versions of the most prescribed antibiotics as a way of helping parents in a flagging economy. Promotions typically run January through March, during the peak of cold and flu season.

The idea is not new. Walker, Mich.-based Meijer began offering free antibiotics -- including amoxicillin and penicillin -- in 2006. But the concept has picked up steam as the economy grows weaker, with more grocery chains jumping on board this winter. Among then are Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix; Giant Food, based in Landover, Md.; Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans; and Stop & Shop, based in Quincy, Mass.

Store executives are clear that it's an enticement to draw more customers. But they also say it's a service to families who might otherwise not fill a prescription or see a doctor because of cost concerns.

Parents are already pressuring physicians to give their children antibiotics, even though viruses cause the most common childhood infections, said Wayne Snodgrass, MD, PhD, chair of the committee on drugs for the American Academy of Pediatrics and professor of pediatrics and pharmacology at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Offers of free medication will probably even more pressure.

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