October 2009

Docs and Insurers Work To Advance Health Literacy
Both AHIP and the AMA address ways to give better care to 75 million Americans who struggle to follow directions

Frank Diamond

Cover Story

Large PBMs Transform Old Business Models
Urged on by employers, the Big 3 are going beyond traditional pharmacy benefit management, stressing consumer interactions and disease outcomes and threatening the existence of captive PBMs

Thomas Reinke

Peer-Reviewed

Hypertension Epidemiology and Economic Burden: Refining Risk Assessment To Lower Costs

Jerome D. Cohen, MD

Q&A

A Conversation with Richard ‘Buz’ Cooper, MD: Questioning the Reform Agenda
How poverty affects cost and outcomes

Insurers Slow to Adopt Social Media Practices
Health plans weigh whether giving up control of the conversation with patients is worth all the possible benefits

Lin Grensing-Pophal

Tomorrow’s Medicine

New Genomic Cancer Test Allows Better Decisions
Armed with a deeper understanding of tumor biology, insurers develop treatment algorithms to combat one of the most dreaded diseases

Thomas Morrow, MD

Compensation Monitor

Majority of docs contract with managed care
Editor’s Memo

PBMs, Medicare Advantage, Fraud Just Three Topics to Keep Track Of

John Marcille

Medication Management

Improved Adherence Highlights Specialty Pharmacy’s Potential
A great deal of money is at stake, to the tune of $1.7 trillion in 2030, according to the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

Martin Sipkoff

Managed Care Outlook

Middle class faces steeply rising premiums
Legislation & Regulation

Medicare Advantage Can, Indeed, Be Superior
Well-run MA plans that stress care coordination present a winning formula, says study

John Carroll

Viewpoint

Medication Therapy Management — Not Just for Seniors Anymore
Employers know that managing chronic conditions and preventing drug-drug interactions can boost productivity

Brian Solow, MD



News & Commentary

PPO enrollment remains high, but location is a key factor

Family Docs Outstrip Specialists in Prescribing Mental Health Drugs