November 2004
Nobody doubts that the electronic medical record will promote better medicine, but at what cost? And to whom? Providers fear that they will bear the weight.
If employers make decisions based on URAC's and NCQA's rating of traditional managed care plans, shouldn't they want similar ratings of CDHPs?
Congress told the Department of Defense to create a uniform formulary for all the services, and cover all FDA-approved drugs.
Congress's financial review agency says that not enough evidence exists to prove that disease management saves money. Many beg to differ.
The FDA stands poised to approve OTC low-dose statins, following a similar change in United Kingdom.
The idea that everyone in a given geographical area should pay the same for health coverage has come under assault in recent years.
In this study, outpatient management was effective in controlling nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and was associated with a reduced need for hospital or emergency room treatment as well as reduced costs.
Departments
Viewpoint
One important way that we can improve care for people with chronic diseases is to have medical records that are online and accessible when needed.
Jack Ebeler
Legislation & Regulation
The issue is how extensive the list of covered medications should be for the new Medicare pharmaceutical benefit. The stakes are enormous.
John Carroll
Compensation Monitor
The Formulary Files
Tomorrow's Medicine
New tests will allow better determination of which therapies will work on which patients, thus improving care and reducing outlays for failed therapies.
Thomas Morrow, MD
Managed Care Outlook