Benefits of Membership
	The Texas Association of Health Plans (TAHP) is the state’s largest managed care association and leading resource on key information affecting the health insurance industry. Joining TAHP will ensure that your company has access to the resources and advocacy of the state’s leading managed care organization. learn more about membership Items of Interest American Specialty Health: Healthyroads Offers Six Tips to Keep Your Weight Management Goals on Track During Healthy Weight Week January 17-23. Millions of Americans have made weight management one of their top priorities in 2010, and with the right tools and support in place, they can achieve their goals of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. One of the keys to success is to not give up when things don't go exactly as planned, according to Douglas Metz, DC, chief health services officer for Healthyroads, the prevention and wellness management subsidiary of national health and wellness company American Specialty Health Incorporated (ASH). ... View the entire story at American Specialty Health (ASH) Walgreens Expands Health and Wellness Offerings with Walgreens Optimal Wellness™ Source Walgreens Health Initiatives | Walgreens Health Services Supplements and Reinforces Physician Care and Expands Role of Pharmacists Walgreens (NYSE: WAG)(NASDAQ: WAG) today announced the launch of the Walgreens Optimal Wellness™ program, an innovative self-care educational program for people with chronic conditions that will initially focus on people with type 2 diabetes. Walgreens Optimal Wellness™ is a significant step for Walgreens and the health care industry that capitalizes on the power of face-to-face interaction. ... View the entire story at Walgreens Health Initiatives | Walgreens Health Services

Health companies giving $15.5M for Haiti relief

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Drug and medical product makers and other health care companies are pledging to donate at least $15.5 million in cash and products to help victims of Tuesday's earthquake in Haiti.

That amounts to almost one-third of the donations - totaling at least $48 million - announced by corporations and their foundations by Friday afternoon.

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WellPoint, Inc. Receives 2010 Diversity Leader Award

WellPoint, Inc. is pleased to announce it has received a "2010 Diversity Leader Award(R)" in the January/February issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal for demonstrating outstanding diversity communication practices during the past year. ...

View the entire story at WellPoint, Inc.

Insurer Cigna's profit comes from several sectors
(Boston Globe © 02/05/2010)
Managed care company Cigna Corp. draws its income from several business segments. Here's the profit it received from each in the fourth quarter of 2009, with the insurer's fourth-quarter 2008 performance in parenthesis for comparison: -- health care: $182 million (same in 2008) -- disability and life: $64 million ($62 million) -- international: $39 million ($38 million) -- run-off reinsurance:...

Majority of rural hospital stays are covered by Medicare
(News-Medical.Net © 02/05/2010)
Medicare patients accounted for almost half of all stays (45 percent) at rural hospitals in 2007, while the percentage of Medicare beneficiaries who were admitted to urban hospitals was considerably lower (35 percent) , according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The federal agency's analysis also found that in 2007: a??About 25 percent of rural ho...

Electronic health records need better monitoring, UT prof reports
(E-Science News © 02/04/2010)
The push is on for healthcare providers to make the switch to electronic health records but it is hard to tell how well these complex health information technology systems are being implemented and used, writes a health informatics researcher at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in a Feb. 3 commentary in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. To improve monit...

Report explores benefits, opportunities and challenges of patient-centered medical home
(News-Medical.Net © 02/04/2010)
Palmetto Health: Marcus Barnes, director of Richland Care Medical Home, describes how hospitals can partner with medical homes to deliver patient-centered care to uninsured and low-income patients while reaping the financial benefits associated with decreased utilization and duplication of services; Partners In Care Physician Organization: James Barr, M.D., family physician and medical director fo...

Employers becoming less satisfied with health plans
(American Medical News © 02/03/2010)
A survey of large and small companies found declining satisfaction with insurers, with the drop specifically attributable to large employers. The survey also noted that employers continue to see driving down payments to physicians and hospitals as a priority in how they rate their insurer. Results of the survey, conducted in 2009 by PricewaterhouseCoopers, were released Jan. 19. The survey is av...

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For the latest Swine Flu Information, check the Department of State Health Services website - http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/
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