How health education can help cut costs

Employers are using a variety of strategies to combat rising health care costs such as raising deductibles and implementing more wellness programs, Mercer finds. Employers also expect to use more social networking to communicate with workers and influence their health behavior, the study suggests. 

Editor’s Note: To see how employers are Bending the Health Care Spending Curve, gather your team and watch a webinar on the topic.

Chocolate linked to lower stroke and mortality risk

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a new systematic review from Canadian researchers suggests higher chocolate consumption may be associated with a lower risk for incident stroke and stroke-related mortality.

Solve the snow-day dilemma

Companies should set up policies that make it clear to workers what they should expect in case of bad weather. If the office is open but a particular person is unable to make it to work, then that worker should have to use their leave, Kris Dunn writes. “Just use road closings as your guide for when to close the office.”

Health plans collaborate to streamline insurance paperwork

AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association today were expected to announce a pilot program in New Jersey that will allow five of the state’s biggest private insurers to let physicians and hospitals review patient coverage and monitor claims using a singe Web portal. The initiative aims to streamline administrative work associated with health insurance. 

Insurer sends physicians report on their cancer care

UnitedHealth Group sends physicians reports that assess their treatment of patients with breast, lung and colorectal cancers. The reports, which the insurer said are not rankings, show that care for breast cancer generally conforms to medical protocols but care for colorectal and lung cancer doesn’t always meet recommendations.

Simple behaviors help reduce childhood obesity

Children who eat dinner regularly with their family, limit TV time and get enough sleep can reduce their risk of obesity by 40% compared with their peers who don’t follow these routines, researchers said. The study charted the routines of children from birth to age 4.

Flying Cheap: How we can learn from airlines

There was a fascinating Frontline program on last week titled Flying Cheap. It concerned an accident indirectly caused apparently by both unintentional and blatant compromises in airline safety. There were many similarities that we in health care can learn from.

Case management loses a friend

Karen Peters, a case manager and friend, passed away Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at Campbell County Memorial Hospital following a battle with cancer. She was someone who you always saw at the Annual Conference. If you knew Karen, please feel free to sign her guest book.