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Shots

Health News From NPR

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Sunday March 30, 2014

Why Paper Prescriptions Are Going The Way Of Snail Mail

Maria Fabrizio for NPR

Health Inc.

Why Paper Prescriptions Are Going The Way Of Snail Mail

March 30, 2014 • Medicine's shift from paper to computers has been painful and expensive. But now doctors can easily write and transmit prescriptions by computer, saving money and improving the quality of care.

Friday March 7, 2014

Actuaries In Denver Will Get First Peek At Obamacare's Full Cost

Health insurers are banding together to share information about how much new customers are costing health plans. A group of actuaries in Denver will be the first to see the figures, which could be used in calculating future rates. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

Health Inc.

Actuaries In Denver Will Get First Peek At Obamacare's Full Cost

KFF Health News

March 7, 2014 • Health insurers across the country have agreed to share information about how much new customers are costing their health plans. The figures will be used to calculate future rates.

Tuesday March 4, 2014

Drugmakers Slash Spending On Doctors' Sales Talks

Now that Eli Lilly & Co.'s antidepressant Cymbalta and some other blockbusters have gone generic, the company is spending less on promotional activities by doctors. Darron Cummings/AP hide caption

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Darron Cummings/AP

Health Inc.

Drugmakers Slash Spending On Doctors' Sales Talks

ProPublica

March 4, 2014 • The sharp decline in payments coincides with increased scrutiny of drug marketing. Later this year, federal law will also require that drugmakers disclose the amount of money they give to doctors.

Drugmakers Slash Spending On Doctors' Sales Talks

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Friday February 28, 2014

'Magic' Overdose Drug Works, But Demand And Price On The Rise

Several states distribute Naloxone hydrochloride, also called Narcan, to treat opium-based drug overdoses. But only one company manufactures the drug, and the price has spiked in recent years. Toby Talbot/AP hide caption

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Toby Talbot/AP

Treatments

'Magic' Overdose Drug Works, But Demand And Price On The Rise

WBUR

February 28, 2014 • First responders nationwide are expanding use of Narcan, used to treat heroin and other opioid overdoses. But the drug is pricey — and only one company makes it.

'Magic' Overdose Drug Works, But Demand And Price On The Rise

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Connecticut Looks To Sell Its Obamacare Exchange To Other States

Kevin Counihan, CEO of Connecticut's health insurance exchange, hopes to be able to market their expertise. Jeff Cohen/NPR hide caption

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Jeff Cohen/NPR

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Connecticut Looks To Sell Its Obamacare Exchange To Other States

WNPR

February 28, 2014 • Problems with online insurance marketplaces have hampered the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in many states. Connecticut, a success story, is trying to turn its expertise into a business.

Connecticut Looks To Sell Its Obamacare Exchange To Other States

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Friday February 21, 2014

Ads Focused On A Few Drug Risks Might Make Them Memorable

When an ad contains too much information, the most important parts may not stick. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

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Ads Focused On A Few Drug Risks Might Make Them Memorable

February 21, 2014 • The Food and Drug Administration says the long list of side effects read rapidly at the end of pharmaceutical ads may be too much for people to grasp. The agency is looking at a streamlined approach.

Thursday February 6, 2014

Most Smokers Don't Buy Their Cigarettes At CVS

M. Spencer Green/AP

Health Inc.

Most Smokers Don't Buy Their Cigarettes At CVS

February 6, 2014 • The CVS drugstore chain's decision to stop selling tobacco products drew praise as an important public health step. But, we wondered, how many people buy cigarettes at drugstores? Not as many as we thought.

Wednesday February 5, 2014

By Dropping Cigarettes, CVS Gives Its Reputation A Boost

A CVS pharmacy in Orlando, Fla., is one of more than 7,600 stores where the company will stop selling tobacco products by October. John Raoux/AP hide caption

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John Raoux/AP

Health Inc.

By Dropping Cigarettes, CVS Gives Its Reputation A Boost

February 5, 2014 • The drugstore chain says halting the sale of tobacco products could reduce revenue by $2 billion a year. CVS says it's looking for ways to make up for the lost business. But the value of the good public relations from the move could easily surpass the costs.

Monday February 3, 2014

10 Places Where Health Insurance Costs The Most

Health insurance premiums in Aspen, Colo., are among the highest in the country. Andrew Wilz/AP hide caption

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Andrew Wilz/AP

Health Inc.

10 Places Where Health Insurance Costs The Most

KFF Health News

February 3, 2014 • Some of the priciest markets for insurance include rural counties in Georgia and the areas around ski resorts in Colorado. While many people in these places will receive government subsidies to help pay for premiums, the portion that they pay will still be higher than what they would have to foot elsewhere.

What's Good For Baby Camels Could Be Good For Human Skin

Camels in Jordan supply the milk for a Missouri startup's skin-care line. The company is studying the milk's anti-inflammatory properties. iStockphoto hide caption

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iStockphoto

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What's Good For Baby Camels Could Be Good For Human Skin

KBIA

February 3, 2014 • A Jordanian woman brought her camel's milk skin-care line — and a biotech startup — to Missouri. Her company is studying how the long-acting antibodies in camel's milk can help clear up acne.

What's Good For Baby Camels Could Be Good For Human Skin

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Wednesday January 15, 2014

After Checking Blood Pressure, Kiosks Give Sales Leads To Insurers

SoloHealth owns 3,500 health screening kiosks like this one in San Francisco. In some states, the company sells customer contact information to insurers. April Dembosky hide caption

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April Dembosky

Health Inc.

After Checking Blood Pressure, Kiosks Give Sales Leads To Insurers

KQED

January 15, 2014 • People like the convenience of checking their blood pressure at free machines in pharmacies and supermarkets. But at least one company is selling the contact information of people who use its machines to health insurers seeking new customers.

After Checking Blood Pressure, Kiosks Give Sales Leads To Insurers

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Thursday January 9, 2014

Tech Ventures in Georgia Prosper As Health Care Law Kicks In

EndoChoice CEO Mark Gilreath. Jim Burress/WABE hide caption

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Jim Burress/WABE

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Tech Ventures in Georgia Prosper As Health Care Law Kicks In

January 9, 2014 • In a state where politicians have adamantly rejected the Affordable Care Act, the area around Atlanta has a growing number of health tech companies. Many are seeing business benefits from the law. Companies that once would have been a hard sell are seeing more sales and customers.

Tech Ventures in Georgia Prosper As Health Care Law Kicks In

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Monday December 23, 2013

Alabama Blue Cross Shares Obamacare Tax Woes With Customers

Kajdi Szabolcs/iStockphoto

Health Inc.

Alabama Blue Cross Shares Obamacare Tax Woes With Customers

KFF Health News

December 23, 2013 • Taxes have been part of health plan costs for decades, but they're not usually itemized on customers' bills. But a leading insurer in Alabama has calculated its customers' shares of taxes being paid by the company under the Affordable Care Act.

Friday December 20, 2013

How Fraud Flourishes Unchecked In Medicare's Drug Plan

Dr. Ernest Bagner III stands outside his former office tucked in the back corner of a strip mall in Hollywood, Calif., where he says he was the victim of Medicare fraud. Jonathan Alcorn/ProPublica hide caption

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Jonathan Alcorn/ProPublica

Health Inc.

How Fraud Flourishes Unchecked In Medicare's Drug Plan

ProPublica

December 20, 2013 • Credit card companies routinely flag or block suspicious charges as they happen. Yet under Medicare, a convoluted and poorly managed system for catching fraud allows costly scams for prescription drugs to slide by. The federal government has done little to stop the fraud, an investigation by ProPublica found.

How Fraud Flourishes Unchecked In Medicare's Drug Plan

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Tuesday December 17, 2013

Why Glaxo Won't Pay Doctors To Sell Its Drugs Anymore

British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline is pledging to revamp its relationships with doctors. Sang Tan/AP hide caption

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Sang Tan/AP

Health Inc.

Why Glaxo Won't Pay Doctors To Sell Its Drugs Anymore

December 17, 2013 • Drugmakers learned long ago that deputized doctors are effective pitchmen. A doctor's dinner speech or chat over lunch with colleagues can go a long way toward changing his or her colleagues' prescribing habits. But increasing scrutiny has led to a reconsideration of the practice.