Posted on 10/30/2007 9:02:24 PM PDT by neverdem
Under an agreement with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the health insurance company Cigna will redesign its doctor-ranking program to add transparency, accuracy, and oversight to the process.
Under the agreement announced yesterday, Cigna will fully disclose to its customers how the rankings are devised. The new process will include detailed descriptions if rankings are at all based on cost, and there will be a process for consumers to register complaints. Cigna will also be required to hire an independent monitor to oversee the process. The monitor will report to Mr. Cuomo's office every six months. The new ranking system will take effect in December 2008, and it will only affect New York customers, Cigna's chief medical officer, Dr. Jeffrey Kang, said.
Earlier this year, Mr. Cuomo began an investigation into doctor-ranking systems, calling on leading insurance carriers, including Aetna, United Healthcare, and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, to re-evaluate how they rank doctors.
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STUDYING EXERCISE DURING CHEMOTHERAPY
With the idea of exercising during cancer treatment no longer considered taboo, doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center now aim to change traditional philosophies even further by proving that physical activity can actually benefit patients.
In an upcoming pilot study, 100 breast cancer patients will combine aerobic exercise, resistance training, and light weight lifting. Among researchers' goals: to increase flexibility, to prevent weight gain, and to reduce scar tissue and fatigue. "Our goal is to help them after they've had their surgery and before they start their chemotherapy," an attending breast surgeon who is one of the leaders of the study, Dr. Alexandra Heerdt, said.
The pilot study, still awaiting final hospital approval, would take place over a six-month period. The concept originated with a group of breast cancer patients participating in an exercise class. "Like anything, if you become...,"
(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...
An efficient way to commit suicide is toy only see Cigna’a “top” doctors... the ones who provide the least care and make the most profits for Cigma. The guys who will euthanize you at the first sign of a sniffle or heartburn.
Yep. You have to wonder how this is going to affect taking on difficult cases, as well.
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