INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

OMAHA, Neb. — ConAgra is emphasizing the use of its Healthy Choice frozen meals to improve the quality of one's diet and overall well-being.

NEW YORK — Nearly three-quarters of Americans surveyed by Deloitte said higher prices could slow their spending in the upcoming months.

The newest survey of 1,050 consumers found that 74% of consumers believed higher prices could curb their spending, with 7-out-of-10 (71%) concerned about rising energy prices and nearly half (47%) attributing reduced spending to higher medical costs.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Anyone who has ever managed a retail operation at the store level knows — perception is reality.

(THE NEWS: Independent pharmacies earn top scores from Consumer Reports readers. For the full story, click here.)

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that CVS Caremark's MinuteClinic has entered into a clinical affiliation with Advocate Health Care and Advocate Physician Partners is important as it reflects a larger focus within the U.S. healthcare landscape: medical homes, or for a growing number of Americans, the lack thereof.

NEW YORK — Target once again has taken the top spot as the retailer with the strongest consumer brand equity, according to the latest Harris poll.

This marked the second consecutive year Target has led the way in the "value retail" category, with an increasing gap noted between the company and runner-up Walmart, according to the "2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend" study. Target led the way with a ranking of 74.1, while Walmart had a ranking of 70.8. The industry average in the value retail category was 67.3.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A Georgetown University Health Policy Institute study of Florida’s Medicaid Managed Care pilot program should raise doubts for states considering the use of for-profit managed care companies to reduce Medicaid costs, the National Community Pharmacists Association cautioned on Friday.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and BERLIN — Regeneron and Bayer HealthCare have initiated 1-of-2 late-stage clinical trials of their aflibercept ophthalmic solution in the treatment of a complication caused by diabetic retinopathy.

The drug makers said that it would evaluate the efficacy of VEGF Trap-Eye (aflibercept ophthalmic solution) in the treatment of diabetic macular edema, a prevalent cause of vision loss among diabetes patients, after promising results from its previous clinical trial.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — It’s interesting how things can change over the course of a year, and the huge growth of Rite Aid’s Wellness+ program provides a good example.

(THE NEWS: Rite Aid finishes tough fiscal year, but Q4 shows improvements. For the full story, click here.)