INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Larry Merlo’s comments during the recent J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on the upswing in acute visits at MinuteClinic is important because it speaks to the fact that 2011 is the beginning of the second wave of clinic expansion.

(THE NEWS: Acute visits climb as MinuteClinic preps for rapid growth. For the full story, click here)

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — If only it were as easy as a voice in our heads screaming “Recalculating!” when we've taken that turn down the candy or chip aisle in the grocery store, then maybe diabetes and obesity wouldn’t quite be the epidemics that they are. Supervalu’s nutrition iQ comes about as close to an actual dietary GPS as you can get without affixing a Garmin to the shopping cart handle, and it’s a program that elevates the overall shopping experience to boot.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Companies that lower co-payments on prescription drugs while promoting disease management can lower their own healthcare costs, according to a three-year study commissioned by the Florida Health Care Coalition and published in the journal Health Affairs.

The study, which focused on patients with diabetes, found that companies combining disease-management programs with “value-based insurance design” can earn a return of $1.33 for every dollar they spend upfront on medication.

LOS ANGELES — The tale of two courageous men that look to stop a half-mile-long freight train from destroying a city is barreling its way to Blu-ray and DVD, thanks to Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

"Unstoppable," an action-packed thriller starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine, will be available Feb. 15. Both formats include several bonus features, including director commentary and script development.

"Unstoppable" on Blu-ray will carry a suggested retail price of $39.99 and will be available on DVD for an SRP of $29.98.

BOSTON — Various companies in the healthcare industry are uncertain about the benefits of the Food and Drug Administration’s risk evaluation and mitigation strategy program, and most think it needs a major overhaul, according to a study by the Tufts University Center for the Study of Drug Development.

The CSDD called the study the first systematic look at REMS since the FDA introduced the program in 2008. The FDA requires drug companies to create a REMS when the agency decides it is necessary to ensure that a drug’s benefits outweigh its risks.

ATLANTA — Nationwide rates of asthma have been on the rise in recent years, though they’ve risen at a slow pace, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the report, released Wednesday, around 24.6 million people in the United States had asthma in 2009, meaning a prevalence of 8.2%. Rates have risen by around 1.2% per year since 2001, with asthma attack prevalence staying between 3.9% and 4.3% between 1997 and 2009.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Nearly half (48%) of Americans between the ages of 45 and 70 years have no financial plans in place to protect themselves against outliving their assets and the rising cost of health care, should they live longer than they expected, according to a survey released last week by the Society of Actuaries.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — It seems that many mail-order pharmacy patients are unaware that they can receive their 90-day supply of prescription medications at community pharmacies.