Long Island Medical Briefs: November 2, 2007

Long Island Business News, Nov 2, 2007 by Alison Snyder

Cuomo takes on Empire, HIP/GHI on doc ranking

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is targeting two of Long Island's biggest health insurance companies in his ongoing scrutiny of doctor- ranking programs.

Cuomo recently called on Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to defend its "Blue Precision" ranking program. He also warned Preferred Care against launching its planned ranking program, and cautioned HIP Health Plan/GHI against starting one as well.

An Oct. 18 letter sent by the AG to Empire said physician- ranking programs run by insurers could be a conflict of interest, "because of the insurers' financial motive to steer consumers to the cheapest, and not necessarily the best, doctors." The letter also says Empire's program could be "driven by the desire to save money for the insurer" and "not necessarily designed with the best interest of consumers in mind."

Empire is the largest insurer in Suffolk County, with 134,000 customers enrolled, according to the state Department of Health. In Nassau, Empire insures 89,000. HIP insures 126,000 in Suffolk and 79,000 in Nassau.

Empire spokeswoman Lisa Greiner said the insurer does not offer its Blue Precision program to New York customers, although the program is expected to be available in 22 states by 2008. Greiner said Empire would not release quality and cost data "until we are comfortable that we have appropriately addressed questions raised by stakeholders such as New York consumers, employers, physicians and regulators, including the New York attorney general."

HIP/GHI said it would submit any "consumer-directed" physician- ranking program for review by the attorney general. Preferred Care did not respond to repeated calls from LIBN.

This summer, the attorney general's office sent similar letters to insurers Aetna Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare and CIGNA Healthcare. On Monday, Cuomo announced his office had reached an agreement with CIGNA on its doctor-ranking program; CIGNA will fully disclose all aspects of its ranking program to physicians and customers, the AG said, and will assign an "oversight monitor" to report back to the AG's office every six months and ensure compliance with the agreement.

Researchers link brain, autoimmune disorders

A hypothetical connection between the brain and the immune system would be key in treating autoimmune conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis - and researchers at North Shore - LIJ's The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research say they've found one.

The vagus nerve, which winds from the brain through the heart and abdomen, connects directly to the immune system, controlling the body's inflammatory response to infection and autoimmune diseases, according to the institute.

Kevin Tracey, director and chief executive at Feinstein, discovered that stimulating the vagus nerve sends commands to the immune system to stop abnormal immune responses. Scientists are now testing to see if such stimulation could stop an unwanted inflammatory response and help treat various diseases.

Going electronic at Nassau University

It may not be the richest hospital on the planet, but Nassau University Medical Center is hyping its efforts to stay on the "cutting edge of health-care technology," in the words of Arthur Gianelli, president and chief executive of Nassau Health Care Corp.

NUMC has implemented a new picture-archiving and communication system that allows staff to digitize and transmit medical images such as ultrasounds and X-rays. The hospital also recently went live with a document-scanning system that enables staff to view medical records electronically, part of an industry trend toward digitizing medical records.

NUMC also aims to have a new computer system, completely installed this year allowing physicians to give orders to hospital staff electronically. The hospital now boasts 50 wireless workstations on patient floors, allowing physicians to access clinical systems over a secure wireless network.

A total of 2 percent of the hospital's annual budget is spent on IT - approximately $5 million, according to hospital spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg. In addition, NUMC received $1.8 million this year to update IT systems through the state's Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law, Lotenberg said.