Feb. 11, 2010 at 6:07 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Investigations,
Litigation
By Ameet Sachdev | A Deerfield ophthalmologist was charged with insider trading in the options of LCA-Vision Inc., a provider of laser eye surgery, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday.
Gerald Horn, 57, the medical director of LCA’s Schaumburg facility, faces civil charges by acting on nonpublic information and buying options on the shares of Cincinnati-based LCA to make a profit of about $870,000, the SEC alleged. Horn also avoided a loss about $533,000 by exercising stock option grants and immediately selling this stock on the basis of nonpublic information, the SEC said.
Horn could not be immediately reached for comment.
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Feb. 11, 2010 at 2:17 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
M&A,
Pharmaceuticals
By Bruce Japsen and Associated Press | European regulators gave Abbott Laboratories antitrust clearance to buy Solvay’s pharmaceutical business for $6.6 billion, with certain sales conditions.
Under the clearance, Abbott will have to divest Solvay’s cystic fibrosis testing business. European regulators cited concerns that the combination could harm competition in that market.
The North Chicago-based maker of drugs and medical products expects the deal to close by the end of this month.
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Feb. 10, 2010 at 7:55 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Retail
From Reuters | Walgreen’s CEO Greg Wasson said the company will test a consumer loyalty card and other loyalty strategies in three or four markets this spring to help improve same store sales hurt by the economic downturn.
Read the full story: reuters.com
Feb. 8, 2010 at 12:24 p.m.
Filed under:
Health care
Associated Press | The Obama administration on Monday asked California’s largest
for-profit health insurer to justify plans to hike customers’ premiums
by as much as 39 percent, a move that could affect some 800,000
customers.
In a letter to the president of Anthem Blue Cross, Health and Human
Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she was very disturbed to
learn of the planned increases. She said they were hard to understand
in light of the profitability of Anthem’s parent company, WellPoint Inc.
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Feb. 5, 2010 at 8:36 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Retail
Associated Press | Walgreen’s is joining efforts to stem the nation’s diabetes epidemic by offering free blood sugar testing.
The Deerfield-based chain’s 24-hour stores and clinics will offer the tests Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. People aged 18 and older are eligible.
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Feb. 4, 2010 at 10:42 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Litigation
|
By Bruce Japsen | The Illinois Supreme Court struck down the state’s medical malpractice law today, saying it violates separation of powers by allowing lawmakers to interfere with a judge’s ability to reduce verdicts.
The much-anticipated ruling, which challenged the constitutionality of damage caps for doctors and hospitals, is being watched closely by the health care industry and employers that see caps on damages as a way to tame rising health care costs.
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Read the opinion
Abigaile Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hosiptal |
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Feb. 4, 2010 at 6:59 a.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
Health care
Dow Jones Newswires | Hospira Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings fell 7.6 percent on restructuring charges, but adjusted results rose and beat analysts’ estimates as revenue jumped 15 percent.
Hospira reported a profit of $96.7 million, or 58 cents a share, down from $104.6 million, or 65 cents, a year earlier. Excluding items such as the write-downs, earnings rose to 87 cents from 78 cents. Revenue jumped 15 percent to $1.06 billion.
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Feb. 4, 2010 at 6:31 a.m.
Filed under:
Consulting,
Health care,
Personnel moves
Tribune staff report | Navigant Consulting Inc. announced Marc Bard has been appointed Chief Innovation Officer of the company’s Healthcare practice.
In the role, Bard will work with healthcare payers and providers to design and implement solutions for improving clinical outcomes, care processes and business performance.
See announcement: tradingmarkets.com
Feb. 3, 2010 at 8:18 a.m.
Filed under:
Health care,
Retail
Dow Jones Newswires | Walgreen Co. posted a surprise 1.1 percent drop in same-store sales for January as the drugstore giant saw weakness that emerged in December continue.
The company blamed both calendar impacts and fewer incidences of flu for the results.
Walgreen said January same-store pharmacy sales fell 1.2 percent, cut by 2.3 percentage points from new generic drugs hitting the market the past year and fewer cases of the flu. The company said results were hurt by 1.9 percentage points from the month having one less Thursday and one more Sunday versus January 2009.
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