Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Valeant Tells Doctors That Their Prescriptions Won't Be Disrupted
Reuters: Valeant Sends Letter To Doctors, Seeks To Reassure Over Pharmacy Ties
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc sought to reassure doctors on Monday that the company's decision to cut ties to a controversial specialty pharmacy would not disrupt doctors' ability to prescribe the company's drugs to patients. In a letter to healthcare professionals seen by Reuters, Chief Executive Officer Michael Pearson said that Valeant would pay for the cost of its products through Nov. 8 and make sure patients could fill their prescriptions with no out-of-pocket expenses, wherever possible. Patients on government-run health plans such as Medicare are not eligible. (O'Donnell and Humer, 11/2)
The Wall Street Journal's CIO Report: Quest Diagnostics CIO Leads Move Beyond Lab Tests Into Data Analytics
Quest Diagnostics Inc., facing revenue pressure as health insurers contain costs, is trying to move beyond lab tests. CIO Lidia Fonseca is leading efforts to capitalize off of Quest’s enormous stockpiles of data, which include 20 billion test results, and offering new data services to hospitals and health insurance companies. “The analytics for us are really a new source of revenue,” said Ms. Fonseca. “We’re not just a lab anymore, we’re a lab plus an insights company,” she said. (King, 11/2)
The Wall Street Journal: AmSurg Withdraws Bid For Team Health
AmSurg Corp. on Monday withdrew its offer to buy Team Health Holdings Inc. after the fellow provider of outsourced physician services rejected AmSurg’s revised offer. AmSurg had said it would withdraw its offer if Team Health hadn’t engaged in talks by 4 p.m. EST Tuesday. A representative for Team Health had declined to comment on the ultimatum. (Minaya, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal: Pamplona To Acquire MedAssets In $1.86 Billion Deal
MedAssets Inc. agreed to be acquired by Pamplona Capital Management LLP in a deal valued at roughly $1.86 billion. MedAssets’ shares rose 29% to $30.5 in recent premarket trading to reflect the offer of $31.35 a share, a 32% premium to Friday’s close. ... Pamplona plans to combine the health-care technology and services company’s revenue-cycle-management segment with Pamplona-owned health-information-management firm Precyse, which currently is a strategic partner of the MedAssets revenue cycle unit. (Stynes, 11/2)
