Madison -- Wisconsin doctors who adopt electronic health record systems will receive bigger reimbursements through federal health care programs, under a pilot program offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Michael Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was in Madison Friday to announce the program, which is aimed at getting small- and medium-sized practices to adopt electronic medical records. Wisconsin was one of 12 sites chosen to be part of the pilot. Managing records electronically is believed to result in better care for patients and fewer medical errors.   Read More...

Express Scripts Inc. is buying the workers' compensation pharmacy benefit management business (PBM) of Medical Services Co. (MSC) for an undisclosed amount, the company announced Friday. Read More...

A drug used to treat multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells, may also be a treatment for the chronic autoimmune disease lupus, German researchers report.

The drug, Velcade (bortezomib), which is a proteasome inhibitor, worked against the disease and prolonged survival in mice with lupus. The finding could one day offer treatment options for other antibody-associated diseases, too, the researchers said. Read More...