SPRING 2008
IN THIS ISSUE

    MESSAGE FROM THE CEO
    UP CLOSE
    PATHWAYS
    NEWS YOU CAN USE

 
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Ken Dowell,
Evergreen Rx Practice Leader


SPECIALTY DRUGS ON THE RISE:
Tools to better control expense

Made out of living cell cultures instead of simple molecules used to create traditional pharmaceuticals, the number of biotech drugs on the market and in the pipeline is on the rise as more pharmaceutical companies are investing in the development of these wonder drugs.

According to a recent report, the big pharmaceutical firms are moving toward biotech because it is a fast growing business generic competitors can’t touch. The result is the biotech industry is expanding much more rapidly than traditional pharmaceuticals.

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A Message from the CEO
by Charles Crispin, President & CEO, Evergreen Re

Preparing for the Shift in Risk

A C-level executive at a health plan in the Midwest called to ask my advice on an unexpected outpatient claim that was quickly reaching $5 million.  Although not an Evergreen Re client, he had heard me speak about the surge in catastrophic claims, and he wanted to know if I had ever heard of a case like his.

Unfortunately, the answer was yes. Like many health plan executives across the country, he was surprised to learn about the growing incidence of claims over $1 million.  And even more surprised to learn that many of these claims are for services provided outside the traditional hospital setting as well as for high cost specialty drugs and therapies designed to improve outcomes and health.

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