Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is the third most reputable U.S. company, according to an annual online survey of more than 10,000 people conducted by Reputation Institute. The survey asked consumers about their knee-jerk reactions to 150 of the biggest companies in the U.S., did some number crunching, and produced a list that also included CVS, Medtronic (apparently consumers weren’t as shaken as we thought by the Infuse drama?), Walgreens and Abbott Laboratories among the top 50. Near the bottom of the list? Humana, CIGNA and Aetna.
Prescription drug spending in the U.S. leveled off in 2011, according to new data from IMS. But it wasn’t due to a lack of new drugs, as the year 2011 saw the most new drugs approved in nearly a decade. Rather, the .5 percent increase in spending was caused by a drop in physician office visits and in the use of prescription drugs, especially by the over-65 population, IMS says. More generic drugs may have contributed, too.
Ohio and Pennsylvania have some of the highest rates of Medicaid fraud convictions, according to new data from the 50 State Medicaid Fraud Control Units. California had the most – by a long shot – with 123 convictions, but Ohio came in third behind Texas. Pennsylvania just barely made the top 10 list with 38.
Highmark officials say former CEO Mark Melani was fired for repeatedly lying to higher management about his relationship with an employee and a March 25 fistfight that caused “injuries to the Blue Cross Blue Shield brand, the company’s reputation, risk to business partners and financial harm,” according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
