New Medicare Act bolsters newsletter, spawns another.

Dear Marci's name is affectionately derived from the acronym of its publisher, the Medicare Rights Center, a patient advocacy group based in New York City.

It'is sent free by e-mail to thousands of people. "We think of Dear Marci as the Dear Abby for older adults struggling to get answers to their health care," Diane Archer, the center's founder, told The New York Times. "Since President Bush signed the Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003," the Times reported, "the biggest change in the Medicare program since its inception, Dear Marci has received more questions than it has in past years, said Naomi Newman, author of the newsletter."

Questions in the newsletter are drawn from more than 75,000 the Medicare Rights Center receives each year.

www.medicarerights.org

Medicare Reform Advisor

HCPro's latest launch is the first weekly publication covering the Medicare Modernization Act "and the flurry of regulations affecting healthcare and pharmaceutical providers," according to Bryan Cote, the new newsletter's editor and chief writer.

Medicare Reform Advisor is an electronic newsletter designed to help physician practices, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, managed care organizations, state health officials and policy leaders, aging groups, Washington lobbyists, and healthcare attorneys understand and comply with the new, complex rules and regulations and contend with the legal consequences of the new Medicare law.

"The Medicare Reform Advisor translates this 700-page law and the reams of regulations that will follow into simple action points," said HCPro publisher Suzanne Perney. "Our mission is to translate the often incomprehensible legalize of the Medicare law and regulations into plain English so that healthcare and pharmaceutical professionals can easily understand it and make sure they are complying with it."

Cote added, "This is more than news on the regulations--it's an important resource, particularly for physicians, hospitals, and long-term care leaders, to understand what to do about each change and how to plan and budget for new and existing service lines."

HCPro publishes 34 monthly newsletters, 40 weekly e-zines, and more than 150 books about healthcare compliance and regulatory issues for the healthcare industry.

HCPro, 200 Hoods Lane, Marblehead, MA01945, 800-650-6787, www.hcmarketplace. com/Prod.cfm?id=2378&s=EN25887A