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High-deductible plans jeopardize financial health of patients and rural hospitals

Kristie Flowers had been sick with the flu for four or five days in July before the 52-year-old registered nurse from Genoa, Colo., acknowledged she needed to go to the ER.

10 Jan 2020

Study: Opioid addiction care is scarce in Medicaid work requirement states

Low-income people with addiction, especially those with addiction to opioids, may find it hard to access the kind of care they need to recover no matter where they live, a new study suggests.

10 Jan 2020

Opioid addiction care is harder to access in states considering Medicaid work requirements

Low-income people with addiction, especially those with addiction to opioids, may find it hard to access the kind of care they need to recover no matter where they live, a new study suggests.

9 Jan 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats roll dice on SCOTUS and the ACA

Democratic state attorneys general are asking the Supreme Court to intervene this term in a case that could invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act.

9 Jan 2020

House Energy and Commerce Committee scheduled to hold hearing on immunosuppressive drug coverage

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday, January 8, on the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2019, advancing a long-standing legislative priority of the American Society of Nephrology.

9 Jan 2020

Intervention for hospitalized HIV patients reduces infection rates and increases engagement in care

Providing multidisciplinary team consults for HIV patients while they are hospitalized to help address social and medical barriers reduces future infection rates and boosts participation in follow-up care, results from a study on how to reengage patients show.

7 Jan 2020

Palmetto GBA now covers Genomic Testing Cooperative’s solid tumor molecular profile

Genomic Testing Cooperative, LCA announced that the Medicare Administrative Contractor Palmetto GBA (MolDx) has established coverage for its solid tumor molecular profile.

7 Jan 2020

Hospitals serving vulnerable communities may be penalized by rating system

Hospital ratings are intended to help patients decide where to get medical care and encourage hospitals to improve the quality of their services. They also can influence how insurance companies negotiate contracts for reimbursing hospitals.

7 Jan 2020

Medicaid expansion helps people retain more stable coverage

Among low-income adults enrolled in Medicaid, disruptions in coverage, or churning, decreased following the Affordable Care Act.

7 Jan 2020

Patient safety data related to falls on Nursing Home Compare website may be highly inaccurate

The website Nursing Home Compare, sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is a go-to resource for many families researching nursing home options for their loved ones.

6 Jan 2020

Hospital known for glamorous patients opens new doors to its neediest

With its deluxe suites, A-list patients and world-class art collection that includes works by Picasso and Chagall, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's nickname is "hospital to the stars." But starting this year, it is making a change for its poorest patients.

6 Jan 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: How do other countries pay for health care?

Many proponents of creating a "Medicare for All" system in the United States say it would make this country more like other industrialized nations. But, in fact, other countries structure their systems in a wide variety of ways.

2 Jan 2020

Coping with loss of hospital, rural town realizes: We don’t need a hospital

Dr. Max Self grabbed a sanitary wipe and cleaned off the small flashlight in his hands. More than 20 years as a family doctor in rural Fort Scott, Kan., has taught him a few tricks: "I've got my flashlight. See? Look, you want to hold it?"

26 Dec 2019

Reports of patients’ deaths linked to heart devices lurk below radar

The Food and Drug Administration continues to file thousands of reports of patients' deaths related to medical devices through a reporting system that keeps the safety data out of the public eye.

26 Dec 2019

Electronic health records creating a ‘new era’ of health care fraud, officials say

Derek Lewis was working as an electronic health records specialist for the nation's largest hospital chain when he heard about software defects that might even "kill a patient."

23 Dec 2019

Government-funded day care helps keep seniors out of nursing homes and hospitals

Two mornings a week, a van arrives at the Escondido, Calif., home of Mario Perez and takes him to a new senior center in this northern San Diego County town, where he eats a hot lunch, plays cards and gets physical therapy to help restore the balance he lost after breaking both legs in a fall.

23 Dec 2019

Advanced technologies can significantly improve healthcare quality, productivity, and access

Real transformation in healthcare through the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, telecommunications, and other advanced technologies could provide significant improvements in healthcare quality, productivity, and access.

20 Dec 2019

Researchers examine safety-net care for patients initiating maintenance dialysis in the U.S.

New research indicates that non-profit/independently-owned and hospital-based dialysis facilities care disproportionately for uninsured patients with kidney failure and those who quality only for Medicaid. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of JASN.

19 Dec 2019

New assessment quantifies the financial impact of Medicare Part D program

A new assessment of the Medicare Part D program based on a proposal from the West Health Policy Center finds that Medicare beneficiaries would save $29 billion if drug manufacturer rebates were used to reduce their out-of-pocket costs at the pharmacy counter through the Part D benefit - as long as these rebate savings are not also used to reduce Part D manufacturer liability.

19 Dec 2019

Declining dementia rates may be due to generational differences in lifetime lead exposure

To the medical community's surprise, several studies from the US, Canada, and Europe suggest a promising downward trend in the incidence and prevalence of dementia. Important risk factors for dementia, such as mid-life obesity and mid-life diabetes, have been increasing rapidly, so the decline in dementia incidence is particularly perplexing.

19 Dec 2019

Medicare News and Research

High-deductible plans jeopardize financial health of patients and rural hospitals

Study: Opioid addiction care is scarce in Medicaid work requirement states

Opioid addiction care is harder to access in states considering Medicaid work requirements

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats roll dice on SCOTUS and the ACA

House Energy and Commerce Committee scheduled to hold hearing on immunosuppressive drug coverage

Intervention for hospitalized HIV patients reduces infection rates and increases engagement in care

Palmetto GBA now covers Genomic Testing Cooperative’s solid tumor molecular profile

Hospitals serving vulnerable communities may be penalized by rating system

Medicaid expansion helps people retain more stable coverage

Patient safety data related to falls on Nursing Home Compare website may be highly inaccurate

Hospital known for glamorous patients opens new doors to its neediest

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: How do other countries pay for health care?

Coping with loss of hospital, rural town realizes: We don’t need a hospital

Reports of patients’ deaths linked to heart devices lurk below radar

Electronic health records creating a ‘new era’ of health care fraud, officials say

Government-funded day care helps keep seniors out of nursing homes and hospitals

Advanced technologies can significantly improve healthcare quality, productivity, and access

Researchers examine safety-net care for patients initiating maintenance dialysis in the U.S.

New assessment quantifies the financial impact of Medicare Part D program

Declining dementia rates may be due to generational differences in lifetime lead exposure

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