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A tale of two CT scanners — one richer, one poorer

Benjamin Hynden, a financial adviser in Fort Myers, Fla., hadn’t been feeling well for a few weeks last fall. He’d had pain and discomfort in his abdomen.

9 Apr 2018

Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage — even groceries

Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year.

3 Apr 2018

Don’t get tripped up by the IRS’ tweak to health savings accounts

It's tax time, and this week I answered questions from readers about the penalty for not having health insurance as well as changes to health savings accounts. I also discuss health insurance coverage options for a reader's parents who are immigrants and green card holders.

3 Apr 2018

Christiana Care Health System’s hospitals designated as leader in LGBTQ healthcare

For the seventh year in row, Christiana Care Health System's Christiana and Wilmington hospitals have both been designated a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality, receiving a perfect score on the national Healthcare Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational branch of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization.

30 Mar 2018

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Patients traveling to developing countries for plastic surgery procedures may experience severe complications—requiring extensive and costly treatment after they return to the United States, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 Mar 2018

Aditlys develops bioresorbable vascular access solution for hemodialysis patients

Aditlys is the first medical technology firm to develop a bioresorbable vascular access solution for patients undergoing dialysis treatment for chronic kidney disease. Aditlys' polymer-based graft enables a patient's body to naturally reconstruct its own blood vessels using the body's own tissue.

29 Mar 2018

Scrutinizing Medicare coverage for physical, occupational and speech therapy

For years, confusion has surrounded the conditions under which older adults can receive physical, occupational and speech therapy covered by Medicare.

29 Mar 2018

Pitt scientists develop new emergency and trauma care referral map to improve health care quality

In response to repeated calls for an integrated and coordinated emergency and trauma care system in the U.S., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists and UPMC physicians rose to the challenge and divided the nation into hundreds of referral regions that describe how patients access advanced care, in a way that respects geopolitical borders.

29 Mar 2018

Medicare metrics may not completely reflect hospital quality for readmissions

Over the past several years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have reported hospital quality measures on the Hospital Compare website, providing the public with a way to compare hospital performance.

27 Mar 2018

Higher online patient ratings linked to urologists who saw fewer Medicare patients

Lower online patient ratings for urologists in California were associated with practices that saw more patients.

21 Mar 2018

Alzheimer’s disease on the rise

A new report shows that Alzheimer’s disease cases and the costs of treatment and hospitalization due to this disease and deaths due to this condition are on the rise. The report finds that at present 5.7 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and of these 5.5 million are over the age of 65 years. Of these 3.4 million are women.

20 Mar 2018

Adults skipping vaccines may miss out on effective new shingles shot

Federal officials have recommended a new vaccine that is more effective than an earlier version at protecting older adults against the painful rash called shingles. But persuading many adults to get this and other recommended vaccines continues to be an uphill battle, physicians and vaccine experts say.

20 Mar 2018

Congress tackles the opioid epidemic. But how much will it help?

The nation's opioid epidemic has been called today's version of the 1980s AIDS crisis. In a speech Monday, President Donald Trump pushed for a tougher federal response, emphasizing a tough-on-crime approach for drug dealers and more funding for treatment.

20 Mar 2018

Study examines relationship between spending for heart attack care and patient outcomes

In recent years, there has been a growing emphasis on improving the value of health care by incentivizing reduced spending and improved outcomes.

15 Mar 2018

Lifting therapy caps proves a load off Medicare patients’ shoulders

Physical therapy helps Leon Beers, 73, get out of bed in the morning and maneuver around his home using his walker. Other treatment strengthens his throat muscles so that he can communicate and swallow food, said his sister Karen Morse. But in mid-January, his home health care agency told Morse it could no longer provide these services because he had used all his therapy benefits allowed under Medicare for the year.

14 Mar 2018

Medicaid is rural America’s financial midwife

Brianna Foster, 23, lives minutes away from Genesis Hospital, the main source of health care and the only hospital with maternity services in southeastern Ohio's rural Muskingum County.

12 Mar 2018

Researchers link social networks with likelihood of older adults getting cataract surgery

Close family relationships and a strong social network may help older adults see the world better -- literally.

12 Mar 2018

No-go for Idaho: Back to the drawing board on state-based health plans

No, you can't. That's what federal officials told Idaho regulators and the state's governor late Thursday regarding the state's plan to allow insurers to sell health plans that fall short of the Affordable Care Act's requirements.

9 Mar 2018

Study explores more about food insecurity among older adults

Social issues such as hunger, inadequate housing, social isolation, and poverty are linked to poor health, especially as we age. When community organizations and healthcare systems coordinate with each other, they are better able to help us address these concerns individually and as a society.

9 Mar 2018

Bundled payment model for knee and hip replacements more likely to work better for larger hospitals

Medicare's experimental mandatory bundled payment model for knee and hip replacements is more likely to yield cost savings when the surgeries are performed in larger hospitals that do more of these procedures, according to a study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

7 Mar 2018

Medicare News and Research

A tale of two CT scanners — one richer, one poorer

Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage — even groceries

Don’t get tripped up by the IRS’ tweak to health savings accounts

Christiana Care Health System’s hospitals designated as leader in LGBTQ healthcare

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Aditlys develops bioresorbable vascular access solution for hemodialysis patients

Scrutinizing Medicare coverage for physical, occupational and speech therapy

Pitt scientists develop new emergency and trauma care referral map to improve health care quality

Medicare metrics may not completely reflect hospital quality for readmissions

Higher online patient ratings linked to urologists who saw fewer Medicare patients

Alzheimer’s disease on the rise

Adults skipping vaccines may miss out on effective new shingles shot

Congress tackles the opioid epidemic. But how much will it help?

Study examines relationship between spending for heart attack care and patient outcomes

Lifting therapy caps proves a load off Medicare patients’ shoulders

Medicaid is rural America’s financial midwife

Researchers link social networks with likelihood of older adults getting cataract surgery

No-go for Idaho: Back to the drawing board on state-based health plans

Study explores more about food insecurity among older adults

Bundled payment model for knee and hip replacements more likely to work better for larger hospitals

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