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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

Study estimates medical costs attributable to falls among older adults

In 2015, the estimated medical costs attributable to both fatal and nonfatal falls in older US adults was approximately $50 billion.

7 Mar 2018

As surgery centers boom, patients are paying with their lives

The surgery went fine. Her doctors left for the day. Four hours later, Paulina Tam started gasping for air.

6 Mar 2018

CMS issues split decision on Arkansas Medicaid waiver

The Trump administration on Monday approved Arkansas' request for a Medicaid work requirement but deferred a decision on the state's request to roll back its Medicaid expansion that has added 300,000 adults to the program.

5 Mar 2018

Hypoglycemia poses unaddressed threat to type 2 diabetes patients

New research from the Endocrine Society and Avalere Health finds that clinicians lack the resources to identify, assess and manage patients who are at a high risk of developing hypoglycemia, or episodes of dangerously low blood sugar.

5 Mar 2018

Study finds underuse of minimally invasive surgeries in elderly Medicare patients

A study of more than 200,000 Medicare patients who had common surgical procedures shows that, compared to the general population, they underwent far fewer minimally invasive operations, whose benefits include lower rates of complications and readmissions, along with shorter hospital stays.

5 Mar 2018

Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients skip paying new premiums

When Arkansas lawmakers debated in 2016 whether to renew the state's Medicaid expansion, many Republican lawmakers were swayed only if some of the 300,000 adults who gained coverage would have to start paying premiums.

1 Mar 2018

Study finds increase in genital surgery among transgender patients seeking gender-affirming surgeries

Genital surgery increased among transgender patients seeking gender-affirming surgeries and most patients paid out of pocket for the procedures.

1 Mar 2018

Common knee surgery brings little or no benefit to older patients, study shows

A new Medicare records study by Johns Hopkins researchers has added to mounting evidence that a common surgery designed to remove damaged, worn ends of the thin rubbery cartilage in the knee joint brings little or no benefit to people over the age of 65.

28 Feb 2018

Search engine queries reflect geographic distribution of coronary heart disease

Search engine queries related to common heart disease symptoms track closely with geographic and seasonal trends for coronary heart disease hospitalizations, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.

28 Feb 2018

Never too late to operate? Surgery near end of life is common, costly

At 87, Maxine Stanich cared more about improving the quality of her life than prolonging it. She suffered from a long list of health problems, including heart failure and chronic lung disease that could leave her gasping for breath.

28 Feb 2018

Study finds underutilization of less expensive, post-acute care options for older adults

Long-term acute care facilities are designed to meet the needs of older adults with severe, complex illnesses who are recovering from hospitalization, but less expensive options sometimes overlooked may also be available, population health researchers at UT Southwestern found.

23 Feb 2018

Evaluations of Medicaid experiments by states, CMS are weak, GAO says

With federal spending on Medicaid experiments soaring in recent years, a congressional watchdog said state and federal governments fail to adequately evaluate if the efforts improve care and save money.

23 Feb 2018

Non-adherence to sleep apnea treatment linked to increased hospital readmissions

A study of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) suggests that non-adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is significantly associated with increased 30-day hospital readmissions.

22 Feb 2018

Medicare News and Research

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

Study estimates medical costs attributable to falls among older adults

As surgery centers boom, patients are paying with their lives

CMS issues split decision on Arkansas Medicaid waiver

Hypoglycemia poses unaddressed threat to type 2 diabetes patients

Study finds underuse of minimally invasive surgeries in elderly Medicare patients

Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients skip paying new premiums

Study finds increase in genital surgery among transgender patients seeking gender-affirming surgeries

Common knee surgery brings little or no benefit to older patients, study shows

Search engine queries reflect geographic distribution of coronary heart disease

Never too late to operate? Surgery near end of life is common, costly

Study finds underutilization of less expensive, post-acute care options for older adults

Evaluations of Medicaid experiments by states, CMS are weak, GAO says

Non-adherence to sleep apnea treatment linked to increased hospital readmissions

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