Medicare News and Research

RSS

Rush University, Rush Copley Medical Center receive five-star rating for hospital quality

Rush University Medical Center and Rush Copley Medical Center each have received five stars, the highest possible rating, for hospital quality from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

21 Dec 2017

High out-of-pocket costs act as barrier to potentially life-saving cancer treatments

Sticker shock may be leading many insured Americans with cancer to forego treatment with a wide range of oral cancer drugs, suggests a study published online this week in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

20 Dec 2017

Doing more harm than good? Epidemic of screening burdens nation’s older patients

Elena Altemus is 89 and has dementia. She often forgets her children's names, and sometimes can't recall whether she lives in Maryland or Italy.

20 Dec 2017

When nursing homes push out poor and disabled patients

Anita Willis says the social worker offered her a painful choice: She could either leave the San Jose, Calif., nursing home where she'd spent a month recovering from a stroke — or come up with $336 a day to stay on.

20 Dec 2017

Study finds racial, socioeconomic barriers to accessing life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer

Increasing use of a potentially life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer is leaving too many vulnerable patients behind, according to a new study from Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer Hospital published in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

19 Dec 2017

Special issue highlights factors affecting healthcare for LGBT older adults

A special issue of LGBT Health includes the latest research, clinical practice innovations, and policy aimed at addressing disparities and enhancing healthcare for older LGBT populations.

18 Dec 2017

Study finds racial differences in hospice care between African American and white patients

African Americans at the end of life have significantly higher rates of hospital admission, emergency department (ED) visits, and discontinuing (also known as disenrolling from) hospice care than whites, according to a new study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai published today by the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

18 Dec 2017

Offering lifesaving treatment for cervical cancer results in a net loss for hospitals

The evidence is clear: Cervical cancer is best treated with brachytherapy, a form of radiation therapy. Yet the use of this potentially lifesaving treatment has been declining, and a new study from the University of Virginia School of Medicine may explain why.

15 Dec 2017

AGS continues to voice strong opposition to tax reform bill and its impact on older adults

The American Geriatrics Society continues to voice strong opposition to the Tax Cuts and Job Acts, the tax reform bill that could jeopardize care for millions of older adults and caregivers if it passes a Congressional vote planned for early next week.

15 Dec 2017

Medicare fails to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in lab overcharges

Five years ago, Companion DX Reference Lab hoped to cash in on cutting-edge genetic tests paid for by Medicare.

15 Dec 2017

Transfusion dependence reduces access to high-quality end-of-life care for leukemia patients

For patients with advanced leukemia, access to high-quality end-of-life care appears to be reduced in those dependent on blood transfusions, according to a new study being presented during the 59th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in Atlanta.

13 Dec 2017

Sign-up deadline is Friday, but some people may get extra time

Open enrollment on the federal health law's marketplace ends Friday, and most people who want a plan for next year need to meet the deadline.

12 Dec 2017

Experts tell Congress how to cut drug prices

The nation's most influential science advisory group will tell Congress today that the U.S. pharmaceutical market is not sustainable and needs to change.

12 Dec 2017

In era of increased competition, hospitals fret over ratings

For two years, Saint Anthony Hospital here has celebrated its top-rated "A" grade from the national Leapfrog Group that evaluates hospital safety records. But this fall, when executives opened a preview of their score, they got an unwelcome surprise: a "C."

11 Dec 2017

Study: ‘Obesity paradox’ not present among people with new cases of cardiovascular disease

Although obesity is a well-known risk factor for getting cardiovascular disease, a controversial body of research suggests that obesity may actually be associated with improved survival among people who have cardiovascular disease.

8 Dec 2017

Health risks to farmworkers increase as workforce ages

That bag of frozen cauliflower sitting inside your freezer likely sprang to life in a vast field north of Salinas, Calif. A crew of men and women here use a machine to drop seedlings into the black soil. Another group follows behind, stooped over, tapping each new plant.

7 Dec 2017

Your plumber offers a money-back guarantee. Should your doctor?

Linda Radach has had six hip replacement operations since 2006, three on each side. Osteoarthritis was the reason she needed surgery in the first place, but replacing her hips in some ways only worsened her troubles.

6 Dec 2017

Does patient care suffer with substitute doctors?

When a regular doctor is not at hospital due to illness or vacation, for example, patients are not treated by the doctor’s colleague or other hospital physician, but by a locum from outside of the hospital. Researchers from Harvard Medical School have now asked whether these temps provide the same level of care as the doctors they are filling in for.

6 Dec 2017

Whistleblower: Medicaid managed-care firm improperly denied care to thousands

In early October, an executive at one of the nation's largest physician-practice management firms handed her bosses the equivalent of a live grenade — a 20-page report that blew up the company and shook the world of managed care for poor patients across California.

1 Dec 2017

Podcast: ‘What the Health?’ Taxes, Medicare and the year-end mess

Weeks ago, the tax bill under consideration in Congress became a health bill, too. But now it could also trigger major cuts to the Medicare program.

30 Nov 2017

Medicare News and Research

Rush University, Rush Copley Medical Center receive five-star rating for hospital quality

High out-of-pocket costs act as barrier to potentially life-saving cancer treatments

Doing more harm than good? Epidemic of screening burdens nation’s older patients

When nursing homes push out poor and disabled patients

Study finds racial, socioeconomic barriers to accessing life-saving treatment for metastatic cancer

Special issue highlights factors affecting healthcare for LGBT older adults

Study finds racial differences in hospice care between African American and white patients

Offering lifesaving treatment for cervical cancer results in a net loss for hospitals

AGS continues to voice strong opposition to tax reform bill and its impact on older adults

Medicare fails to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in lab overcharges

Transfusion dependence reduces access to high-quality end-of-life care for leukemia patients

Sign-up deadline is Friday, but some people may get extra time

Experts tell Congress how to cut drug prices

In era of increased competition, hospitals fret over ratings

Study: ‘Obesity paradox’ not present among people with new cases of cardiovascular disease

Health risks to farmworkers increase as workforce ages

Your plumber offers a money-back guarantee. Should your doctor?

Does patient care suffer with substitute doctors?

Whistleblower: Medicaid managed-care firm improperly denied care to thousands

Podcast: ‘What the Health?’ Taxes, Medicare and the year-end mess

Industry Focus eBook - Life Science Microscopy (2nd Edition) eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

Latest News