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Geographic location influences quality grades assigned to Medicare Advantage plans

Geographic location is an important predictor of the quality grades assigned to Medicare Advantage insurance plans, and the federal government should consider accounting for geographic differences to allow for fairer comparisons among plans, Boston University School of Public Health researchers say in a new study.

13 Jan 2016

Loyola Physician Partners selected to participate in CMS' NGACO Model

Loyola Physician Partners, as a member of Trinity Health and the Trinity Health ACO, has been selected to participate in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services's Next Generation ACO Model (NGACO Model).

13 Jan 2016

Apollo Care Connect acquires Healarium's population health management technology and operating platform

Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., an integrated population health management company, is pleased to announce that Apollo Care Connect, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ApolloMed, has acquired the population health management technology and operating platform of Healarium, Inc.

12 Jan 2016

New USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations may result in lethal consequences for women

If followed, new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force breast cancer screening recommendations will result in thousands of unnecessary deaths each year and thousands more women enduring extensive and expensive treatment than if their cancer had been found early by an annual mammogram.

12 Jan 2016

No Jab No Pay initiative no problem for families in Cape York

The government’s No Jab No Pay initiative, effective from 1 January 2016 is set to be no problem for the majority of families in Cape York.

8 Jan 2016

Meridian Health Plan named one of 'Best and Brightest Companies to Work For'

Meridian Health Plan, for the second time, has been nationally named one of the "Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" by the National Association for Business Resources. Previously, the NABR had consistently named Meridian as one of "Metropolitan Detroit's 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work For" 2012 through 2015.

8 Jan 2016

QT Vascular reports initial results from first-in-human study of Chocolate Heart drug-coated balloon

QT Vascular Ltd., together with its subsidiaries (the "Company" or "QT Vascular", and together with its subsidiaries, the "Group"), a global company engaged in the design, assembly and distribution of advanced therapeutic solutions for the minimally invasive treatment of vascular disease, announce today the release of the initial results from the first-in-human study of its unique drug-coated balloon, Chocolate Heart.

7 Jan 2016

Palliative care improves care quality, reduces costs for advanced cancer patients with comorbidities

Patients with incurable cancer and numerous other serious health conditions who consulted with a palliative care team within two days of hospitalization had significant savings in hospital costs, according to a new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

7 Jan 2016

FAU study shows benefits of regular mammography among elder women

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer and occurred in 230,000 women in the United States in 2015. Breast cancer afflicts 1 in 8 women in their lifetime and 1 in 25 die from this disease.

7 Jan 2016

UC San Diego School of Medicine study compares payments among different specialties

The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, passed under the Affordable Care Act, requires all pharmaceutical and medical device companies to report payments to physicians, including consulting fees, gifts, speaking fees, meals, travel and research grants. This information is searchable to the public on a database called Open Payments, managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medical Services.

6 Jan 2016

Study finds 50% drop in uninsured hospital stays in Medicaid expansion states

Just six months after opening up health insurance to more low-income people, states saw a huge drop in the amount of care their hospitals provided to uninsured patients, and a rise in care for people with coverage, a new study finds.

6 Jan 2016

Study supports open and patient-centered visitation guidelines in critical care settings

Watching the clock is becoming an outdated part of visiting a patient in intensive care, as more hospitals ease restrictions and develop more flexible policies focused on the preferences and needs of each patient.

5 Jan 2016

New perioperative guideline released for optimal management of geriatric patients

Responding to the needs of the country's growing older adult population, a new collaborative best practices guideline was released today for optimal care of older adults immediately before, during, and after surgical operations (a timeframe known as the "perioperative" period).

5 Jan 2016

Non-medical workers can identify patients at risk for hospitalization

Nearly 20% of hospitalizations by Medicare beneficiaries are followed by readmission within 30 days, costing billions of dollars in healthcare costs. Existing approaches to identify patients at risk for hospitalization are limited to episodic claims data. These claims-based approaches often fail to detect avoidable and costly admissions in the blind spot between doctor visits.

4 Jan 2016

Carondelet Health Network and Abrazo Community Health Network to stay in BCBSAZ network in 2016

The local, independent insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona announced that Carondelet Health Network and Abrazo Community Health Network will remain part of the BCBSAZ network in 2016. The negotiations came to a close when Tenet Healthcare, the controlling entity for the two hospital systems, accepted a four-year deal.

31 Dec 2015

HealthWell Foundation opens new fund to provide financial assistance to Medicare patients suffering from RCC

The HealthWell Foundation, an independent non-profit that provides a financial lifeline for inadequately insured Americans, today announced it has opened a new fund to provide financial assistance to Medicare patients suffering from renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

31 Dec 2015

Harmony Health Plan of Illinois to donate $10,000 to Kidz Korna

Harmony Health Plan of Illinois, Inc., a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG), will give $10,000 to Kidz Korna to help make the holidays special for 10,000 low-income children in Chicago's Englewood community.

26 Dec 2015

Study: Low-dose CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% in high-risk population

A national study involving 53,000 patients and 11 institutions (including Wake Forest Baptist) compared CT screens with chest X-rays and found that the scanning reduced lung cancer mortality by 20 percent in this high-risk population.

23 Dec 2015

New survey shows how patients, pharmacists benefit from med sync programs

A recent survey of National Community Pharmacists Association member pharmacies utilizing NCPA's Simplify My Meds (SMM) program documented how both patients and pharmacists benefit from medication synchronization programs, or "med sync."

21 Dec 2015

HealthCare Partners Medical Group receives IHA Medicare Advantage 4.5 Star Award

DaVita HealthCare Partners, a leading independent medical group in America and leading provider of kidney care services, today announced that HealthCare Partners Medical Group has received the Integrated Healthcare Association's Medicare Advantage 4.5 Star Award.

21 Dec 2015

Medicare News and Research

Geographic location influences quality grades assigned to Medicare Advantage plans

Loyola Physician Partners selected to participate in CMS' NGACO Model

Apollo Care Connect acquires Healarium's population health management technology and operating platform

New USPSTF breast cancer screening recommendations may result in lethal consequences for women

No Jab No Pay initiative no problem for families in Cape York

Meridian Health Plan named one of 'Best and Brightest Companies to Work For'

QT Vascular reports initial results from first-in-human study of Chocolate Heart drug-coated balloon

Palliative care improves care quality, reduces costs for advanced cancer patients with comorbidities

FAU study shows benefits of regular mammography among elder women

UC San Diego School of Medicine study compares payments among different specialties

Study finds 50% drop in uninsured hospital stays in Medicaid expansion states

Study supports open and patient-centered visitation guidelines in critical care settings

New perioperative guideline released for optimal management of geriatric patients

Non-medical workers can identify patients at risk for hospitalization

Carondelet Health Network and Abrazo Community Health Network to stay in BCBSAZ network in 2016

HealthWell Foundation opens new fund to provide financial assistance to Medicare patients suffering from RCC

Harmony Health Plan of Illinois to donate $10,000 to Kidz Korna

Study: Low-dose CT screening can reduce lung cancer mortality by 20% in high-risk population

New survey shows how patients, pharmacists benefit from med sync programs

HealthCare Partners Medical Group receives IHA Medicare Advantage 4.5 Star Award

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