Medicaid News and Research

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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

HealthFusion launches new Chronic Care Management module

HealthFusion, maker of MediTouch EHR, the leading cloud computing software for physicians, hospitals, and medical billing services, launched a new Chronic Care Management (CCM) module that allows for practices to track and bill patients with two or more chronic conditions.

5 Feb 2015

Most hospital readmissions after surgery are not due to poor care coordination, finds new study

A study from Northwestern Medicine and the American College of Surgeons published today in JAMA suggests that penalizing hospitals for patient readmissions following surgery may be ineffective, and even counterproductive, for improving the quality of hospital care in America.

5 Feb 2015

Recession of mid-2000s continues to impact America's children

The bipartisan children's advocacy organization First Focus and PolicyLab at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia released a new analysis today showing that, five years after its technical end, the recession of the mid-2000s continues to impact America's children.

4 Feb 2015

New Jersey Hospital Association, Applied Medical Software receive 'Innovation Award' from ACHE-NJ

The New Jersey Hospital Association and Applied Medical Software have received the "Innovation Award" from the American College of Healthcare Executives New Jersey for their pioneering initiative to improve healthcare value and reduce costs by promoting better coordination and collaboration among New Jersey hospitals and physicians.

3 Feb 2015

NCCN commemorates 20 years of advancing high-quality, high-value cancer care

On January 31, 2015, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network celebrates its 20th anniversary. Originally announced as an alliance of 13 leading cancer centers in 1995, NCCN has grown to a network of 25 academic cancer centers; the NCCN mission as an alliance of leading academic cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education, is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care so that patients can live better lives.

31 Jan 2015

Stark Pediatrics' Asif Younus recognized with Physician Summit Award

Buckeye Health Plan recognized Asif Younus, M. D., of Stark Pediatrics, Inc., in Canton with a Physician Summit Award, the company's highest designation for a health care provider. Summit Awards are given each year to primary care physicians and obstetricians for providing clinical excellence.

30 Jan 2015

New report highlights patient-centered medical home's impact on quality, costs

Today at a briefing on Capitol Hill, the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative released a new publication highlighting the significant impact the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) has on improving quality and reducing costs of primary care delivery.

30 Jan 2015

K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital introduces Meridian Dentistry for Children

K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital at Jersey Shore University Medical Center introduces Meridian Dentistry for Children, a specialized, full-service, dental practice for infants, children and adolescents in a child-friendly, caring environment.

30 Jan 2015

Kaleo, CHMI partner to reduce prescription drug-related deaths

Kaleo, a privately-held pharmaceutical company, today announced a national strategic partnership with the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, that will help support its goal of cutting prescription drug-related deaths in half, saving approximately 10,000 lives over five years.

27 Jan 2015

UVA's new program uses EpicCare electronic medical record to improve patients' access to specialists

The University of Virginia Health System is piloting a new program that uses its EpicCare electronic medical record to speed patients' access to specialists.

23 Jan 2015

Childbearing women who take painkillers may face increased risk of birth defects

More than one-fourth of privately-insured and one-third of Medicaid-enrolled women of childbearing age filled prescriptions for opioid-based (narcotic) painkillers between 2008 and 2012, according to a new analysis published today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

23 Jan 2015

Study evaluates link between Medicaid fee bump and appointment availability for Medicaid patients

The increase in Medicaid reimbursement for primary care providers, a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), was associated with a 7.7 percentage points increase in new patient appointment availability without longer wait times, according to results of a new 10-state study — co-authored by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the Urban Institute, and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — published online-first by the New England Journal of Medicine.

22 Jan 2015

Maria Editha Bautista-Santos receives MHS Health's 7th Annual Summit Award

MHS Health Wisconsin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, presented its 7th Annual Summit Award to Maria Editha Bautista-Santos, MD, a family practice physician at Affinity Medical Group in Appleton, Wis.

21 Jan 2015

Use of methadone drug to treat pain increases mortality risk

Outside the hospital, use of methadone to treat pain carries a 46 percent increased risk of death when compared to the equally effective but more costly alternative, morphine SR (sustained release).

21 Jan 2015

New American Lung Association report calls on California to reduce tobacco-caused death and disease

Once a national leader in tobacco control efforts, progress is at a standstill in California as advances in statewide tobacco control policies have stagnated. These were the findings of the 13th annual American Lung Association State of Tobacco Control 2015 report released today.

21 Jan 2015

Quality of health care improves in states where APRNs are fully independent

As America's population ages, life spans lengthen and more individuals enroll in insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act, the need for health care professionals will increase. The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that the health care market will fall short of demand by 45,000 primary care physicians in 2020. Many states do not allow advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to perform primary care duties to their full potential; however, University of Missouri researchers say APRNs can help relieve the shortage of healthcare workers and expand access to care for underserved populations.

15 Jan 2015

Asian and Hispanic patients with lupus have lower mortality rates

A new study by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts reveals that Asian and Hispanic patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have lower mortality rates compared to Black, White, or Native Americans with the disease.

15 Jan 2015

Use of common obstetric procedure declines between 2006 and 2012 in the U.S.

Between 2006 and 2012 in the U.S., there was a decline in rates of episiotomy, a surgical procedure for widening the outlet of the birth canal to make it easier for the mother to give birth, according to a study in the January 13 issue of JAMA.

14 Jan 2015

EMA accepts Praluent (alirocumab) MAA for review

Regeneron and Sanofi today announced that the European Medicines Agency has accepted for review the Marketing Authorization Application for Praluent (alirocumab). Alirocumab is an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) that is intended for the treatment of patients with hypercholesterolemia.

12 Jan 2015

Two new ODYSSEY trials meet primary efficacy endpoints

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi today announced that two new ODYSSEY trials, which are the first Phase 3 trials to assess alirocumab administered every four weeks, met their primary efficacy endpoints.

9 Jan 2015