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Study: Patients with 2 or more ED visits in one year account for disproportionate costs

Almost one-third of acute heart failure syndrome patients seen in hospital emergency departments (EDs) in Florida and California during 2010 had ED visits during the following year, findings that suggest a lack of appropriate outpatient care.

21 Aug 2014

Cigna HealthCare, NCH team up to deliver quality care related to cancer

New Century Health (NCH) and Cigna HealthCare of Arizona today announced an alliance focused on delivering quality care related to cancer. Cigna customers covered under Arizona Medicare Advantage plans who receive care through the Cigna Medical Group (CMG) are included in this new program with NCH.

20 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 20, 2014

Today's headlines include a report from California that Anthem Blue Cross is being sued again regarding its narrow-network health plans as well as a prediction from Maryland officials regarding the state's online insurance marketplace.

20 Aug 2014

Self-reported health measures can predict Medicaid adults who need intensive health services

Just three types of simple self-reported health measures can predict which Medicaid-eligible adults are more likely to access intensive and costly health services over the next year, a new study in Health Services Research suggests. The findings could provide a new way to save a substantial amount of money while also providing better care for Medicaid's neediest patients.

20 Aug 2014

Death rate increases with hospitals shift from inpatient procedures to outpatient for urological surgeries

As hospitals have shifted an array of common urological surgeries from inpatient procedures to outpatient, potentially preventable deaths have increased following complications.

20 Aug 2014

St. Elizabeth Hospital meets Meaningful Use Stage 2 criteria with MEDITECH technology

Defying the national trend of only 1.5 percent of eligible hospitals attesting in 2014, St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw, Wash. achieved Meaningful Use Stage 2 using MEDITECH technology. St. Elizabeth accomplished Stage 2 with information technology (IT) support from Engage, a division of Inland Northwest Health Services.

19 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 19, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including stories about a how a hospital system's data was hacked, involving as many as 4.5 million patients' records.

19 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Va. GOP's 'Medicaid charade'; Paul Ryan's health Rx for poverty; giving the sick unapproved drugs

Virginia lawmakers will convene in a special session next month to address the question of expanding Medicaid and, more broadly, the fact that hundreds of thousands of poor and disabled people in the state have no health insurance coverage. Democrats and some moderate Republicans have advanced a variety of ideas to tackle that problem. Conservative Republicans, who control the legislature in Richmond, have rejected those solutions while proposing no alternative. Does the GOP intend for the special session to be anything more than a charade at taxpayers' expense? (8/15).

19 Aug 2014

House GOP focuses on administration official's instruction to delete email

House Republicans are pointing fingers at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Marilyn Tavenner's direction to delete an email related to the health law's troubled launch.

19 Aug 2014

Mount Sinai researchers receive federal funding to treat HCV in primary care settings

With the number of people with chronic hepatitis C reaching record levels in New York City and the recent availability of more effective treatments, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai recently announced the receipt of $1.9 million in federal funding to increase its capacity to treat HCV in primary care settings.

19 Aug 2014

Medicare to begin paying physicians to coordinate care for patients with chronic illnesses

In a policy change, the Obama administration is planning to pay doctors to coordinate the care of Medicare beneficiaries, amid growing evidence that patients with chronic illnesses suffer from disjointed, fragmented care.

19 Aug 2014

Feds to withhold some doctor payment data after inconsistencies

The Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services said Friday that, because of data inconsistencies, a third of the records in a database showing drug and device-maker contributions to doctors will be withheld next month when the website goes live.

19 Aug 2014

Combating Medicare fraud proves to be a difficult proposition

The New York Times reports that, despite stepped-up enforcement and investments in anti-fraud efforts, the administration's push has so far not made much progress. Meanwhile, The Washington Post examines a classic Medicare scam.

19 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 18, 2014

Today's headlines stories about the pervasive nature of Medicare fraud and the difficulties involved in fighting it.

18 Aug 2014

61% of U.S. adults unaware of the importance of high dose flu vaccine in flu prevention for older adults

A new survey from CVS/pharmacy released today found that three in five U.S. adults (61 percent) are unaware of the importance of the high dose flu vaccine in flu prevention for adults 65 years and older.

16 Aug 2014

Study reports rising prevalence of chronic opioid use by SSDI recipients

More than 40 percent of Social Security Disability Insurance recipients take opioid pain relievers, while the prevalence of chronic opioid use is over 20 percent and rising, reports a study in the September issue of Medical Care.

16 Aug 2014

Nutrition counseling by registered dietitian nutritionist can help prevent or delay diabetes

A new study, indicating that Americans have approximately a 40 percent risk of developing diabetes during their lifetime, offers more evidence that nutrition counseling provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist can help prevent or delay diabetes and its related health problems through lifestyle and dietary changes, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

16 Aug 2014

Research roundup: Benefits of smaller practices; Rx price growth; fixing Medicare claims reviews

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services has taken steps to prevent its contractors from conducting certain duplicative postpayment claims reviews - reviews of the same claims that are not permitted by the agency - but CMS neither has reliable data nor provides sufficient oversight and guidance to measure and fully prevent duplication.

16 Aug 2014

UCSF study shows price differences for ten common blood tests across California hospitals

New UC San Francisco research shows significant price differences for ten common blood tests in California hospitals, with some patients charged as little as $10 for one test while others were charged $10,169 for the identical test.

16 Aug 2014

Physician disclosure website back on track

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announces it has fixed the glitch that took down the website where doctors and hospitals can review information about payments from drug and device makers. Meanwhile, The New York Times looks at how costly compounded medicines are drawing the ire of health insurers, and a U.K. agency recommends the government pay for a costly new hepatitis treatment.

16 Aug 2014

Medicare News and Research

Study: Patients with 2 or more ED visits in one year account for disproportionate costs

Cigna HealthCare, NCH team up to deliver quality care related to cancer

First Edition: August 20, 2014

Self-reported health measures can predict Medicaid adults who need intensive health services

Death rate increases with hospitals shift from inpatient procedures to outpatient for urological surgeries

St. Elizabeth Hospital meets Meaningful Use Stage 2 criteria with MEDITECH technology

First Edition: August 19, 2014

Viewpoints: Va. GOP's 'Medicaid charade'; Paul Ryan's health Rx for poverty; giving the sick unapproved drugs

House GOP focuses on administration official's instruction to delete email

Mount Sinai researchers receive federal funding to treat HCV in primary care settings

Medicare to begin paying physicians to coordinate care for patients with chronic illnesses

Feds to withhold some doctor payment data after inconsistencies

Combating Medicare fraud proves to be a difficult proposition

First Edition: August 18, 2014

61% of U.S. adults unaware of the importance of high dose flu vaccine in flu prevention for older adults

Study reports rising prevalence of chronic opioid use by SSDI recipients

Nutrition counseling by registered dietitian nutritionist can help prevent or delay diabetes

Research roundup: Benefits of smaller practices; Rx price growth; fixing Medicare claims reviews

UCSF study shows price differences for ten common blood tests across California hospitals

Physician disclosure website back on track

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How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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