Medicare News and Research

RSS

Medicare mulls expanding telehealth to wellness, behavioral visits

The proposed rule would also pay for rural telemedicine for providers who are closer to big cities. Elsewhere, telemedicine in treating injured workers -- especially in rural areas -- catches on.

8 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Wheaton injunction muddies court's ruling on contraceptives; Boston hospital merger problems; advice for new VA chief

In a bizarre attempt to have it both ways, the Supreme Court held that a small evangelical Protestant college in Illinois did not have to include contraceptive coverage in employee health insurance even though it didn't fill out the paperwork the government required for claiming an exemption. ..

8 Jul 2014

Contract for Serco processing center hit by whistleblower allegations is renewed

The $98 million contract extends operations of the facility where employees reported they sometimes slept or played board games for lack of work.

8 Jul 2014

House Of Representatives lawyers ask judge to reject SEC lawsuit

In what is viewed as an ongoing power struggle between two branches of the federal government, the House lawyers termed the investigation related to Medicare insider-trading allegations to be a "fishing expedition."

8 Jul 2014

Long waits for medical attention are normal in many parts of U.S.

The New York Times reports on what it calls the health care system's "waiting game."

8 Jul 2014

Federal push for electronic health records may make fraud easier

USA Today reports on this development. Meanwhile, in other health IT news, The Fiscal Times reports on how hospitals are getting more involved in big data collection.

8 Jul 2014

Medicare proposes 2.1% pay boost for outpatient care

The increased rate highlights a trend towards discouraging unnecessary admissions. Meanwhile, the agency announces a pilot project to cut down appeal waits for long-term care providers.

7 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 7, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of stories related to the implementation of the health law, and the politics surrounding it.

7 Jul 2014

Medicare proposes to slightly raise kidney care payments

The CMS is proposing changes to payment policies for the treatment of end-stage renal disease that the agency estimates would increase payments by about 0.3 percent, or $30 million, in 2015.

4 Jul 2014

Preventive placement of ICDs improves survival in patients with less severe heart failure

An examination of the benefit of preventive placement of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in patients with a less severe level of heart failure, a group not well represented in clinical trials, finds significantly better survival at three years than that of similar patients with no ICD, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA.

4 Jul 2014

Digital mammograms may not be better at diagnosing older women, study finds

The Yale review adds to the mixed report card on digital mammography, reports NPR. Meanwhile, big increases in vaccination prices are straining public health budgets and creating dilemmas for some doctors, finds The New York Times.

4 Jul 2014

Highmark, Horizon issued positive coverage policies for Afirma Gene Expression Classifier

Veracyte, Inc., a molecular diagnostics company pioneering the field of molecular cytology, today announced that two Blue Cross Blue Shield–affiliated organizations, Highmark Inc. and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, have issued positive coverage policies for the company's Afirma Gene Expression Classifier (GEC).

3 Jul 2014

State highlights: Ore. mediation for medical errors; Mich. home-help aides

A mediation program spearheaded by Gov. John Kitzhaber went into effect Tuesday, giving patients and their families an option besides suing when medical errors happen. But questions remain over how the mediation program will develop, including whether hospitals, doctors and other providers will take advantage of the program, or candidly discuss errors if they do. The result of a compromise between trial lawyers and the Oregon Medical Association approved in SB 483 last year, the Early Discussion and Resolution program is intended to cut down on lawsuits and boost the reporting of medical errors to help improve health care practices (Budnick, 7/1).

3 Jul 2014

Medicare proposes home health payment reductions, savings

Officials say the moves would save the agency $58 million next year by changing how much it pays for some services and requiring agencies to prove their effectiveness.

3 Jul 2014

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

A new meta-analysis published online in PLOS ONE by infectious disease and epidemiology specialists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care that will prove useful as the U.S. health care system continues to see an influx of patients with the disease because of improved screening efforts and new, promising drugs.

3 Jul 2014

Testosterone therapy does not increase men's risk for heart attack, shows UTMB study

Testosterone prescriptions for older men in the United States have increased more than three-fold over the past decade. Recent studies linking testosterone use with increased risk of heart attack and stroke have caused widespread concern among patients and their families.

2 Jul 2014

Forest Laboratories completes acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals

Actavis plc today announced that its subsidiary Forest Laboratories, LLC has successfully completed its acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion, and up to approximately $360 million in a Contingent Value Right (CVR) that may be payable based on the status of eluxadoline, Furiex's lead product, as a controlled drug following approval.

2 Jul 2014

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can improve health of the US population

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by US President Barack Obama in 2010, can advance public health in the USA by supporting increased emphasis on prevention, and reversing the historic division between public health and private health care services, according to the authors of new research published in The Lancet as part of a new Series, The health of Americans.

2 Jul 2014

USA witnesses dramatic slowdown in health spending growth over last decade

Growth in health expenditure in the USA slowed dramatically between 2000 and 2011, bringing the growth rate of the country’s health budget in line with other high-spending countries, according to new research published in The Lancet as part of a new Series, The health of Americans.

2 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Hobby Lobby decision celebrated and panned; gender and religious politics explored

In ruling 5 to 4 that "closely held" companies can refuse on religious grounds to include contraceptives in their employees' health plans, the Supreme Court has needlessly interfered with an important provision of the Affordable Care Act. And it has done more than that (7/1).

1 Jul 2014

Medicare News and Research

Medicare mulls expanding telehealth to wellness, behavioral visits

Viewpoints: Wheaton injunction muddies court's ruling on contraceptives; Boston hospital merger problems; advice for new VA chief

Contract for Serco processing center hit by whistleblower allegations is renewed

House Of Representatives lawyers ask judge to reject SEC lawsuit

Long waits for medical attention are normal in many parts of U.S.

Federal push for electronic health records may make fraud easier

Medicare proposes 2.1% pay boost for outpatient care

First Edition: July 7, 2014

Medicare proposes to slightly raise kidney care payments

Preventive placement of ICDs improves survival in patients with less severe heart failure

Digital mammograms may not be better at diagnosing older women, study finds

Highmark, Horizon issued positive coverage policies for Afirma Gene Expression Classifier

State highlights: Ore. mediation for medical errors; Mich. home-help aides

Medicare proposes home health payment reductions, savings

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

Testosterone therapy does not increase men's risk for heart attack, shows UTMB study

Forest Laboratories completes acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can improve health of the US population

USA witnesses dramatic slowdown in health spending growth over last decade

Viewpoints: Hobby Lobby decision celebrated and panned; gender and religious politics explored

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