Medicare News and Research

RSS

Type 2 diabetes Patients who take metformin plus insulin at higher risk for heart disease, death

Patients with type 2 diabetes who take a combination of metformin plus insulin may be at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and death compared with those who take a combination of metformin plus sulfonylurea, according to a new study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that appears in the June 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Jun 2014

Virginia budget plan moving forward without Medicaid expansion

After the abrupt resignation of a Democrat switched the state Senate to Republican control, Democrats began negotiating on a spending plan that no longer includes the governor's priority of expanding health care coverage to low-income residents.

11 Jun 2014

Some doctors bill Medicare far more often for unusual procedures

Elsewhere, a former editor of a prominent medical journal says many or most doctors have had conflicts of interest that could harm patients. And, doctors look for new ways to thrive -- or survive -- economically.

11 Jun 2014

ApolloMed agrees to provide hospitalist services for Blue Shield of California PPO members

Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc., an integrated, physician-centric healthcare delivery company, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to provide comprehensive hospitalist services for Blue Shield of California PPO members at hospitals at which ApolloMed is present.

10 Jun 2014

New white paper highlights coming retirement health care cost crisis

A new white paper from HealthView Services, the leading provider of retirement health care cost data, highlights a coming retirement health care cost crisis and gap in planning for retirement health care costs.

10 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 10, 2014

Today's headlines include details of an extensive, nationwide audit of the wait times for care at VA hospitals and clinics.

10 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: 'Triage' at the VA; GOP can't 'fix' health law; mental health problems in LA jail

Washington's attention span on the Veterans Affairs scandal seems to be expiring. Though 42 of the VA's 152 major campuses (27%) are still under investigation for falsifying wait-time records, the Senate is converging on a bipartisan deal that claims to solve the problem.

10 Jun 2014

Aetna partners with Fresenius Medical Care to improve lives of people with end stage renal disease

Fresenius Medical Care announced today a collaborative care model designed to improve the quality of care for Aetna's Medicare Advantage members who have end stage renal disease, while lowering health care costs.

10 Jun 2014

Under health law, states serve as testing grounds for innovation

Media outlets report on a range of issues related to the measure's implementation, including how some states are finding opportunities in the overhaul to pursue their own health system changes.

10 Jun 2014

MD Anderson study shows that needle biopsy underused in breast cancer patients

Needle biopsy, the standard of care radiological procedure for diagnosing breast cancer, is underused with too many patients undergoing the more invasive, excisional biopsy to detect their disease, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

10 Jun 2014

State highlights: Improving chronic care in Las Vegas; standoff over Medicaid in N.C.

Now, Las Vegas is emerging as a test of how much a community can improve chronically poor health by expanding insurance coverage and using models of medical care pioneered in healthier places. "We are a prime example of what people see as problematic about the American healthcare system," said Larry Matheis, the former longtime head of the Nevada State Medical Assn. "That makes a lot of the ideas in health reform very attractive. … The challenge is going to be figuring out how to make it all work" (Levey, 6/7).

10 Jun 2014

Hospital shifting away from billing for individual services

Bundled payments may be the "wave of the future," the Wall Street Journal suggests. Meanwhile, health care providers are working to get patients more involved in decisions about their care.

9 Jun 2014

HHS identifies overpayments to Medicare advantage plans but doesn't recover funds

Medicare auditors found the government overpaid the plans hundreds of millions of dollars but in 2013 opted to scrap such reviews, the Center for Public Integrity writes. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare looks at Medicare's difficult job in dealing with safety failures.

9 Jun 2014

Centene enters into transaction with Community Health Solutions of America

Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC) ("Centene") announced today that it has entered into a transaction whereby Community Health Solutions of America, Inc. ("CHS") will assign its contract with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals ("DHH") under the Bayou Health Shared Savings Program to Centene's wholly owned subsidiary, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Inc. ("LHCC").

9 Jun 2014

First Edition: June 9, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about efforts on the state level and within the health care system to address health care costs and advance other system reforms.

9 Jun 2014

CAHF renews Preferred Provider deal with COMS Interactive

The California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) has renewed its Preferred Provider relationship with COMS Interactive (COMS or Clinical Outcomes Management Solutions).

9 Jun 2014

Viewpoints: Tea party missing the lesson; health care not an ordinary market; Va.'s Medicaid battle

But the Tea Party does have something to show for its five years of annoyance: Ted Cruz, senator from Texas. Cruz is probably best known for reading "Green Eggs and Ham" on the floor of the Senate during a 21-hour talkathon designed to ensure his place as the most hated man in that august chamber.

9 Jun 2014

Senate OKs Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be next HHS secretary

The Senate confirmed Burwell's nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services 78 to 17, with only Republicans casting votes against her.

9 Jun 2014

Reporters reflect on health law battles

Huffington Post gathers five reporters who followed the passage and implementation of the health law to share their insights.

9 Jun 2014

Healthcare.gov to get makeover

The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal health insurance website is slated for an overhaul that will likely result in the scrapping of major parts of it that caused problems during last fall's launch. Its tight timeline is among the issues raising new concern.

6 Jun 2014

Medicare News and Research

Type 2 diabetes Patients who take metformin plus insulin at higher risk for heart disease, death

Virginia budget plan moving forward without Medicaid expansion

Some doctors bill Medicare far more often for unusual procedures

ApolloMed agrees to provide hospitalist services for Blue Shield of California PPO members

New white paper highlights coming retirement health care cost crisis

First Edition: June 10, 2014

Viewpoints: 'Triage' at the VA; GOP can't 'fix' health law; mental health problems in LA jail

Aetna partners with Fresenius Medical Care to improve lives of people with end stage renal disease

Under health law, states serve as testing grounds for innovation

MD Anderson study shows that needle biopsy underused in breast cancer patients

State highlights: Improving chronic care in Las Vegas; standoff over Medicaid in N.C.

Hospital shifting away from billing for individual services

HHS identifies overpayments to Medicare advantage plans but doesn't recover funds

Centene enters into transaction with Community Health Solutions of America

First Edition: June 9, 2014

CAHF renews Preferred Provider deal with COMS Interactive

Viewpoints: Tea party missing the lesson; health care not an ordinary market; Va.'s Medicaid battle

Senate OKs Sylvia Mathews Burwell to be next HHS secretary

Reporters reflect on health law battles

Healthcare.gov to get makeover

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