Medicare News and Research

RSS

CMS awards 5-Star Rating to Villa at Windsor Park Nursing and Living Center

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, has awarded a 5-Star Rating to The Villa at Windsor Park Nursing and Living Center, a Villa Healthcare nursing facility located at 2649 E.

26 May 2014

First Edition: May 23, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the latest developments on the Department of Veterans Affairs controversy.

23 May 2014

Capsules: Single-Payer advocates hit capitol with new sense of reality; Minnesota, Not Florida, not Hawaii, is healthiest state for seniors

Now on Kaiser Health News' blog, Julie Rovner reports on the single-payer message on Capitol Hill: "Advocates for a single-payer "Medicare for all" health system are fanning out across Capitol Hill this week, lobbying members of Congress.

23 May 2014

Senate panel recommends Burwell's confirmation as health and human services secretary

Eight Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee joined 13 Democrats to endorse Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who is expected to gain the full Senate's approval, too.

23 May 2014

Oregon Gov. releases subpoenas probing failed exchange

Grand jury subpoenas issued by federal investigators last week and released Tuesday by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber demand all records, including email correspondence related to the application or receipt of federal funds for building the state's failed website.

23 May 2014

Medicare payments under the microscope

Whether the federal program should pay the same for a treatment whether the patient gets it at a doctor's office or, say, an outpatient hospital facility, was the focus of a congressional hearing.

23 May 2014

Democrats and Republicans seek to claim control of health law politics

The dynamics of the issues have changed since the 2014 election, but health care continues to be a hot topic.

23 May 2014

First Edition: May 22, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of the Senate Finance Committee vote to recommend Sylvia Mathews Burwell to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

22 May 2014

Lawmakers probe hospital pay for short-stay patients

The House hearing was the first congressional inquiry into the consequences of Medicare's "two-midnight rule," which has drawn criticism from seniors and hospitals.

22 May 2014

Nevada to use federal exchange for next open enrollment

The board of Nevada's online insurance exchange voted Tuesday to scrap its contract with Xerox, which built the exchange that has been marked by problems.

22 May 2014

Medicare tightens oversight of drug prescribing

ProPublica reports the program can now expel physicians found to prescribe drugs in abusive ways. Another piece examines three California doctors who are among the top five nationally in billing Medicare for the most complex office visits.

22 May 2014

How the health law played on a big day for primary elections

Six states voted for candidates Tuesday to run for congressional and Senate seats. Some viewed these contests as important to watch because they highlighted face-offs between the GOP establishment and its tea party wing.

22 May 2014

Study provides key data on Americans’ understanding of long-term care system

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research has released the results of a major survey on long-term care in the United States.

21 May 2014

First Edition: May 21, 2014

Today's headlines include status reports on the health exchanges in Nevada and Oregon.

21 May 2014

Bundled payments could reduce costs, fraud, experts say

Policy experts say switching to this type of payment system could save millions of dollars over the fee-for-service approach, reports USA Today.

21 May 2014

First Edition: May 20, 2014

Today's headlines include the latest reports on various states' challenges related to expanding the Medicaid program.

20 May 2014

Robot-assisted surgery for removing cancerous prostate glands as safe as open surgery, but expensive

Minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery, which has become the main choice for surgically removing cancerous prostate glands during recent years, is as safe as open surgery for Medicare patients over age 65.

20 May 2014

Public reporting of ICU patient’s outcomes did not reduce mortality

A large study of intensive care patients in California found that public reporting of patient outcomes did not reduce mortality, but did result in reduced admission of the sickest patients to the ICU and increased transfer of critically ill patients to other hospitals.

20 May 2014