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Second Obama administration official resigns after troubled healthcare.gov rollout

Michelle Snyder oversaw technology experts who helped build healthcare.gov and is the second administration official to leave after problems with the website where Americans can buy health insurance.

3 Jan 2014

Five Star Quality Care transfers operations of two rehabilitation hospitals to Reliant-affiliated entities

Five Star Quality Care, Inc. today announced that effective December 31, 2013, it has transferred the operations of two rehabilitation hospitals to entities affiliated with Reliant Hospital Partners, LLC of Richardson, TX.

3 Jan 2014

Detailing the numbers: Parsing the latest HHS tally of new enrollees

According to reports, 2.1 million people have signed up for new insurance coverage and 3.9 million have been found eligible for Medicaid. Who are these people and what do the numbers mean?

3 Jan 2014

Study shows physicians with longer experience using EHRs more likely to report clinical benefits

A new study in Health Services Research finds nearly three-quarters of physicians using electronic health records (EHRs) in 2011 said there were clinical benefits when patients' medical histories were kept in digital files. The study focused on doctors' perceptions of clinical benefits to patient care when EHRs were in place.

3 Jan 2014

Medicare shapes what others pay for health care

Because of Medicare's huge scale, the prices it pays for procedures often shape what others pay for similar care, economist are finding. In the meantime, the program continues to look for ways to prevent inappropriate prescribing by its doctors.

2 Jan 2014

Healthcare Trust of America closes $156 million of acquisitions in fourth quarter 2013

Healthcare Trust of America, Inc. announced today that it had closed approximately $156 million of acquisitions in the fourth quarter of 2013. The fourth quarter acquisitions were highlighted by the agreement to acquire an eight medical office building portfolio from a regional developer in Florida for $141 million, $127 million of which closed in December (the "Florida Portfolio").

2 Jan 2014

Evaluating the rollout in the states

Media outlets track how the health law is being implemented in Texas, Iowa, Mississippi, Florida, Wisconsin, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois and Minnesota.

2 Jan 2014

First Edition: Jan. 2, 2014

The early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about what to expect of the health law in 2014.

2 Jan 2014

ACR supports USPSTF recommendations for CT lung cancer screening in high-risk patients

The American College of Radiology (ACR) supports the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendation (Grade B) for low-dose computed tomography (CT) lung cancer screening of adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years.

2 Jan 2014

Patients with Medicaid insurance seek care in emergency department due to lack of alternatives

A study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine shows patients with Medicaid insurance seeking care in an emergency department may be driven by lack of alternatives instead of the severity of their illness. The study is published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

31 Dec 2013

White paper outlines pitfalls of administering Medicare Part D

Compliance is a particular concern for Health Plans and Pharmacy Benefit Managers in the Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid markets. With regulations continually changing in response to Health Care Reform, payers can minimize the risk of sanctions and increase plan ratings (and thus, revenue) by employing automated checks and balances, a less burdened internal system and best practice enforcement, according to a new white paper published by TMG Health.

28 Dec 2013

Preoperative tests increasing for Medicare patients undergoing cataract surgery, despite lack of benefits

The elimination of extensive routine preoperative tests and consultations represents an area of potentially large health care savings across many disciplines, particularly for low-risk patients being evaluated for cataract surgery. It is also a major theme of the Choosing Wisely campaign from the American Board of Internal Medicine.

28 Dec 2013

Robert Wood Johnson Partners selected as new Accountable Care Organization

Robert Wood Johnson Partners has been selected as one of 123 new Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in Medicare, providing approximately 1.5 million more Medicare beneficiaries with access to high-quality, coordinated care across the United States, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today.

27 Dec 2013

Medicare drug program gets Senator's scrutiny after vulnerability report

A Senate committee chairman said he is concerned about the "serious vulnerabilities" detailed in a ProPublica report about scams that target Medicare's popular prescription drug program.

26 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: 'Parade of delays' on health law; McConnell on White House 'stunts;' update on SHOP exchange

If the website malfunctions in October and November were infuriating to supporters of health care reform, the continuing parade of delays that followed it have simply been depressing. They have contributed to the impression that the Obama administration is desperately trying to keep the new system from spinning out of control, countering the good news that 1.2 million people have signed up for insurance through the federal and state exchanges. ... Having cracked once on this subject, the White House will be pushed to do so more forcefully by the law's critics when the policies take effect next month. This should be the last concession (David Firestone, 12/23).

25 Dec 2013

Parsing Obamacare's impact on business, insurers and parolees

Media outlets explore how the law might affect those buying less expensive policies, businesses anxious about new investments and those recently released from prison.

25 Dec 2013

Administration extends enrollment one day after crush of website customers

More than a million people signed onto the federal health website Monday as consumers rushed to sign up for coverage to begin Jan. 1.

24 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 24, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby, working in collaboration with NBC News, reports: "If you buy one of the less expensive insurance plans sold through the health law's marketplaces, you may be in for a surprise. Some plans will not pay for a doctor visit before you meet your annual deductible, which could be thousands of dollars" (Appleby, 12/23).

24 Dec 2013

White House to health insurance consumers: You've got another day to sign up

The White House has decided to allow an extra 24 hours for people to sign up for insurance on HealthCare.gov, through the end of the day Tuesday, to receive coverage beginning on Jan. 1, according to a senior official familiar with the change. The official deadline for getting insurance remains 11:59 p.m. on Monday. But because of record traffic on the website Monday morning, officials wanted to reassure the public - and themselves - that people who sought coverage in good faith would be covered (Shear, 12/23).

24 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Impact of 'meddling with' health law; antibiotics on farms; 'Let thirtysomethings' join Medicare

[A]ll of these last-minute policy shifts confuse people who were already struggling to understand a complex new system, ... The cumulative effect is that at least some people - we hope not many - will misunderstand their responsibilities under the law or be deterred from seeking coverage. The biggest danger is that the Obama administration is encouraging politicians to meddle in the health-care system every time a few vocal constituents get upset about its requirements (12/21).

24 Dec 2013

Medicare News and Research

Second Obama administration official resigns after troubled healthcare.gov rollout

Five Star Quality Care transfers operations of two rehabilitation hospitals to Reliant-affiliated entities

Detailing the numbers: Parsing the latest HHS tally of new enrollees

Study shows physicians with longer experience using EHRs more likely to report clinical benefits

Medicare shapes what others pay for health care

Healthcare Trust of America closes $156 million of acquisitions in fourth quarter 2013

Evaluating the rollout in the states

First Edition: Jan. 2, 2014

ACR supports USPSTF recommendations for CT lung cancer screening in high-risk patients

Patients with Medicaid insurance seek care in emergency department due to lack of alternatives

White paper outlines pitfalls of administering Medicare Part D

Preoperative tests increasing for Medicare patients undergoing cataract surgery, despite lack of benefits

Robert Wood Johnson Partners selected as new Accountable Care Organization

Medicare drug program gets Senator's scrutiny after vulnerability report

Viewpoints: 'Parade of delays' on health law; McConnell on White House 'stunts;' update on SHOP exchange

Parsing Obamacare's impact on business, insurers and parolees

Administration extends enrollment one day after crush of website customers

First Edition: December 24, 2013

White House to health insurance consumers: You've got another day to sign up

Viewpoints: Impact of 'meddling with' health law; antibiotics on farms; 'Let thirtysomethings' join Medicare

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