Medicare News and Research

RSS

Centene updates 2013 financial guidance, announces financial guidance for 2014 fiscal year

Centene Corporation announced today its 2014 financial guidance. Premium and service revenues are expected to be $13.5 billion to $14.0 billion, representing growth of 29%.

13 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Problems with the 'doc fix;' a lame budget deal; concerns about changes in doctor training

Imagine if a provision in ObamaCare allowed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to dictate directly to doctors which services they could and could not provide their patients - what individual tests they could conduct, which treatments they could offer, and medicines they could prescribe.

13 Dec 2013

State highlights: States scramble to change newborn screening programs; obesity rate flat; New York hospital charges vary considerably

States across the country are making significant changes to their newborn screening programs after a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found that thousands of hospitals were sending babies' blood samples late to state labs that test for rare yet deadly genetic disorders. From keeping labs open on weekends to identifying problem hospitals and providing them with regular performance reports, dozens of health officials are reviewing and retooling their state-run programs (Gabler, 12/11).

13 Dec 2013

Psychiatrists increasingly refuse to accept private insurance as payment

Access to mental health care has become a prominent issue in Congress following mass shootings around the country. But a new study in JAMA Psychiatry, led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, suggests that unless those in need of help have deep pockets, they might have a hard time finding a psychiatrist that will provide the needed services.

13 Dec 2013

House GOP appear to be warming to $85 billion budget deal

CQ HealthBeat reports that Medicare providers would face an added two years of automatic spending ucts under the agreement.

13 Dec 2013

Nearly 98% of Massachusetts residents now have Medicaid coverage

Nearly 98 percent of Massachusetts' 400,000 residents now have coverage—either through individual purchase or expanded Medicaid coverage for children and low-income residents. And while the reform was initially met with controversy, it has gained popularity in the past 5 years.

13 Dec 2013

AudioEducator presents audio conferences on latest CPT coding updates for 2014

The providers want accurate reimbursement, whereas the payers want efficient claims processing. The ever-changing CPT® code set doesn't make your job easy. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), there will be 335 total code changes in 2014, to include 175 new codes, 107 revised codes, and 47 deleted codes.

12 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: 'Small-bore' budget deal better than shutdown; Calif. battle on medical malpractice; Obama should turn to health quality

The bipartisan spending deal announced Tuesday night by Senate Budget Chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash., and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., barely qualifies as a tweak. It would not make meaningful progress on reducing projected deficits, ... BY any measure it is a small-bore deal, but it as at least something - a toehold that prevents a serious fall and might, optimistically, enable a climb to safety. ... It would also partially undo the inflexible across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration. Longer term, the accord could signal the beginning of a more constructive relationship in Congress (12/10).

12 Dec 2013

House and Senate budget negotiators reach a deal

Some say the agreement brokered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., will create breathing room to allow lawmakers to try to address major federal spending drivers, such as health care and entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security.

12 Dec 2013

Iowa wins approval to expand Medicaid using private plans

Federal officials approved much of Iowa's proposal to expand low-income health care, but - like the government's approval of Arkansas' request - set important conditions.

12 Dec 2013

Elsevier's Gold Standard drug database first to include CMS' NADAC price type

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today that, effective November 30, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) survey-based price type, National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) is included for all available drugs where applicable in Elsevier's Gold Standard Drug Database and web-based solutions, ProspectoRx and RxPrice Verify.

11 Dec 2013

MAXIMUS Foundation Chairman wins 2013 Ripple of Hope Award for contributions in health care programs

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that Dr. John F. Boyer, Chairman of the MAXIMUS Foundation and Chairman of MAXIMUS Federal Services, will receive a 2013 Ripple of Hope Award from the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, tonight, December 11, at the New York Hilton in Manhattan.

11 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Health law problems plague Calif. too; Obamacare redistribution is from lucky to unlucky; FDA crackdown on genetic testing

While politicians in Washington are hailing California's exchange as proof of the law's success, voters in California don't seem to agree - and it's not hard to understand why. Policies for about 900,000 Californians are being cancelled because they don't meet the law's benefit mandates.

11 Dec 2013

Senate Finance Committee scheduled to vote Thursday on 'doc fix' legislation

The measure would permanently change how Medicare pays providers for their services. In addition, the Congressional Budget Office has reduced the price tag associated with repealing the current Medicare payment formula.

11 Dec 2013

Initiating palliative care consult in emergency department reduces hospital length of stay: Study

New York University College of Nursing researcher and Assistant Professor Abraham A. Brody, RN, PhD, GNP-BC and colleagues reporting in Journal of Palliative Medicine found that initiating a palliative care consult in the emergency department reduced hospital length of stay when compared to patients who receive the palliative care consult after admission.

11 Dec 2013

CPhA supports Medi-Cal lawsuit against the California Department of Health Care Services

The California Pharmacists Association (CPhA) today announced its support for a lawsuit filed December 3, 2013 in San Francisco Superior Court against the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) over the Medi-Cal provider reimbursement cuts.

11 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 10, 2103

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about how health law advocates are developing new messaging strategies.

10 Dec 2013

Many Americans still tend to avoid addressing own end-of-life issues

During the past two decades, high-profile legal cases surrounding end-of-life decisions have received widespread attention in the United States, prompting increased media focus and numerous debates on the subject.

10 Dec 2013

Drugmaker pushes new drug over cheaper equivalent at Medicare's expense

The Washington Post explores the public impact of doctors' decisions to choose a more expensive drug to prevent blindness despite trials showing the drug is equivalent to a much cheaper product.

9 Dec 2013

Lawmakers close in on 'cease-fire' budget deal

Lawmakers are close to finding accord on a budget that would undo only a few parts of the government cuts known as "sequester." In addition, the proposed budget wouldn't lower the debt or change the costs involved with health care programs in addition to leaving other programs intact.

9 Dec 2013

Medicare News and Research

Centene updates 2013 financial guidance, announces financial guidance for 2014 fiscal year

Viewpoints: Problems with the 'doc fix;' a lame budget deal; concerns about changes in doctor training

State highlights: States scramble to change newborn screening programs; obesity rate flat; New York hospital charges vary considerably

Psychiatrists increasingly refuse to accept private insurance as payment

House GOP appear to be warming to $85 billion budget deal

Nearly 98% of Massachusetts residents now have Medicaid coverage

AudioEducator presents audio conferences on latest CPT coding updates for 2014

Viewpoints: 'Small-bore' budget deal better than shutdown; Calif. battle on medical malpractice; Obama should turn to health quality

House and Senate budget negotiators reach a deal

Iowa wins approval to expand Medicaid using private plans

Elsevier's Gold Standard drug database first to include CMS' NADAC price type

MAXIMUS Foundation Chairman wins 2013 Ripple of Hope Award for contributions in health care programs

Viewpoints: Health law problems plague Calif. too; Obamacare redistribution is from lucky to unlucky; FDA crackdown on genetic testing

Senate Finance Committee scheduled to vote Thursday on 'doc fix' legislation

Initiating palliative care consult in emergency department reduces hospital length of stay: Study

CPhA supports Medi-Cal lawsuit against the California Department of Health Care Services

First Edition: December 10, 2103

Many Americans still tend to avoid addressing own end-of-life issues

Drugmaker pushes new drug over cheaper equivalent at Medicare's expense

Lawmakers close in on 'cease-fire' budget deal

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition) eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News