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ACA sets standards to ensure that consumers get coverage options in every state in the U.S.

As health insurance moves to a direct-to-consumer model, identifying where consumers are located and what health plan options are available in local markets is essential. The Affordable Care Act is reshaping the industry and setting standards to ensure that consumers have coverage options in all geographies of every state in the U.S. Companies participating in the Marketplace (Exchanges) are using county market share and penetration rates to identify underinsured opportunities for Medicaid and Commercial market expansion.

16 Dec 2013

NJHA's CEO wins FDR Visionary Award from March of Dimes

Betsy Ryan, Esq., president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association, today was presented with the FDR Visionary Award from the March of Dimes, New Jersey Chapter.

15 Dec 2013

Analysis provides first empirical evidence on how shared savings ACO model affect quality of care

Approximately 10 percent of Medicare spending is for cancer care, and Medicare spending is nearly four times higher for beneficiaries with cancer than in those without the disease. Little is known about how to curb spending growth while maintaining or improving quality of care for these high-risk, high-cost patients.

14 Dec 2013

High-risk pool extension gives sick Americans more time to choose a health plan

The decision will give an estimated 85,000 people who were enrolled in the pre-existing condition insurance plans created by the health law, which were originally scheduled to expire on Jan. 1, an extra month to enroll in new coverage.

14 Dec 2013

Celebrities sell Obamacare using rap, social media

Since spring, the White House has worked with stars like Jennifer Hudson and Amy Poehler to engage 18- to 34-year-olds. Now states like California are also getting into the act, enlisting rap artists and others.

14 Dec 2013

Budget deal, with 3-month 'doc fix' moves to Senate

As the the House approved a budget deal, Republicans included a provision to prevent a scheduled pay cut for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

13 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 13, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a set of steps taken by the Obama administration in an effort to help consumers avoid coverage lapses as the health law takes effect.

13 Dec 2013

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

Medicare News and Research

ACA sets standards to ensure that consumers get coverage options in every state in the U.S.

NJHA's CEO wins FDR Visionary Award from March of Dimes

Analysis provides first empirical evidence on how shared savings ACO model affect quality of care

High-risk pool extension gives sick Americans more time to choose a health plan

Celebrities sell Obamacare using rap, social media

Budget deal, with 3-month 'doc fix' moves to Senate

First Edition: December 13, 2013

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

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) eBook

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

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