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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

First Edition: December 9, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about new sticker-shock concerns over costs for coverage purchased through the health law's new online insurance marketplaces.

9 Dec 2013

Research roundup: 'Substantial' Medicare savings from avoiding ERs; new ways for primary care; trends in kids' fast food consumption

Some Medicare beneficiaries who place 911 calls to request an ambulance might safely be cared for in settings other than the emergency department at lower cost. Using 2005–09 Medicare claims data and a validated algorithm, we estimated that 12.9–16.2 percent of Medicare-covered 911 emergency medical services transports involved conditions that were probably nonemergent or primary care treatable.

9 Dec 2013

Obamacare error rate means many may not be signed up for coverage

The administration said that 25 percent of people who signed up in October and November and 10 percent of Dec. enrollees could have errors in their forms.

9 Dec 2013

Congress closes in on modest budget deal

Officials say negotiators are cobbling together a deal that offsets planned sequester cuts, but which includes none of the big reductions in Medicare or other entitlements sought by Republicans, nor any of the tax increases sought by Democrats. Instead, it includes targeted measures, such as increased fees for airport-security and federal guarantees of private pensions.

9 Dec 2013

Silverlink, UnitedHealthcare recognized for increasing colorectal cancer screenings among minorities

Silverlink Communications, Inc., and UnitedHealthcare's program to increase colorectal cancer screenings among minority populations earned the companies a 2013 Outstanding Leadership in Population Health Award from the Care Continuum Alliance at the recent CCA Forum 2013.

6 Dec 2013

Huntsville Hospital Health System chooses Caradigm HIE for integrated care across community

Huntsville Hospital Health System, the nation's fifth largest publicly owned healthcare organization, has selected the Caradigm Health Information Exchange, powered by Orion Health, to provide the backbone for integrated care across the community, with a vision to ultimately connect care across the entire northern Alabama region.

6 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 6, 2103

Today's headlines include news about how both the federal and state-based health insurance websites are doing.

6 Dec 2013

Hopes dim for Medicare doctor payment fix this year, short-term 'patch' is likely

Lawmakers are proposing another "patch" to temporarily fix the "Sustainable Growth Rate," while a permanent fix is being readied in Senate and House committees.

6 Dec 2013

Medicaid signups may be affected by website glitches

The federal government has been unable to transfer full Medicaid applications to the 36 states participating in healthcare.gov, potentially leaving some who sign up for Medicaid without coverage.

5 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 5, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how President Barack Obama is trying to connect with young adults and urge them to sign up for health coverage.

5 Dec 2013

First Databank starts publishing NADAC pricing file released by CMS

First Databank (FDB), the leading provider of clinical drug knowledge that helps improve medication-related decisions and patient outcomes, today announced it has begun publishing the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) pricing file recently released by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

5 Dec 2013

New, improved healthcare.gov gets praise, but problems persist

Administration officials lauded the website fixes and said that 750,000 users logged on Monday, but insurers continued to have concerns about the transfer of inaccurate data and automated subsidy calculations.

5 Dec 2013

1.46 million enroll in Medicaid through health law exchanges

The Obama administration said Tuesday that more than 1.46 million people have been found eligible and signed up for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program in October.

5 Dec 2013