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AAOS releases Appropriate Use Criteria covering five different treatments for rotator cuff injuries

Each year, close to 2 million people in the United States visit their doctor for shoulder pain associated with a rotator cuff injury. Approximately one-third of rotator cuff tears will require surgery, with the remaining injuries benefiting from nonsurgical treatment including pain medication and rehabilitation exercises. To help physicians determine the best treatment for each patient, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recently released Appropriate Use Criteria covering five different treatments for rotator cuff injuries.

21 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 20, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports that President Barack Obama places some of the blame for the health law's woes with Republicans, and details of comments by an Obama administration tech official that a large portion of the healthcare.gov 'back office' functions are yet to be built.

20 Nov 2013

State highlights: Calif. fines three insurers for denying therapy; Colo.'s Denver Health to shed jobs; Ambulance Co. agrees to pay feds $3M over fraud allegations

California officials said three of the state's largest health insurers illegally denied speech and occupational therapy to patients, and regulators fined one of the companies, Health Net Inc., $300,000 for repeated violations. The state Department of Managed Health Care said Monday that it ordered Health Net, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California to stop denying medically necessary therapy in cases of developmental disabilities, autism and other medical conditions.

20 Nov 2013

Senate gives final approval to bill tightening control over drug-compounding pharmacies

The Senate gave final approval to a bill Monday that gives federal regulators greater oversight of compounding pharmacies like the ones responsible for a deadly meningitis outbreak last year. The President is expected to sign the bill.

20 Nov 2013

White House officials say 20% won't be able to complete HealthCare.gov process to buy insurance

In a progress report, Obama administration officials are predicting that, despite fixes that have been made, one in five people won't be able to buy health insurance via the online process. Still, the pace of enrollments has more than doubled, the New York Times reports.

20 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: GOP excuse for 'doing nothing;' Sen. Rubio: No taxpayer-funded bailout of the insurance industry

As the people's representatives, the U.S. Congress should completely eliminate the possibility of a bailout of insurance companies. On Tuesday I am introducing legislation that would eliminate the risk corridor provision, ensuring that no taxpayer-funded bailout of the health insurance industry will ever occur under ObamaCare. If this disaster of a law cannot survive without a bailout rescue valve, it is yet another reason why it should be repealed (Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., 11/18).

20 Nov 2013

Patients at highest risk for suffering full-blown ischemic attack less likely to receive optimal care

Among thousands of hospital patients treated for a "mini stroke," those who were at highest risk for suffering a full-blown ischemic attack were less likely to received optimal care, according to a study led by researchers at Duke Medicine.

20 Nov 2013

Report issued early warnings about HealthCare.gov risks

An analysis done in late March by McKinsey & Co. called attention to a number of trouble spots. Meanwhile, Politico details a "Red Team" report done by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that also sounded alarms.

20 Nov 2013

ProPublica: Medicare could save billions with generic drugs

The nonprofit news service analyzed millions of prescriptions. Also, a CMS official says "the Medicare program is stronger today than in recent memory."

20 Nov 2013

UC San Diego study suggests racial inequality leads to higher mortality in cancer patients

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine say metastatic colorectal cancer patients of African-American descent are less likely to be seen by cancer specialists or receive cancer treatments. This difference in treatment explains a large part of the 15 percent higher mortality experienced by African-American patients than non-Hispanic white patients.

20 Nov 2013

Chronic diseases account for increasing proportion of GPs' workload

GPs in Australia are working three hours less per week in direct clinical care, however they are dealing with more health problems per visit, research led by the University of Sydney shows.

19 Nov 2013

Aortic valve replacement improves survival and outcomes in elderly patients

Jose Augusto Barreto-Filho, M.D., Ph.D., of the Federal University of Sergipe and the Clinica e Hospital Sao Lucas, Sergipe, Brazil, and colleagues assessed procedure rates and outcomes of surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) among 82,755,924 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries between 1999 and 2011.

19 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 19, 2013

Today's headlines include news that Obama administration officials were warned about the possibility of website difficulties months ago by an outside consulting firm.

19 Nov 2013

State highlights: Tenn. gov. hesitates on Medicaid expansion; Calif. primed for big 2014 health care ballot; abortion law fight in Texas rages on

Gov. Bill Haslam of Tennessee describes it as "trying to thread a needle from 80 yards." Mr. Haslam is only the latest Republican tailor trying to figure out whether to expand the state's Medicaid rolls as prescribed by President Obama's Affordable Care Act. In his case, it involves trying -- so far unsuccessfully -- to balance some sharply conflicting concerns: struggling hospitals, local business groups, dwindling state resources and fierce conservative opposition to the new health care law. And it has left him hanging out there, with no resolution in sight (Lyman, 11/16).

19 Nov 2013

Viewpoints: Obamacare has resisted death throes before; website success stories from 3 governors; health law taking a toll on choice of doctors in Medicare Advantage

The first time Obamacare seemed finished, doomed, doornail-dead, the voters of Massachusetts played the would-be executioner. In January 2010, they sent a pickup-driving Republican to the Senate to fill Ted Kennedy's seat, apparently depriving the health care bill of its crucial 60th vote and sending Democrats scrambling for a Plan B. ... the deeper force at work, the reason that these near-death experiences keep happening, isn't a website or a broken presidential promise. It's a problem inherent to contemporary liberalism, which is that liberals' proudest achievement, the modern welfare state, tends to resist, corrupt and baffle their efforts at comprehensive reform (Ross Douthat, 11/16).

19 Nov 2013

Pelosi downplays Democratic defections on health law

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., minimized reports of unrest within her caucus after 39 Democrats voted for a bill allowing insurers to sell plans for one more year that don't meet the health law's requirements.

19 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 18, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the political implications of the healthcare.gov difficulties as well continued coverage of reaction to President Barack Obama's policy cancellation fix.

18 Nov 2013

American Academy of Ophthalmology unveils comprehensive eye disease and condition patient database

The American Academy of Ophthalmology today unveiled the nation's first comprehensive eye disease and condition patient database. The IRIS Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) made its debut in a presentation to 25,000 attendees during the opening session of the world's largest ophthalmic conference - the 117th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

18 Nov 2013

Health insurers leery about 'fix' to Obamacare woes

Top insurance industry executives met with the president on Friday and two spoke this morning, saying the rules change could create "problems."

18 Nov 2013

Cataract surgeries deliver 4,567% financial return on investment to society

Cataract surgeries performed over one year eventually save $123.4 billion over 13 years and delivers a 4,567 percent financial return on investment to society according to the results of a cost-utility study, published online today in the Academy's official journal, Ophthalmology, and will be presented on Nov. 17 at the world's largest ophthalmic conference, the American Academy of Ophthalmology's 117th Annual Meeting, in New Orleans. Researchers say that the results prove that healthcare interventions create substantial economic wealth.

16 Nov 2013

Medicare News and Research

AAOS releases Appropriate Use Criteria covering five different treatments for rotator cuff injuries

First Edition: November 20, 2013

State highlights: Calif. fines three insurers for denying therapy; Colo.'s Denver Health to shed jobs; Ambulance Co. agrees to pay feds $3M over fraud allegations

Senate gives final approval to bill tightening control over drug-compounding pharmacies

White House officials say 20% won't be able to complete HealthCare.gov process to buy insurance

Viewpoints: GOP excuse for 'doing nothing;' Sen. Rubio: No taxpayer-funded bailout of the insurance industry

Patients at highest risk for suffering full-blown ischemic attack less likely to receive optimal care

Report issued early warnings about HealthCare.gov risks

ProPublica: Medicare could save billions with generic drugs

UC San Diego study suggests racial inequality leads to higher mortality in cancer patients

Chronic diseases account for increasing proportion of GPs' workload

Aortic valve replacement improves survival and outcomes in elderly patients

First Edition: November 19, 2013

State highlights: Tenn. gov. hesitates on Medicaid expansion; Calif. primed for big 2014 health care ballot; abortion law fight in Texas rages on

Viewpoints: Obamacare has resisted death throes before; website success stories from 3 governors; health law taking a toll on choice of doctors in Medicare Advantage

Pelosi downplays Democratic defections on health law

First Edition: November 18, 2013

American Academy of Ophthalmology unveils comprehensive eye disease and condition patient database

Health insurers leery about 'fix' to Obamacare woes

Cataract surgeries deliver 4,567% financial return on investment to society

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