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Hospitalizations for endocarditis have declined in recent years

Hospitalizations for endocarditis, a deadly heart infection that disproportionately affects older heart patients, have declined in recent years despite recommendations for limited use of antibiotics to prevent the illness. These findings were recently published by Yale School of Medicine researchers in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

17 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: GOP willing to move to default if they can't cripple health law; it's time to figure out if workplace wellness programs work

This year, as has been the case so often in the past, their target is President Obama's health care reform law. If it is not repealed or defunded or delayed or otherwise left bleeding in the public square, they will not pass a spending bill needed to keep the government open past Sept. 30. And if that doesn't cripple the health law (which it won't), they will resort to the far more serious threat of default, refusing to raise the nation's debt ceiling, no matter the catastrophe that would cause (9/14).

17 Sep 2013

Young people remain in the dark as Obamacare exchanges prepare to open

Several newspapers explore how uninformed many young people are about new online insurance exchanges which open in two weeks, even though their participation is considered crucial to the markets' success.

17 Sep 2013

Final countdown on for health exchange launches

Federal officials are happy with what may turn out to be a soft launch of the health law's insurance exchanges Oct. 1. In the meantime, states are busy readying consumers for the exchanges' kickoffs with informational sessions and campaigns designed at creating a better-informed public.

17 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 13, 2013

Today's headlines include stories highlighting how the health law factors into Capitol Hill's current political dynamics.

13 Sep 2013

Overly ambitious objectives may limit success of Meaningful Use EHR Incentive program

An aggressive timeline combined with overly ambitious objectives may unnecessarily limit the success of the entire Meaningful Use EHR Incentive program, the American College of Physicians (ACP) warned today in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

13 Sep 2013

Longer looks: Understanding the mind; facebook depression; planning for a successful end of life

Every week reporter Ankita Rao selects interesting reading from around the Web.

13 Sep 2013

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care. This is according to a new research letter published online in the September 12 issue of JAMA which compares rates of bariatric (weight-loss) surgery for minority Medicare vs. non-Medicare patients before and after implementation of a Medicare coverage policy.

13 Sep 2013

Federal data system for health exchanges passes a test

Reuters reports this system has now been tested and certified as secure. Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries are increasingly confused by the media blitz surrounding the law's new online insurance marketplaces.

13 Sep 2013

The final push for Obamacare

News outlets report on the ambitious plans of a handful of health insurance co-ops starting from scratch after being funded by the law, how smokers may be charged higher premiums if they don't take cessation classes and the challenge of explaining the law in multiple languages.

13 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 12, 2013

Today's headlines include a range of stories related to the politics and policies in play as Oct. 1 -- the health law's big day -- quickly approaches.

12 Sep 2013

New analysis finds ASCs provide billions of dollars to Medicare program and its beneficiaries

A new analysis by researchers at the prominent University of California-Berkeley Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare finds that ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) provide billions of dollars in savings to the Medicare program and its beneficiaries.

12 Sep 2013

Viewpoints: Hopes for single payer system remain; GOP's move to tie debt ceiling to health law is dangerous; subsidy fraud must be stopped

With the Oct. 1 rollout of a major facet of the Affordable Care Act on the horizon, you'll be hearing a lot about the glitches, loopholes and shortcomings of this most important restructuring of America's healthcare system in our lifetimes.

12 Sep 2013

Some House GOP lawmakers take hard line position against health law funding in debt limit debate

As Republican leaders unveiled a plan to avert a government shutdown, they faced the challenge of building support for the proposal within their own ranks because it does not defund the health law. Some within the caucus reacted with skepticism.

12 Sep 2013

Health IT Now Coalition commends two Congressmen for helping in introducing TELE-MED Act

The Health IT Now Coalition today commended Congressmen Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) for their commitment to the health of America's seniors and the disabled by introducing the TELEmedicine for MEDicare Act, which allows Medicare providers to treat Medicare patients electronically across state lines without the need to obtain multiple state licenses.

12 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 11, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that some House GOP lawmakers are taking a hard line against funding for the health law in the ongoing debate about raising the nation's debt limit.

11 Sep 2013

UK and US policies risk conscription into unwanted 'war against dementia'

A political drive, led by the UK and US, to screen older people for minor memory changes (often called mild cognitive impairment or pre-dementia) is leading to unnecessary investigation and potentially harmful treatment for what is arguably an inevitable consequence of ageing, warn experts on bmj.com today.

11 Sep 2013

Financial incentives on hypertension care shows increased blood pressure control

In an examination of the effect of financial incentives on hypertension care at 12 outpatient clinics, physician-level (individual) financial incentives, but not practice-level or combined incentives, resulted in greater blood pressure control or appropriate response to uncontrolled blood pressure, according to a study in the September 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Sep 2013

Health exchanges will help some retirees bridge the Medicare gap

The New York Times reports on how the health law may assist some retired people who do not yet qualify for Medicare obtain affordable health insurance. In addition, Kaiser Health News details how the health law does and does not intersect with Medicare.

11 Sep 2013

US cancer care system in crisis

Delivery of cancer care in the U.S. is facing a crisis stemming from a combination of factors -- a growing demand for such care, a shrinking oncology work force, rising costs of cancer care, and the complexity of the disease and its treatment, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

11 Sep 2013

Medicare News and Research

Hospitalizations for endocarditis have declined in recent years

Viewpoints: GOP willing to move to default if they can't cripple health law; it's time to figure out if workplace wellness programs work

Young people remain in the dark as Obamacare exchanges prepare to open

Final countdown on for health exchange launches

First Edition: September 13, 2013

Overly ambitious objectives may limit success of Meaningful Use EHR Incentive program

Longer looks: Understanding the mind; facebook depression; planning for a successful end of life

Safety measures intended to improve bariatric surgery outcomes may impede obese minorities' access to care

Federal data system for health exchanges passes a test

The final push for Obamacare

First Edition: September 12, 2013

New analysis finds ASCs provide billions of dollars to Medicare program and its beneficiaries

Viewpoints: Hopes for single payer system remain; GOP's move to tie debt ceiling to health law is dangerous; subsidy fraud must be stopped

Some House GOP lawmakers take hard line position against health law funding in debt limit debate

Health IT Now Coalition commends two Congressmen for helping in introducing TELE-MED Act

First Edition: September 11, 2013

UK and US policies risk conscription into unwanted 'war against dementia'

Financial incentives on hypertension care shows increased blood pressure control

Health exchanges will help some retirees bridge the Medicare gap

US cancer care system in crisis

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