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Hospitals to face more severe penalties for patients' readmissions

News coverage continues regarding the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' hospital readmissions reduction program with details of a final rule released Friday and a local look at how hospitals are faring in Georgia and Missouri.

7 Aug 2013

Doc-owned hospitals thriving in Texas despite ban from Medicare, Medicaid

George Ten Eyck is prepped for surgery by Christine Varela, a registered nurse, at Victory Healthcare in Hurst. The facility is part of a physician-owned chain that is growing despite not taking Medicare or Medicaid patients. Physician-owned hospitals in North Texas are finding ways to expand despite being banned from accepting Medicare and Medicaid patients (8/5).

7 Aug 2013

CVS Caremark net revenues increase 1.7% in Q2 2013

CVS Caremark Corporation today announced operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2013.

6 Aug 2013

PeaceHealth inks contract to serve Sterling Medicare SELECT policyholders

In an effort to better serve the Medicare population in our community, PeaceHealth Medical Group in Oregon has contracted with Sterling Insurance to become a network hospital serving Sterling Medicare SELECT policyholders. Sterling Medicare SELECT, underwritten by Sterling Life Insurance Company, is a Medicare Supplement insurance plan offering lower premiums to policyholders in exchange for using a network hospital when hospital care is needed.

6 Aug 2013

Regeneron, Bayer report positive results from Phase 3 VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME trials of EYLEA for DME

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Bayer HealthCare today announced that in the Phase 3 VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME trials of EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection for the treatment of diabetic macular edema, EYLEA 2 milligrams (mg) dosed monthly and EYLEA 2 mg dosed every two months (after 5 initial monthly injections) achieved the primary endpoint of a significantly greater improvement in best-corrected visual acuity from baseline compared to laser photocoagulation at 52 weeks.

6 Aug 2013

Viewpoints: Republicans' 'temper tantrum' on health care; 'mixed message' on cancer

Last week House Republicans voted for the 40th time to repeal Obamacare. Like the previous 39 votes, this action will have no effect whatsoever. But it was a stand-in for what Republicans really want to do: repeal reality, and the laws of arithmetic in particular.

6 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 5, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau reports: "Medicare will levy $227 million in fines against hospitals in every state but one for the second round of the government's campaign to reduce the number of patients readmitted within a month, according to federal records released Friday" (Rau, 8/2).

5 Aug 2013

Talk of budget 'grand bargain' continues

Just as lawmakers prepared to depart for their August break, President Barack Obama sought to revive interest in a budget deal combining new tax revenue with cuts to health and retirement benefits.

3 Aug 2013

Tavenner challenges GOP health law claims during Capitol Hill hearing

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services chief Marilyn Tavenner disputed statements by Republican lawmakers that the country's health care reform law is causing workers to lose hours or benefits. The acting head of the Internal Revenue Service also testified.

3 Aug 2013

Home healthcare sector: A steady source of job growth, employment in healthcare field

The July 2013 jobs report, released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, continues to demonstrate that the home healthcare sector is a steady source of job growth and employment in the healthcare field.

3 Aug 2013

First Edition: August 2, 2013

Today's headlines include details about today's health law repeal vote in the House. It comes just as lawmakers prepare to leave for the August break.

2 Aug 2013

State highlights: Brooklyn hospital files for bankruptcy plans to close; N.D. abortion law blocked; Texas women's health program serving thousands less

A selection of health policy stories from New York, North Dakota, Texas, Minnesota and California.

2 Aug 2013

CMS proposal to remove Bariatric Surgery Facility Certification may place Medicare patients at risk

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is considering a reversal of its 2006 decision requiring certification of facilities that perform bariatric surgery, a move the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, and other medical societies say could endanger Medicare patients who undergo bariatric surgery.

2 Aug 2013

Study finds that tens of billions of dollars spent each year for moderate chronic kidney disease

Even early stages of kidney disease come with steep medical costs, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. The study found that expenses related to moderate chronic kidney disease cost Medicare tens of billions of dollars each year.

2 Aug 2013

Obama seeks to calm 'jittery Democrats' on health law rollout

Meanwhile, senior GOP leaders plan more votes to chip away at Obamacare, in part to dissuade their rank and file from demanding a government shutdown this fall unless the health law is defunded.

2 Aug 2013

SGR repeal measure moves to full House consideration

Some medical societies, which support repealing Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate formula, are expressing concern that a bill won't be signed into law before a scheduled 25 percent reduction in Medicare physician payment takes effect. Meanwhile, members of the Senate Finance Committee are working on their own plan.

2 Aug 2013

BD reports quarterly revenues of $2.053 billion for third fiscal quarter

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a leading global medical technology company, today reported quarterly revenues of $2.053 billion for the third fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2013, representing an increase of 3.6 percent from the prior-year period, or 5.1 percent on a foreign currency-neutral basis.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 1 Aug 2013

Medicare News and Research

Hospitals to face more severe penalties for patients' readmissions

Doc-owned hospitals thriving in Texas despite ban from Medicare, Medicaid

CVS Caremark net revenues increase 1.7% in Q2 2013

PeaceHealth inks contract to serve Sterling Medicare SELECT policyholders

Regeneron, Bayer report positive results from Phase 3 VIVID-DME and VISTA-DME trials of EYLEA for DME

Viewpoints: Republicans' 'temper tantrum' on health care; 'mixed message' on cancer

First Edition: August 5, 2013

Talk of budget 'grand bargain' continues

Tavenner challenges GOP health law claims during Capitol Hill hearing

Home healthcare sector: A steady source of job growth, employment in healthcare field

First Edition: August 2, 2013

State highlights: Brooklyn hospital files for bankruptcy plans to close; N.D. abortion law blocked; Texas women's health program serving thousands less

CMS proposal to remove Bariatric Surgery Facility Certification may place Medicare patients at risk

Study finds that tens of billions of dollars spent each year for moderate chronic kidney disease

Obama seeks to calm 'jittery Democrats' on health law rollout

SGR repeal measure moves to full House consideration

BD reports quarterly revenues of $2.053 billion for third fiscal quarter

First Edition: August 1, 2013

Medicare premiums hold the line -- increasing $1 in price from the past three years

U.S. divide on abortion widens along regional lines

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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