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State highlights: Maine to permit Rx drugs from Canada; Ore. to levy hospital, nursing home assessment tax

For the first time in several years, a state has acted to allow its citizens to purchase prescription drugs by mail from other countries. The idea is to take advantage of those nations' lower prices, which can be half the cost of those at American pharmacies (Rovner, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

CMS proposes Medicare payment adjustment for home health agencies

A proposed rule released Thursday would cause home health agencies to experience a 1.5 percent reduction in their Medicare payments for 2014, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates could reduce payments to these facilities by $290 million next year.

29 Jun 2013

Janssen receives complete response letter from FDA for XARELTO sNDA

Janssen Research & Development, LLC today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a complete response letter for the supplemental New Drug Application for XARELTO (rivaroxaban) to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

28 Jun 2013

Parkland Health Mart Pharmacy honored with McKesson's Pharmacy of the Year award

McKesson Corporation announced that its 2013 Pharmacy of the Year grand prize winner is Parkland Health Mart Pharmacy, located in Desloge, Missouri. Parkland Health Mart Pharmacy was honored in a special awards ceremony during the Opening General Session at the 2013 McKesson ideaShare conference.

28 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 28, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that the high court sent a tentative signal Thursday that it was moving toward hearing a case on the regulation of abortion-inducing drugs.

28 Jun 2013

Treating people in doc's offices instead of ERs may not save as much as thought

Helping people avoid the ER and caring for them in doctors' offices instead may not help save as much money to the health care system as initially thought, a new study suggests.

28 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Late hospital bills perplex consumers; Personal health data can 'revolutionize' care

Flavio de Pecol hit the trifecta after taking his daughter to the emergency room for a horse-riding injury: hours of waiting, a 16-mile ambulance ride to a different facility and bills for more than $40,000. At least, he thought, that was the end of it. But nearly two years (later), ... De Pecol, of Newport Beach, has received yet another bill, this time for $1,054.53. ... "How can I trust that this isn't a mistake when a hospital takes 21 months to bill me?" De Pecol asked. ... Good questions, and yet another example of the way consumers are at the mercy of the healthcare industry's opaque and byzantine billing practices (David Lazarus, 6/25).

28 Jun 2013

High court's DOMA ruling will impact health benefits for gay couples

The decision will affect benefits for federal employees, as well as people eligible for new coverage under the health law, and will likely lead employers in the 12 states that recognize same-sex marriages to review employee-benefit packages to make sure they don't discriminate against gay spouses and comply with the law.

28 Jun 2013

Acute Palliative Care Unit: A new frontier in managing patients with end-stage chronic disease

A new study shows that hospitals with specialized units combining the compassionate care of hospice and the level of care offered in medical-surgical units may provide efficient, cost effective assistance to patients with advanced chronic illness or terminal disease.

28 Jun 2013

Former CMS head: Tie doc payment reforms to patient outcomes

A former Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator told the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday that Medicare should focus on fewer quality measures in their assessments, letting patient outcomes dictate what constitutes quality care instead.

28 Jun 2013

Democrats to Sebelius: Confusion over health law persists

Politico reports that congressional Democrats shared concerns with Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that seniors, among others, remain fearful about the health law's impact on their benefits. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times explores a loophole that could allow insurers to avoid some of the law's provisions for another year and The Associated Press reports the individual mandate exemption has been broadened for Native Americans.

28 Jun 2013

Elsevier publishes first issue of Health Care: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce the publication of the first issue of Health Care: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation.

28 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 27, 2013

Today's headlines include reports explaining how yesterday's Supreme Court decision on DOMA impacts federal health benefits and the health law's coverage expansion.

27 Jun 2013

White House takes aim at Latinos, young people with health law outreach efforts

Both populations are key to the success of new online health insurance marketplaces, which will begin enrolling people on Oct. 1 for coverage that takes effect Jan. 1.

27 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Entitlements driving U.S. toward insolvency; Shalala on being informed; Catholics find contraceptive mandate morally wrong

As currently structured, entitlement programs can't keep up with longer life expectancies and changing demographics. Soon, one-third of Americans will be retired and will spend one-third of their lives in retirement. Meanwhile, the ratio of workers to retirees has dropped precipitously. During this decade and the next, the number of Americans 65 or older will jump 75 percent, while those of working age will nudge up by just 7 percent. Within a decade, the total price for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will reach $3 trillion a year, but we'll have fewer workers paying into the system and supporting those growing costs (R. Bruce Josten, 6/25).

27 Jun 2013

Cruz says immigration plan would affect workers' benefits under health law; Senate panel hears concerns about Medicare audits

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticizes the pending immigration bill and health law while Medicare observation care and audits are hot topics during a Senate Finance Committee hearing. Also in the news, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, talks about hospital CEO pay. In addition, he and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., push to open the Medicare claims payment database.

27 Jun 2013

Tavenner outlines specifics on health exchanges, other health law issues

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services chief Marilyn Tavenner discussed health exchanges, among other things, with Georgia Health News. Other news outlets detailed the exchange developments in Minnesota and Colorado.

27 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 26, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the latest developments in the health care marketplace.

26 Jun 2013

Lawsuits, or threat of them, hover over Medicare policy

News outlets report on the government's position on releasing doctor-specific information and on Medicare patients' access to physical therapy. And, ProPublica investigates prescribing practices.

26 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Exploring the bond between caretaker and patient; Missouri looks beyond expansion to reform Medicaid

This Op-Doc video explores the relationship between an immigrant caretaker and an elderly woman in the last months of her life. Joesy, a Fijian immigrant, works long hours providing live-in care for 95-year-old Haru Tsurumoto in Sonoma County, Calif. Through intimate and quiet scenes, we explore Joesy's complex relationship with Haru. The two respect each other in part because each has experienced being an outsider in the United States - Joesy as an undocumented immigrant who fears she could be sent back to Fiji, and Haru as a Japanese-American who was sent to an internment camp during the Second World War (Theo Rigby and Kate McLean, 6/24).

26 Jun 2013

Medicare News and Research

State highlights: Maine to permit Rx drugs from Canada; Ore. to levy hospital, nursing home assessment tax

CMS proposes Medicare payment adjustment for home health agencies

Janssen receives complete response letter from FDA for XARELTO sNDA

Parkland Health Mart Pharmacy honored with McKesson's Pharmacy of the Year award

First Edition: June 28, 2013

Treating people in doc's offices instead of ERs may not save as much as thought

Viewpoints: Late hospital bills perplex consumers; Personal health data can 'revolutionize' care

High court's DOMA ruling will impact health benefits for gay couples

Acute Palliative Care Unit: A new frontier in managing patients with end-stage chronic disease

Former CMS head: Tie doc payment reforms to patient outcomes

Democrats to Sebelius: Confusion over health law persists

Elsevier publishes first issue of Health Care: The Journal of Delivery Science and Innovation

First Edition: June 27, 2013

White House takes aim at Latinos, young people with health law outreach efforts

Viewpoints: Entitlements driving U.S. toward insolvency; Shalala on being informed; Catholics find contraceptive mandate morally wrong

Cruz says immigration plan would affect workers' benefits under health law; Senate panel hears concerns about Medicare audits

Tavenner outlines specifics on health exchanges, other health law issues

First Edition: June 26, 2013

Lawsuits, or threat of them, hover over Medicare policy

Viewpoints: Exploring the bond between caretaker and patient; Missouri looks beyond expansion to reform Medicaid

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