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Rural hospitals, clinics at center of Obamacare success or failure for poor

A new hospital and network of rural health care clinics in Missouri could become emblematic of how successful Obamacare is in treating the nation's poor -- a key tenet of the health law.

10 Jul 2013

Study explores relationship between safety culture, adverse patient outcomes of care

When hospital senior management supports the creation and maintenance of a strong safety culture, patient outcomes improve, staff productivity increases, and there is less clinical employee turnover, according to research reported in the Journal for Healthcare Quality, the peer reviewed publication of the National Association for Healthcare Quality.

10 Jul 2013

Different financial incentives between Medicare Advantage and FFS influence use of CV procedures

In a study that included nearly 6 million Medicare Advantage and Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 12 states, rates of angiography and percutaneous coronary interventions were significantly lower among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and geographic variation in procedure rates was substantial for both payment types, according to a study in the July 10 issue of JAMA.

10 Jul 2013

Diclegis delayed-release tablets for NVP treatment now eligible for Medicaid coverage

Duchesnay USA today announced that Diclegis (doxylamine succinate 10mg, pyridoxine hydrochloride 10mg) delayed-release tablets for the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, more commonly known as morning sickness, is now available for coverage under the state and federal Medicaid program effective July 1st, 2013.

9 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Health care's hidden consensus; Examining the fee-for-service payment system; Alternative medicine's allure

The politicians' consensus is that health care reform shouldn't alter or disrupt the way the majority of Americans get their insurance today. ... The policy consensus, though, is that the status quo is actually the problem, and that it deserves to be threatened, undermined and replaced as expeditiously as possible. Wonks of the left and right disagree on what that replacement should look like. But they're united in regarding employer-provided coverage as an unsustainable relic (Ross Douthat, 7/6).

9 Jul 2013

Proposal to cut Medicare ESRD Program may have unintended consequences for people on dialysis

A proposal to cut the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program by nearly 10% may have unintended consequences for people on dialysis. "More than 20 million Americans have kidney disease, and the Medicare ESRD program provides lifesaving care to nearly 400,000 beneficiaries with kidney failure," said Bruce A. Molitoris, MD, FASN, President of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN).

9 Jul 2013

Alzheimer's Association upset with CMS draft decision on brain amyloid imaging

The Alzheimer's Association is disappointed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services draft coverage decision on brain amyloid imaging, particularly given the clear, scientific consensus recommendations provided to CMS by the Association and the Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging regarding appropriate, limited coverage, only in specific populations.

6 Jul 2013

El Lilly calls for Medicare coverage of beta-amyloid imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease

Eli Lilly and Company today announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a draft decision proposing Coverage with Evidence Development for the use of beta-amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agents. Beta-amyloid imaging agents are used to evaluate patients with cognitive impairment for Alzheimer's Disease and other causes of cognitive decline.

5 Jul 2013

Viewpoints on Medicare: Advantage program offers roadmap to improving the program; Rare bipartisan support for doctor pay fix

Concern about the size and cost of Medicare is understandable. With 10,000 or so baby boomers due to reach age 65 every day for the next 18 years, Medicare enrollment is exploding, and based on our projections, by 2023 -- 10 years from now -- should reach 66 million, up from 50.3. The need to find better ways to deliver quality health care to seniors at a reasonable cost is obvious. What's interesting is that an effective way to do this already exists: the Medicare Advantage program, which some in Washington are seeking to curtail (Daniel Gorlin and John Kaplan, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

State highlights: Docs prescribe narcotics too often, CDC chief says; Fla. hospices get close scrutiny; Calif. Medi-Cal provider rate bump delayed

The nation's top public health official on Tuesday sharply criticized the widespread treatment of aches and pains with narcotics, saying that doctors are prescribing such drugs too soon, too often and for too long -- putting patients at risk of addiction and overdose. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that doctors are relying on these powerful drugs to treat chronic pain when physical therapy, exercise and other remedies would be safer and in many cases more effective (Girion and Glover, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

Short on funds, HHS failed to investigate 1,200 fraud cases last year

HHS was unable to investigate 1,200 cases of suspected Medicare or Medicaid fraud last year because the watchdog agency inside the department is stretched so thin.

4 Jul 2013

Researchers develop program to reduce hospital readmissions by more than half

When a Medicare patient heads home from the hospital, the last thing they want is to be part of the revolving door of readmission that costs the healthcare industry and Medicare billions of dollars each year.

4 Jul 2013

MAXIMUS customer contact centers achieve Center of Excellence distinction

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that its New York Physician Profile and New Jersey Health Care Profile operations have been recognized as "Certified Centers of Excellence" by BenchmarkPortal.

3 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 3, 2013

Today's headlines detail the Obama administration announcement that it would delay the health law rule requiring businesses provide insurance to workers.

3 Jul 2013

Telemonitoring with pharmacist management improves and maintains BP control

An intervention that consisted of home blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring with pharmacist management resulted in improvements in BP control and decreases in BP during 12 months, compared with usual care, and improvement in BP that was maintained for 6 months following the intervention, according to a study in the July 3 issue of JAMA.

3 Jul 2013

IG report: $543 million in Medicare overpayments remain uncollected

USA Today reports that the inspector general's report noted that one of the factors keeping the government from recouping these funds was problems with a new accounting system. Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports that these types of overpayments are some of the most difficult to collect.

3 Jul 2013

LCS, CareSouth announce joint venture partnership in Health at Home

LCS, a national leader in senior lifestyle services and senior living community development and management, and CareSouth®, a leading regional provider of home health services, are pleased to announce a joint venture partnership in Health at Home, An LCS Company.

3 Jul 2013

Many uninsured don't know they must buy coverage next year

News outlets report on a poll finding that more than 40 percent of the uninsured are unaware they could be required to buy health coverage in 2014, while another study calculates how many young people are benefiting from the provision allowing adult children to stay on their parents' policies up to age 26.

3 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 2, 2013

Today's headlines include various reports about changes afoot in the insurance marketplace.

2 Jul 2013

Research roundup: 'Welcome-mat' effect of Medicaid expansion; Setting up shops; California's transition to Medicaid managed care

The number of people eligible for Medicaid who remain uninsured varies from state to state, according to the authors. But the federal health law is likely to increase the rate of enrollment for this group. The potential impact of this increase in Medicaid enrollment, also known as the 'welcome-mat' effect, is unclear.

2 Jul 2013

Medicare News and Research

Rural hospitals, clinics at center of Obamacare success or failure for poor

Study explores relationship between safety culture, adverse patient outcomes of care

Different financial incentives between Medicare Advantage and FFS influence use of CV procedures

Diclegis delayed-release tablets for NVP treatment now eligible for Medicaid coverage

Viewpoints: Health care's hidden consensus; Examining the fee-for-service payment system; Alternative medicine's allure

Proposal to cut Medicare ESRD Program may have unintended consequences for people on dialysis

Alzheimer's Association upset with CMS draft decision on brain amyloid imaging

El Lilly calls for Medicare coverage of beta-amyloid imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease

Viewpoints on Medicare: Advantage program offers roadmap to improving the program; Rare bipartisan support for doctor pay fix

State highlights: Docs prescribe narcotics too often, CDC chief says; Fla. hospices get close scrutiny; Calif. Medi-Cal provider rate bump delayed

Short on funds, HHS failed to investigate 1,200 fraud cases last year

Researchers develop program to reduce hospital readmissions by more than half

MAXIMUS customer contact centers achieve Center of Excellence distinction

First Edition: July 3, 2013

Telemonitoring with pharmacist management improves and maintains BP control

IG report: $543 million in Medicare overpayments remain uncollected

LCS, CareSouth announce joint venture partnership in Health at Home

Many uninsured don't know they must buy coverage next year

First Edition: July 2, 2013

Research roundup: 'Welcome-mat' effect of Medicaid expansion; Setting up shops; California's transition to Medicaid managed care

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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