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Hospitals, doctors consider changes amid Medicare hospital readmissions scrutiny

Hospitals and doctors are feeling the health care law heat as officials try to reduce readmissions and increase quality of care in the Medicare program. PBS NewsHour looks at the law's hospital readmissions penalties and Medpage Today explains what the hospitals are doing.

2 Jul 2013

Study shows that PCCs can reverse blood thinning effects of XARELTO in healthy subjects

Janssen Research & Development, LLC announced today results of an open label, single-center, parallel group study showing that a type of medication called prothrombin complex concentrates can reverse the blood thinning effects of XARELTO (rivaroxaban) in healthy subjects.

2 Jul 2013

Budget cuts likely to undermine Medicare anti-fraud efforts

Center For Public Integrity: Medicare Fraud Outrunning Enforcement Efforts Citing massive budget and staff cuts, federal officials are set to scale back or drop a host of investigations into Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse - even though cracking down on government waste and cutting health care costs have been top priorities for the Obama administration.

2 Jul 2013

NPC and George Washington SPHHS selects recipient of two-year fellowship in CER policy

The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) and the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) today announced the selection of Chuck Shih, Ph.D., as the recipient of a new two-year fellowship in comparative effectiveness research (CER) policy.

2 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 1, 2013

Today's headlines include a variety of weekend news reports, including coverage of the Obama administration's final contraceptive coverage rule as well as a range of other stories on health law implementation issues.

1 Jul 2013

MAXIMUS completes acquisition of Health Management Limited

MAXIMUS (NYSE:MMS) announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Health Management Limited, an independent provider of occupational health care services in the United Kingdom.

1 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

Americans are used to hearing that health care will bust the budget. The Congressional Budget Office projected last year that Medicare, Medicaid and other government health programs would eat up 9.6 percent to 10.4 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by 2037, crowding out many other vital programs. But a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development suggests that the United States is not the only country that will struggle to contain public spending on medical care (Eduardo Porter, 6/27).

29 Jun 2013

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

Medicare News and Research

Hospitals, doctors consider changes amid Medicare hospital readmissions scrutiny

Study shows that PCCs can reverse blood thinning effects of XARELTO in healthy subjects

Budget cuts likely to undermine Medicare anti-fraud efforts

NPC and George Washington SPHHS selects recipient of two-year fellowship in CER policy

First Edition: July 1, 2013

MAXIMUS completes acquisition of Health Management Limited

Viewpoints: The entitlement crisis is not over; VA needs to deal more effectively with mental health issues; Iowa gives governor new abortion duty

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

Industry Focus eBook - Life Science Microscopy (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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