Medicare News and Research

RSS

Viewpoints: Good news from Medicare trustees; Medicaid no 'cure-all' for access to care

The 2013 Medicare Trustees Report had some good news. Costs per beneficiary grew just 0.7 percent in 2012, down from a 5.4 percent annual average since 1990. This is the third year of slow growth, and if the trend continues, our national finances will dramatically improve.

15 Jun 2013

State highlights: Ga. ponders higher health plan rates for employees

Home health care providers in Oregon and their allies say their industry is in a bind. The state's rural home health providers don't make as much as they should from serving Medicare patients, and the state's providers overall are slated for an even bigger hit next year, according to the industry's advocates and allies in Congress.

15 Jun 2013

Calif. regulator seeks to bar Anthem from small business health exchange

Meanwhile, Minnesota officials announce the opening of a call center Sept. 3 to answer consumer questions about the state's online insurance marketplace, which will begin enrolling people a month later.

15 Jun 2013

Teva to present abstracts on AZILECT at MDS meeting

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that a number of abstracts will be presented during the 17th Annual International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Sydney, Australia, June 16-20, 2013, also known as the Movement Disorders Society.

15 Jun 2013

House representatives ask CMS to delay implementation of questionable procurement program

A bipartisan majority of 227 Representatives in the House have joined forces on a letter asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to delay implementation of a questionable procurement program for home medical equipment, says the American Association for Homecare.

15 Jun 2013

Research roundup: Studying states' readiness for insurance exchanges

Unauthorized immigrants' options for health care generally consist of hospital emergency rooms and community health centers. Using nationally representative survey data from 2000 to 2009, researchers compared medical spending for unauthorized immigrants, legal residents, naturalized citizens, and natives of the United States and found that "unauthorized immigrants have lower health care spending overall but higher rates of receiving uncompensated care than legal immigrants and US natives."

15 Jun 2013

House lawmakers appear closer on Medicare pay overhaul, Medicaid pay increase

House lawmakers move closer to proposing a plan to overhaul how Medicare pays doctors and wonder how they can increase doctors' Medicaid pay -- typically the purview of states.

15 Jun 2013

Accenture: Boom ahead for retail health clinics

According to the consulting firm Accenture, the number of retail clinics will likely double by the end of 2015 -- a trend fueled by the demand for care by consumers who will become insured under the health law. Meanwhile, the Fiscal Times examines why some physicians are choosing not to accept any health insurance.

14 Jun 2013

End-of-life care: Study finds quality improving but costs increasing

A brief by the Dartmouth Institute finds that Medicare spending for chronically ill patients at the end of life went up more than 15 percent from 2007 to 2010.

14 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 14, 2013

Today's headlines includes reports about how, after months of battle, Arizona lawmakers endorsed a Medicaid expansion plan backed by Gov. Jan Brewer.

14 Jun 2013

MAXIMUS signs new contract with Maryland Health Benefit Exchange

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced that it has signed a new contract with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to operate the Consolidated Service Center, which includes call center, fulfillment and command center services.

14 Jun 2013

NBMC signs contract for Unibased's ForSite2020 solutions

Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc. announced today that North Bend Medical Center, Inc., located in Coos Bay, OR, has signed an agreement for its market-leading surgery management solution, ForSite2020 periOperative Resource Management System, aimed at improving workflow and productivity as well as providing efficient resource management to reduce costs and effectively manage inventory.

13 Jun 2013

DSTHS executes contract to provide high quality service to Thrive Health Plans

DST Health Solutions, LLC, a leading provider of technology solutions and services to greater than 250 health plans, integrated delivery systems, and health care providers representing greater than 20 million members, today announced the execution of a contract to provide administration operations, care management, and business analytics to Thrive Health Plans, Inc., a Washington D.C.-based managed care organization which operates under the name Trusted Health Plan.

13 Jun 2013

First Edition: June 13, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how employers are preparing for some parts of the health law to kick in.

13 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Administration 'finally' comes around on Plan B; 'Legal loophole' creates another compounded drug scare

Reluctantly yielding to a federal-court decision, the Obama administration announced on Monday that it will take steps to allow a version of the so-called morning-after pill, known as Plan B One-Step, to be sold over the counter to girls and women of all ages. They will not need a prescription, nor will they be required to show any identification to obtain the emergency contraceptive. There will be no restrictions on where the drug can be sold; it will be up to the manufacturer to propose appropriate venues (6/11).

13 Jun 2013

Black women with breast cancer experience treatment delays, new study finds

Black women with breast cancer are more likely than Hispanic or white women to experience delays in the initiation of chemotherapy or radiation after surgery, finds a new study in Health Services Research.

13 Jun 2013

Study raises questions about meeting the nation's need for more primary care physicians

Despite a critical shortage of primary care in the United States less than 25 percent of newly minted doctors go into this field and only a tiny fraction, 4.8 percent, set up shop in rural areas, according to a study by researchers at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.

13 Jun 2013

Viatronix's V3D-Colon software used in another clinical study relating to colorectal cancer screening

Viatronix Incorporated announced today that its dedicated CT Colonography software—V3D-Colon was exclusively used in another important clinical study relating to colorectal cancer screening.

12 Jun 2013

MedeAnalytics launches new tool to improve operational efficiency for health plans and hospitals

Today MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, introduced its new Provider Engagement solution, a dynamic tool that helps improve operational efficiency for health plans and hospitals, and positions health plans to successfully participate in the Affordable Care Act's permanent risk adjustment program for qualified health plans' individual and small group members, both inside and outside health insurance exchanges.

12 Jun 2013

Viewpoints: Medicaid expansion 'makes sense'; Budget cuts hurt Alzheimer's research; Lack of transparency in generic Rx prices

The numbers in the Rand study ... should not be a surprise to people who have been paying attention. Numerous studies now, including in Missouri, have pointed to the simple reality of the policy implications of the ACA to argue for Medicaid expansion.

12 Jun 2013

Medicare News and Research

Viewpoints: Good news from Medicare trustees; Medicaid no 'cure-all' for access to care

State highlights: Ga. ponders higher health plan rates for employees

Calif. regulator seeks to bar Anthem from small business health exchange

Teva to present abstracts on AZILECT at MDS meeting

House representatives ask CMS to delay implementation of questionable procurement program

Research roundup: Studying states' readiness for insurance exchanges

House lawmakers appear closer on Medicare pay overhaul, Medicaid pay increase

Accenture: Boom ahead for retail health clinics

End-of-life care: Study finds quality improving but costs increasing

First Edition: June 14, 2013

MAXIMUS signs new contract with Maryland Health Benefit Exchange

NBMC signs contract for Unibased's ForSite2020 solutions

DSTHS executes contract to provide high quality service to Thrive Health Plans

First Edition: June 13, 2013

Viewpoints: Administration 'finally' comes around on Plan B; 'Legal loophole' creates another compounded drug scare

Black women with breast cancer experience treatment delays, new study finds

Study raises questions about meeting the nation's need for more primary care physicians

Viatronix's V3D-Colon software used in another clinical study relating to colorectal cancer screening

MedeAnalytics launches new tool to improve operational efficiency for health plans and hospitals

Viewpoints: Medicaid expansion 'makes sense'; Budget cuts hurt Alzheimer's research; Lack of transparency in generic Rx prices

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (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

Latest News