Medicare News and Research

RSS

Medicare paying for an increasing number of 'functional' eye lifts

The public health insurance program for people over 65 typically does not cover cosmetic surgery, but for cases in which a patient's sagging eyelids significantly hinder their vision, it does pay to have them lifted.

29 May 2013

HHS sees cost savings in the cloud

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department is looking for cost savings in the cloud as it weathers painful budget cuts.

29 May 2013

First Edition: May 28, 2013

Today's headlines include stories about the strategies of some businesses -- small and large -- to blunt the health law's impact.

28 May 2013

African Americans with prostate cancer experience longer treatment delays after diagnosis

Among men with prostate cancer, African Americans experience longer treatment delays after being diagnosed than Caucasians. That is the finding of an analysis published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

28 May 2013

Study: Patients' desire to participate in medical decisions affects use of health care resources

Since the 1980s, doctors and patients have been encouraged to share decision making. Proponents argue that this approach promotes doctor-patient communication, enhances patient satisfaction, improves health outcomes, and even may lower cost.

28 May 2013

State highlights: La. grand jury to examine $200M Medicaid contract

More than half of the states that applied to participate in a controversial CMS pilot for dual-eligible beneficiaries have either dropped out or delayed implementation of their programs, according to health policy experts. Among the 26 states that applied to participate in the CMS Financial Alignment Initiative, which stems from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, six have dropped out or opted for different "customized" plans and nine have delayed their start dates (Daly, 5/23).

27 May 2013

Research roundup: Getting a critical care doc at night; Poverty among seniors

Researchers analyzed 121,084 firearms deaths in the U.S., using 2007 to 2010 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "The outcome measures were state-level firearm-related fatalities per 100 000 individuals per year overall, for suicide, and for homicide.

27 May 2013

Senate immigration bill would ease restrictions on foreign health workers; Measure advances to increase scrutiny on compounding pharmacies

On Capitol Hill, several legislative efforts are moving forward on health issues. Among them is an effort by the Massachusetts delegation to keep bonus Medicare payments for the state's hospitals, while House Republicans are looking for another way to deal with a bill to fund high-risk insurance pools.

24 May 2013

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander sees reflections of Oliver North in Sebelius' quest to raise funds; vaccine scare's legacy

Major news outlets in recent days have reported that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is raising money from the private sector -- including from health care executives -- for use by a private entity that is helping to implement ObamaCare. ... Is Ms. Sebelius raising funds for a private entity and then coordinating with that entity to do something Congress has refused to authorize, or for which it has refused to appropriate funds?

24 May 2013

New report examines growth of senior hunger in US

HMS, a wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Holdings Corp., applauded today the release of a new report the company helped support. Spotlight on Senior Hunger is based on research commissioned and underwritten by the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger.

24 May 2013

HHS report finds uptick in doctors' use of electronic health records

Also in the news, the Pentagon is in search of a new system for veterans' health care while San Francisco is "leading the way" in new health data applications.

24 May 2013

HealthSouth plans to construct 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Georgia

HealthSouth Corporation announced today that it plans to build a 50-bed comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Newnan, Ga.

23 May 2013

New data highlights urgent crisis posed on US healthcare system by DFUs and VLUs

Organogenesis Inc., a commercial leader in the field of regenerative medicine, presented new data generated in collaboration with a team of expert economists from Analysis Group (a leading health economics consultancy) demonstrating the significant healthcare resource and economic burden that diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers place upon the US healthcare system.

23 May 2013

First Edition: May 23, 2013

Today's headlines include various status updates about state activity regarding the health law's online insurance marketplaces.

23 May 2013

American Heart Association: Costs to treat stroke may increase to $183.13 billion in 2030

Costs to treat stroke are projected to more than double and the number of people having strokes may increase 20 percent by 2030, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

23 May 2013

Cancer risk to increase following CT scans in younger patients, study reveals

Study leader, Professor John Mathews from the University of Melbourne said this small increase in cancer risk must be weighed against the undoubted benefits from CT scans in diagnosing and monitoring disease.

23 May 2013

As Hill panels focus on Medicare, marketplace examines how Part D changed the pharmaceutical industry

Medicare is a topic of conversation on Capitol Hill as a Senate committee holds a hearing on the Medicare Part D drug program. Meanwhile, on the House side, members of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee heard testimony on patient cost-sharing that triggered a broad discussion of health care incentives within the program.

23 May 2013

Viewpoints: Mass. experience may not be true test for national health law; 'Dishonest' campaign by medical device makers

Massachusetts is often held up as a window into America's health insurance future, because it embarked on what came to be called the Romneycare reform six years ago. Like the Affordable Care Act provisions going into effect nationwide next year, Romneycare aimed to increase the fraction of the population with health insurance by imposing mandates on employers and employees and by subsidizing health insurance plans for middle-class families without employer plans.

23 May 2013

Hospitals earn nearly nine times more for treating patients who develop CLABSIs, study reports

Johns Hopkins researchers report that hospitals may be reaping enormous income for patients whose hospital stays are complicated by preventable bloodstream infections contracted in their intensive care units.

23 May 2013

Medicaid expansion popular in Southern states, despite govs' opposition

A poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found popular support for this and other health law provisions in five southern states despite the conservative political climate. Meanwhile, expansion supporters are strategizing about their next moves in states where they have not been successful.

23 May 2013

Medicare News and Research

Medicare paying for an increasing number of 'functional' eye lifts

HHS sees cost savings in the cloud

First Edition: May 28, 2013

African Americans with prostate cancer experience longer treatment delays after diagnosis

Study: Patients' desire to participate in medical decisions affects use of health care resources

State highlights: La. grand jury to examine $200M Medicaid contract

Research roundup: Getting a critical care doc at night; Poverty among seniors

Senate immigration bill would ease restrictions on foreign health workers; Measure advances to increase scrutiny on compounding pharmacies

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander sees reflections of Oliver North in Sebelius' quest to raise funds; vaccine scare's legacy

New report examines growth of senior hunger in US

HHS report finds uptick in doctors' use of electronic health records

HealthSouth plans to construct 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Georgia

New data highlights urgent crisis posed on US healthcare system by DFUs and VLUs

First Edition: May 23, 2013

American Heart Association: Costs to treat stroke may increase to $183.13 billion in 2030

Cancer risk to increase following CT scans in younger patients, study reveals

As Hill panels focus on Medicare, marketplace examines how Part D changed the pharmaceutical industry

Viewpoints: Mass. experience may not be true test for national health law; 'Dishonest' campaign by medical device makers

Hospitals earn nearly nine times more for treating patients who develop CLABSIs, study reports

Medicaid expansion popular in Southern states, despite govs' opposition

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