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89 arrested in $223 million Medicare fraud schemes

Doctors and nurses were among those charged in the bust that spanned eight cities and focused on bogus Medicare charges.

16 May 2013

First Edition: May 15, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about how the latest Congressional Budget Office projections could further stall efforts to reach a grand bargain that includes changes to Medicare and other entitlement programs.

15 May 2013

Sanofi, Regeneron enroll patients in two sarilumab Phase 3 trials for treatment of RA

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the COMPARE and ASCERTAIN trials of sarilumab, the first fully human monoclonal antibody directed against the IL-6 receptor, which is delivered by subcutaneous injection every other week, have enrolled their first patients.

15 May 2013

Viewpoints: Angelina Jolie on her decision to have a double mastectomy; Justice Ginsburg's 'blind spot' on abortion

My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman. Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average. Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy. I started with the breasts, as my risk of breast cancer is higher than my risk of ovarian cancer, and the surgery is more complex (Angelina Jolie, 5/14).

15 May 2013

Prostate cancer patients need to be aware of the effects of androgen deprivation therapy

Androgen deprivation therapy is a common and effective treatment for advanced prostate cancer. However, among other side-effects, it can cause significant bone thinning in men on long-term treatment.

15 May 2013

Probe of Medicare advantage leak finds wide speculation on deal

More people than previously thought predicted a major change in U.S. health-care policy that led to a federal insider-trading probe, according to new documents assembled by congressional investigators.

15 May 2013

Study shows dual-chamber ICDs are associated with higher risk of device-related complications

Even though patients receiving an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator for primary prevention often receive a dual-chamber ICD, an analysis that included more than 32,000 patients receiving an ICD without indications for pacing finds that the use of a dual-chamber device compared with a single-chamber device was associated with a higher risk of device-related complications and similar 1-year mortality and hospitalization outcomes, according to a study in the May 15 issue of JAMA.

15 May 2013

Health law could require some American Indians to buy insurance or pay penalties

The Associated Press reports that the overhaul's definition of "American Indian" only includes those tribes that are recognized by the federal government, though more than 100 tribes are recognized by state governments but not that U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Other outlets report on insurance rates under the ACA, doctor-owned hospitals and the much lamented "doc fix" in Congress.

15 May 2013

First Edition: May 14, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about an Obama administration plan to delay Medicaid DSH payment reductions.

14 May 2013

Viewpoints: Obama took risk on budget offer and was slammed by Rep. Ryan; Health law could 'quash' progress on spending

Obama took a risk and proposed a budget containing cuts to entitlements cherished by his party. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, and his cohorts were unmoved; they wouldn't give an inch on new revenue. Simpson and Bowles gave Obama a pat on the back and largely refrained from criticizing Ryan or House Speaker John Boehner, while corporate leaders ducked.

14 May 2013

Medicare lags in detecting hazardous prescribing patterns

An analysis by ProPublica and The Washington Post has found that Medicare does little to track doctor prescription patterns when they're prescribing potentially hazardous drugs.

14 May 2013

Roundup: NYC examines solitary confinement alternatives for mentally ill inmates; Texas lawmakers push to modernize medical practices; N.C. cancer parity bill passes House

New York City will soon change the way mentally ill inmates are disciplined after breaking rules while in jail, creating alternatives to the more traditional approach of solitary confinement used for most inmates (Yee, 5/12).

14 May 2013

Medicare reveals what hospitals charge for many procedures

News outlets continue plumbing newly released federal data that details for the first time what hospitals charge for some of the most common in-patient procedures.

14 May 2013

NAPHS releases new study that examines readmission patterns within Medicare IPF PPS

The National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems today released a new study by The Moran Company that is the first to examine readmission patterns within inpatient psychiatric facilities paid under the Medicare IPF prospective payment system.

13 May 2013

First Edition: May 13, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has been seeking out funds from private sources to support efforts to publicize the health law.

13 May 2013

Older Americans fare well with budget impasse regarding Medicare, other entitlements

With Congress increasingly unable to resolve budget disputes, federal programs on automatic pilot are consuming ever larger amounts of government resources.

13 May 2013

Viewpoints: The threat from 'contagion exhaustion;' An economist sees humor in hospital pricing

There has been a flurry of recent attention over two novel infectious agents: the first, a strain of avian influenza virus (H7N9) in China that is causing severe respiratory disease and other serious health complications in people; the second, a coronavirus, first reported last year in the Middle East, that has brought a crop of new infections.

13 May 2013

Senate bill on FDA oversight of compounding pharmacies gets broad backing as hearings move closer

A bill to give the FDA greater authority over compounding pharmacies like the one behind a deadly meningitis outbreak gets broad -- including bipartisan -- backing, and a key committee chairman readies a hearing on the legislation.

13 May 2013

Highlights: Feds sue Fla. Senate president's former company over Medicare billing practices; Okla. eyes existing Medicaid program to cover more people

Department of Justice is suing the hospice company founded by Florida's Senate president, accusing it of submitting tens of millions of dollars in fraudulent Medicare claims for more than a decade, including while Don Gaetz was vice chairman of the board (5/9).

13 May 2013

Research roundup: Out-of-pocket costs on individual market; Federal spending on mental health care; Underused Medicare benefit

Since many of the people who will gain insurance under the federal health law will likely get such individual plans through the state-based online marketplaces, or exchanges, researchers sought to identify the effects on vulnerable populations, some of whom with incomes above 400 percent of the poverty level and thus will not qualify for Medicaid or receive subsidies.

13 May 2013

Medicare News and Research

89 arrested in $223 million Medicare fraud schemes

First Edition: May 15, 2013

Sanofi, Regeneron enroll patients in two sarilumab Phase 3 trials for treatment of RA

Viewpoints: Angelina Jolie on her decision to have a double mastectomy; Justice Ginsburg's 'blind spot' on abortion

Prostate cancer patients need to be aware of the effects of androgen deprivation therapy

Probe of Medicare advantage leak finds wide speculation on deal

Study shows dual-chamber ICDs are associated with higher risk of device-related complications

Health law could require some American Indians to buy insurance or pay penalties

First Edition: May 14, 2013

Viewpoints: Obama took risk on budget offer and was slammed by Rep. Ryan; Health law could 'quash' progress on spending

Medicare lags in detecting hazardous prescribing patterns

Roundup: NYC examines solitary confinement alternatives for mentally ill inmates; Texas lawmakers push to modernize medical practices; N.C. cancer parity bill passes House

Medicare reveals what hospitals charge for many procedures

NAPHS releases new study that examines readmission patterns within Medicare IPF PPS

First Edition: May 13, 2013

Older Americans fare well with budget impasse regarding Medicare, other entitlements

Viewpoints: The threat from 'contagion exhaustion;' An economist sees humor in hospital pricing

Senate bill on FDA oversight of compounding pharmacies gets broad backing as hearings move closer

Highlights: Feds sue Fla. Senate president's former company over Medicare billing practices; Okla. eyes existing Medicaid program to cover more people

Research roundup: Out-of-pocket costs on individual market; Federal spending on mental health care; Underused Medicare benefit

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