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Retiree medical expenses fall, but they still exceed most people's expectations

A study released by Fidelty Investments estimated that a couple, who are enrolled in traditional Medicare and retiring in 2013, will need $220,000 to cover medical costs throughout their retirement.

17 May 2013

Heart failure patients may have high risk of death, re-admission after leaving hospital, say researchers

Heart attack or heart failure patients may have a high risk of death or re-admission for a month or longer after leaving the hospital, researchers said at the American Heart Association's Quality of Care and Outcomes Scientific Sessions 2013.

17 May 2013

Pennsylvania receives grant to design state healthcare innovation plan

Governor Tom Corbett today announced that Pennsylvania was awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to design a state healthcare innovation plan.

17 May 2013

First Edition: May 16, 2013

Today's headlines detail the Senate confirmation of Acting Chief Marilyn Tavenner to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

16 May 2013

Deficit projections likely to reduce 'grand bargain' pressure

The Congressional Budget Office reports the deficit is shrinking at a faster-than-expected rate this year. Medicare and Medicaid outlays are smaller than anticipated, and health care cost increases appear to have slowed. The numbers are expected to lessen the momentum to cut spending on Medicare and other entitlement programs.

16 May 2013

Study finds broader set of concerns for improving quality of life

The majority of cancer doctors, patients, and members of the general public support cutting health care costs by refusing to pay for drugs that don't improve survival or quality of life, according to results of a new study that will be presented by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania during the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago in early June (Abstract #6518).

16 May 2013

Viewpoints: Controversy taints IRS efforts on health law; Another chance to 'gut' the overhaul in the courts; Salt wrongly accused

Even as the politicized tax enforcement scandal expands, the Internal Revenue Service continues to expand its political powers thanks to the Affordable Care Act. A larger government always creates more openings for abuse, as Americans will learn when the IRS starts auditing their health care in addition to their 1040 next year (5/14).

16 May 2013

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

Medicare News and Research

Retiree medical expenses fall, but they still exceed most people's expectations

Heart failure patients may have high risk of death, re-admission after leaving hospital, say researchers

Pennsylvania receives grant to design state healthcare innovation plan

First Edition: May 16, 2013

Deficit projections likely to reduce 'grand bargain' pressure

Study finds broader set of concerns for improving quality of life

Viewpoints: Controversy taints IRS efforts on health law; Another chance to 'gut' the overhaul in the courts; Salt wrongly accused

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

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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