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Panel expected to give Tavenner the nod, send nomination on to the full Senate

This week brings a full schedule as top federal health officials head for Capitol Hill to defend their 2014 budget requests.

17 Apr 2013

Medicare auditors say millions could be saved by limiting advance payments to insurers

According to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the federal program prepays private insurers approximately 20 days before they pay their pharmacy bills but does not require them to return any of the interest earned during the time they hold that money.

17 Apr 2013

New partnership to introduce advanced genetic testing technologies to Turkey

BGI Health and ACIBADEM Healthcare Group Genetic Diagnostic Center in cooperation with Genoks Company Molecular Biology, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for jointly introducing the advanced genetic testing technologies to Turkey and improving Turkish reproductive healthcare.

17 Apr 2013

Study compares clinical outcomes of routine screening mammography with and without CAD

A costly and widely used mammography add-on increases detection of noninvasive and early-stage invasive breast cancer but also makes more mistakes than mammography alone, researchers from UC Davis and the University of Washington have found.

17 Apr 2013

House panels kick off hearings on slowing Medicare, social security spending

Among the proposals that will be discussed and debated are increasing Medicare premiums for higher-income seniors and raising the program's eligibility age.

17 Apr 2013

Study finds no evidence that digoxin increases mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation

A study published today in the European Heart Journal found no evidence that digoxin increases mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation, the opposite of results just published by another group in the same journal analyzing the same data.

17 Apr 2013

Large numbers of ER visits go unreported in calculating hospital readmission rates

A study led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University School of Medicine has found that nearly one quarter of patients may return to the emergency department within 30 days of being discharged from a hospitalization.

17 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 16, 2013

Today's headlines include coverage of the Supreme Court oral arguments regarding whether patents should be granted for human genes.

16 Apr 2013

Study reports 41% reduction in colorectal mortality rates for African Americans

A study analyzing the impact of the Delaware Cancer Consortium, the state's cancer control program, reports a 41 percent reduction in colorectal mortality rates for African Americans.

16 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Editorial boards offer advice to Supreme Court on gene patents

On Monday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear argument about that decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics.

16 Apr 2013

Providers push for new payment systems

Health care providers increasingly are embracing payment systems -- based on ideas such as bundled payments, accountable care organizations and medical homes -- that reimburse based on treatment as a whole rather than the fee-for-service model.

16 Apr 2013

Obama budget plan would raise Medicare costs for higher-income seniors

The Associated Press examines how President Barack Obama's budget proposal would increase Medicare costs for some seniors while other news outlets report on reactions from the left and right.

16 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 15, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the Medicare provisions in the budget plan released last week by President Barack Obama as well as previews of the Supreme Court's consideration of arguments regarding whether human genes can be patented.

15 Apr 2013

Sebelius: Insurance exchanges 'on track;' Premiums could rise for higher income Medicare beneficiaries

News outlets covered HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' appearance Friday before the House Ways and Means Committee, which included questions about insurance exchanges, the cost of Medicare premiums and the health law's requirement that small businesses provide health plans or face penalties.

15 Apr 2013

Viewpoints: Progress toward a 'grand bargain'; States' 'rare chance' to expand Medicaid

Obama has acknowledged that the federal budget is on an unsustainable path. ... The president has set the right contours for a deal, and some of the specific proposals - including higher Medicare premiums for high-income seniors and those with generous Medigap policies, as well as a more aggressive effort to move providers to more efficient payment systems - are welcome (4/11).

15 Apr 2013

State highlights: Baby boomers eye expanding end-of-life rights in states across nation; Calif. judges threaten governor with contempt of court over prison care

Claudia Burzichelli doesn't want to die like her dad. … In states across the country, including New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, graying baby boomers have been lobbying lawmakers in recent months at hearings, in letters and by phone, pushing to make it legal for doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients.

15 Apr 2013

Research roundup: Lesson for insurance exchanges from Europe; Health care disparities among Hispanics

As states and the federal government begin creating insurance exchanges under the health law, researchers highlight several lessons from Switzerland and the Netherlands.

15 Apr 2013

In the wake of Obama's budget, signs of optimism and discontent

Even as House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., expressed cautious optimism about some aspects of President Barack Obama's budget plan, others, like Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., took a harder line against it. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will take to Capitol Hill to defend her agency's budget request.

15 Apr 2013

Health exchange cost estimates go up

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues about the premium price tags consumers will pay if they purchase health insurance from these online marketplaces. Also, debate heats up about how the Obama administration hopes to offset the set-up costs.

15 Apr 2013

First Edition: April 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about a new study measuring how the health law has expanded young adults access to care.

12 Apr 2013

Medicare News and Research

Panel expected to give Tavenner the nod, send nomination on to the full Senate

Medicare auditors say millions could be saved by limiting advance payments to insurers

New partnership to introduce advanced genetic testing technologies to Turkey

Study compares clinical outcomes of routine screening mammography with and without CAD

House panels kick off hearings on slowing Medicare, social security spending

Study finds no evidence that digoxin increases mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation

Large numbers of ER visits go unreported in calculating hospital readmission rates

First Edition: April 16, 2013

Study reports 41% reduction in colorectal mortality rates for African Americans

Viewpoints: Editorial boards offer advice to Supreme Court on gene patents

Providers push for new payment systems

Obama budget plan would raise Medicare costs for higher-income seniors

First Edition: April 15, 2013

Sebelius: Insurance exchanges 'on track;' Premiums could rise for higher income Medicare beneficiaries

Viewpoints: Progress toward a 'grand bargain'; States' 'rare chance' to expand Medicaid

State highlights: Baby boomers eye expanding end-of-life rights in states across nation; Calif. judges threaten governor with contempt of court over prison care

Research roundup: Lesson for insurance exchanges from Europe; Health care disparities among Hispanics

In the wake of Obama's budget, signs of optimism and discontent

Health exchange cost estimates go up

First Edition: April 12, 2013

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