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Research: Digoxin reduces hospital admission of older, acute heart failure patients

Digoxin significantly reduces the likelihood of hospital admission due to all causes among ambulatory older patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

13 Mar 2013

Telemedicine house calls may be comparable to in-person care for people with Parkinson’s

A small study of 20 people with Parkinson’s disease suggests that “virtual house calls” using Web-based video conferencing provide clinical benefits comparable to in-person physician office visits, while saving patients and their caregivers time and travel.

12 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 12, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about this week's roll out of budgets on Capitol Hill and how Democratic and Republican fiscal blueprints will underscore key partisan differences.

12 Mar 2013

Patients challenge hospital fees

The Boston Globe reports on this trend. In other news, CQ HealthBeat reports that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission gave a nod to shared-decision making between doctors and patients.

12 Mar 2013

Some Republican health staffers flee the hill

Politico reports that some GOP health care staffers have left Capitol Hill to take lobbying jobs that offer more money, fewer hours and less frustration.

12 Mar 2013

State roundup: Sequestration's impacts include less grant dollars

Sequestration spares Medicaid and almost all of Medicare, but automatic cuts to other federal health-care programs will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.

12 Mar 2013

With budget battle, Republican lawmakers renew push to undo health law

The budget plan for 2014 being advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., includes a proposal to give states more authority over Medicaid. Meanwhile, the bill being considered by the Senate to fund the federal government through the end of this year does not include the funds for the exchanges that the administration wanted.

12 Mar 2013

State health law implementation efforts trigger confusion -- and even arguments

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that businesses continue to find some provisions of the law "bewildering" while the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel offers a view on the size and scope of issues in play in Wisconsin.

12 Mar 2013

Dueling budget blueprints to be unveiled this week, will show partisan differences on size of government, Medicare and Medicaid

At the same time, President Barack Obama appears to be harboring hopes of reaching a big deficit-reduction deal that could include some of the money-saving changes that Republicans favor. The idea worries some congressional Democrats.

12 Mar 2013

Virtual house calls provide clinical benefits for patients with Parkinson's

A small study of 20 people with Parkinson's disease suggests that "virtual house calls" using Web-based video conferencing provide clinical benefits comparable to in-person physician office visits, while saving patients and their caregivers time and travel.

12 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: 5 lies about entitlements; Obama's plans for Medicare still not clear; Generic drug makers need to be accountable

So here's a list with a bit more gravitas: The five biggest lies you're being told about entitlement programs. Never mind that the very word "entitlement" is a lie. Social Security and Medicare got that name because workers became "entitled" to those benefits by paying into the system. In recent years, however, the term has become distorted to signify benefits people are entitled to without earning them. Leaving that whopper aside, here are the top five.

12 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 11, 2013

Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about insurance options for people with pre-existing conditions.

11 Mar 2013

New tool uses evidence-based care to improve quality of care for heart failure patients

Researchers at the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center have developed an innovative tool designed to eliminate 30-day hospital readmissions for heart failure patients and improve the quality of medical care a patient receives in the hospital.

11 Mar 2013

Obama continues efforts to woo Republicans

In what one news outlet described as a "charm offensive," President Barack Obama is seeking common ground with rank-and-file Republicans for a deficit reduction deal that would overhaul the tax code and slow the growth of Medicare and other entitlement programs.

11 Mar 2013

Rep. Ryan says budget plan will assume repeal of health law

In an interview on Fox, the House Budget chairman doesn't make clear if the plan he will announce this week will call for a total repeal of the 2010 law but he says Republicans are still keen to get rid of the health overhaul.

11 Mar 2013

Research roundup: Insurance coverage and access to care in Massachusetts

With increasing interest in public health problems such as obesity and alcohol and tobacco use, lawmakers are increasingly considering using policy to modify behavior. According to the authors, little is currently known about the public's willingness to accept such policies.

11 Mar 2013

Survey: Large employers pushing health providers for more price transparency

The survey, conducted by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health, also found that most large companies plan to keep continue offering employees an insurance benefit in the next five years.

11 Mar 2013

Sebelius credits health law with slowing medical cost growth; Survey shows few insurers now cover services required in 2014

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Thursday credited President Obama's health care law with a recent slowdown in medical spending. The Congressional Budget Office has projected a significant slowing in the growth of Medicare spending and healthcare costs more generally.

11 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Congress should make CMS leader nonpartisan position; 'Extreme' attack on abortion in Arkansas; Daschle on new health workforce

Mr. Obama has nominated the acting CMS administrator, Marilyn Tavenner, to head the agency permanently. ... The Senate should move expeditiously to confirm Ms. Tavenner. More broadly, Congress should consider whether short-term political appointment remains the best way to fill this trillion-dollar post. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation serves a 10-year term.

11 Mar 2013

Computerized discharge tool with decision support features facilitates improved heart care

The use of electronic discharge orders aimed at providing evidence-based decision support and clear instructions to heart failure patients helped increase compliance with quality care measures and lowered hospital readmission rates, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

8 Mar 2013

Medicare News and Research

Research: Digoxin reduces hospital admission of older, acute heart failure patients

Telemedicine house calls may be comparable to in-person care for people with Parkinson’s

First Edition: March 12, 2013

Patients challenge hospital fees

Some Republican health staffers flee the hill

State roundup: Sequestration's impacts include less grant dollars

With budget battle, Republican lawmakers renew push to undo health law

State health law implementation efforts trigger confusion -- and even arguments

Dueling budget blueprints to be unveiled this week, will show partisan differences on size of government, Medicare and Medicaid

Virtual house calls provide clinical benefits for patients with Parkinson's

Viewpoints: 5 lies about entitlements; Obama's plans for Medicare still not clear; Generic drug makers need to be accountable

First Edition: March 11, 2013

New tool uses evidence-based care to improve quality of care for heart failure patients

Obama continues efforts to woo Republicans

Rep. Ryan says budget plan will assume repeal of health law

Research roundup: Insurance coverage and access to care in Massachusetts

Survey: Large employers pushing health providers for more price transparency

Sebelius credits health law with slowing medical cost growth; Survey shows few insurers now cover services required in 2014

Viewpoints: Congress should make CMS leader nonpartisan position; 'Extreme' attack on abortion in Arkansas; Daschle on new health workforce

Computerized discharge tool with decision support features facilitates improved heart care

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