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Older patients with head and neck cancers less likely to die in high-volume hospitals

A study of older patients with advanced head and neck cancers has found that where they were treated significantly influenced their survival.

4 Mar 2013

Regeneron, Sanofi announce pooled data from Phase 1b trials with dupilumab for atopic dermatitis

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that pooled data from two Phase 1b trials with dupilumab (REGN668/SAR231893), an investigational, high-affinity, subcutaneously administered, fully-human antibody targeting the alpha subunit of the interleukin 4 receptor (IL-4R alpha), were presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in Miami.

4 Mar 2013

The clock runs out on averting sequestration

Time ticked down to March 1 -- also known as sequestration D-day -- without the White House and lawmakers finding a way to avert the scheduled cuts.

3 Mar 2013

GOP bills would kill health law's employer mandate

The legislation, which has little chance of passage, would undo requirements that large employers offer workers insurance or pay a fine. Meanwhile, two Senate committees examine changes to Medicare.

3 Mar 2013

Improvements needed to safeguard medical records

Hacking into patient medical records can be as easy as tapping into a hospital's unsecured wireless network from a laptop in the parking lot. Government auditors proved it "by sitting in hospital parking lots with simple laptop computers" and obtaining "patient information from unsecured hospital wireless networks," according to Julie K. Taitsman, M.D., J.D., and colleagues from the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services.

3 Mar 2013

American College of Radiology supports Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act

The American College of Radiology supports the Diagnostic Imaging Services Access Protection Act, recently introduced by Reps. Pete Olson (R-TX), Peter Roskam (R-IL), John Barrow (D-GA), Betty McCollum (D-MN) and 38 House cosponsors.

2 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: A failure to govern; Democrats 'moved the goal posts' in Va. deal on Medicaid panel; Hospitals 'squeeze' the uninsured

To govern is to choose. By missing Friday's deadline for averting $85 billion worth of across-the-board spending cuts to defense and domestic programs, Congress and President Obama have chosen not to govern. Instead, each side has concluded that its interest lies in letting the "sequester" proceed as scheduled - and then trying to win the political blame game.

2 Mar 2013

NextGen Ambulatory EHR version 5.8 receives ONC HIT certification

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and a leading provider of healthcare information systems and connectivity solutions, announced today that its NextGen Ambulatory EHR version 5.8 is compliant with the ONC 2014 Edition criteria and was certified as a Complete EHR on March 1, 2013 by the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology, an ONC-ACB, in accordance with the applicable Eligible certification criteria adopted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS).

2 Mar 2013

Does sequestration offer a budgetary bright side?

News outlets set the scene for the impact on the health care sector and the Medicare program by the sequester's scheduled cuts, which kick in March 1.

1 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 1, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "David P. Blom is one of thousands of hospital executives across the country who are bracing for a reduction in Medicare payments as part of a series of federal spending cuts that begin Friday. Blom, 58, is president and chief executive officer of OhioHealth, a Columbus, Ohio, based not-for-profit health care system that includes 18 hospitals, 23 health and surgery centers, home-health providers and other facilities."

1 Mar 2013

Health law, Medicare benefit design draw congressional attention

House GOP doctors released a "health care state of the union" video that included health law criticisms, but no talk of repeal. Meanwhile, issues like Medicare copays and quality were discussed during a Ways and Means hearing earlier this week.

1 Mar 2013

Wright Medical Group acquires BioMimetic Therapeutics

Wright Medical Group, Inc. today announced that it has completed its acquisition of BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. The transaction combines BioMimetic's breakthrough biologics platform and pipeline with Wright's established sales force and product portfolio, to further accelerate growth opportunities in Wright's Extremities business.

1 Mar 2013

Report: Medicare paid $5.1B to nursing homes that provided substandard care

Medicare paid billions in taxpayer dollars to nursing homes nationwide that were not meeting basic requirements to look after their residents, government investigators have found.

1 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Michelle Obama makes a business case for healthy food; Orszag weighs reforms to Medical malpractice

For years, America's childhood obesity crisis was viewed as an insurmountable problem, one that was too complicated and too entrenched to ever really solve. According to the conventional wisdom, healthy food simply didn't sell - the demand wasn't there and higher profits were found elsewhere - so it just wasn't worth the investment. But thanks to businesses across the country, today we are proving the conventional wisdom wrong.

28 Feb 2013

Medicaid physician pay boost stalled by delay in federal regs

No states appear to have implemented a temporary Medicaid physician pay boost more than eight weeks after it was supposed to have gone into effect, according to provider groups tracking the issue.

28 Feb 2013

Sequester scare touches issues related to Medicare, Medicaid spending

The $85 billion in scheduled spending cuts to defense and discretionary accounts are scheduled to kick in Friday, and movement toward a last-ditch strategy has not been evident.

28 Feb 2013

House Ways and Means Committee chair says 'doc fix' is on his to-do list

And a Tuesday hearing of the House Ways and Means health subcommittee focused on options for finding cost savings in the traditional Medicare program.

28 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Former Sen. Gramm criticizes Obama on budget cuts; Debate on revamping Medicare needs less heat, more deliberation

While history shows that a divided government can enact significant spending cuts as an alternative to sequesters, that doesn't appear to be the path Mr. Obama intends to follow. Instead of protecting civilian defense workers, the president will continue to force the Pentagon to buy biofuels at $27 per gallon to promote his green agenda.

27 Feb 2013

Methodology masking true variations in Medicare spend

Variations in regional mortality and spending rates in the US Medicare system are being blurred by inadequate risk adjustment methodology, researchers suggest.

27 Feb 2013

Almost Family reports net service revenues of $87M for fourth quarter

Almost Family, Inc., a leading regional provider of home health nursing and personal care services, announced today its financial results for the three months and full year ended December 31, 2012.

27 Feb 2013