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First Edition: February 27, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about N.J. Gov. Christie's decision to pursue the health law's Medicaid expansion.

27 Feb 2013

Is avoiding sequestration possible?

Sen. Lindsay Graham, R-S.C., told the Wall Street Journal that he would consider a tax increase if it is accompanied by reductions in entitlement spending.

27 Feb 2013

Capitol Hill hot topics: Mental health, abortion and entitlement cuts

Roll Call explores how some lawmakers have strong personal connections to issues related to mental health and gun violence.

27 Feb 2013

Truven Health Analytics names UCSD Medical Center in 100 Top Hospitals list

University of California, San Diego Medical Center has been named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals for the second time by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters.

27 Feb 2013

Restricting coverage to COEs not associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery

In an analysis of data on patients who underwent bariatric surgery 2004-2009, there was no significant difference in the rates of complications and reoperation for Medicare patients before vs. after a 2006 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy that restricted coverage of bariatric surgery to centers of excellence, according to a study appearing in the February 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Feb 2013

State roundup: Kan. eyes rural residencies to solve doc shortage; More hats in Mass. Gov. race

Rural hospitals could provide critical help addressing the state's expected doctor shortage, according to Dr. Douglas Girod, the new executive vice chancellor of the University of Kansas Medical Center.

27 Feb 2013

Bridging the Divides model can help patients with chronic heart disease

Christiana Care Health System has partnered with ColdLight and Medecision to provide more coordinated personalized care to patients with chronic heart disease with breakthrough analytics technology.

27 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: GOP faces pressure from spending cuts effects on daily life; President needs to lead on Medicare cuts

Cuts this draconian have no place in a tottering economy. But, realistically, the only way to break this standoff is for the cuts to exact their toll on daily life, causing Republicans to face pressure from the public to negotiate an alternative plan with higher revenues in March as part of talks to finance the government for the final six months of the fiscal year.

26 Feb 2013

Societies advocate some change for colonoscopy patients with Medicare

The federal government has issued an important clarification on preventive screening benefits under the Affordable Care Act. Patients with private insurance will no longer be liable for cost sharing when a pre-cancerous colon polyp is removed during screening colonoscopy.

26 Feb 2013

Govs. Jindal, Walker offer views on averting sequester, reducing deficit

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal suggested delaying implementation of parts of the health law. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker recommends focusing on paring back Medicare and Social Security spending.

26 Feb 2013

With sequester day looming, partisan differences become more entrenched

Some news outlets take a hard look at the impact that health programs would feel if the scheduled cuts go forward.

26 Feb 2013

Research roundup: Patients hesitant to focus on costs; Increase in primary care demand is uneven

One way to contain health care spending is to get patients involved in weighing costs of treatment options with their doctors. Researchers recruited 211 medically insured participants to assess their willingness to consider costs when choosing treatments. The authors found that participants generally "preferred better care, even when the relative benefit it offered was marginal, and even when told that the second-best choice still met the threshold of 'good enough' care from a clinician's perspective.

26 Feb 2013

FDA approves Actavis’ generic Suboxone ANDA to treat opioid dependence

Actavis, Inc. today announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Buprenorphine HCl and Naloxone HCl Dihydrate SL Tablets, 2 mg/0.5 mg and 8 mg/2 mg, the generic equivalent to Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare's Suboxone.

26 Feb 2013

Viewpoints: Health care 'price gouging;' Health law pushing employers to cut workers' hours; Medicare spending must be tamed

Steven Brill's cover story on the Looking Glass world of healthcare pricing may be the longest article Time Magazine has ever published, but more importantly, it is a fresh sign that the medical-industrial complex should be worried as the deadline for launching Obamacare rolls closer.

26 Feb 2013

Roundup: N.Y. GOP readies Medicaid probe after allegations; Mich. lawmakers consider Blue Cross overhaul without abortion provisions; Long-term care costs in Calif.

New York state Senate Republicans plan to investigate the state's Medicaid program after news reports and a congressional audit alleged it was fraught with waste and mismanagement.

25 Feb 2013

Medicare News and Research

First Edition: February 27, 2013

Is avoiding sequestration possible?

Capitol Hill hot topics: Mental health, abortion and entitlement cuts

Truven Health Analytics names UCSD Medical Center in 100 Top Hospitals list

Restricting coverage to COEs not associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery

State roundup: Kan. eyes rural residencies to solve doc shortage; More hats in Mass. Gov. race

Bridging the Divides model can help patients with chronic heart disease

Viewpoints: GOP faces pressure from spending cuts effects on daily life; President needs to lead on Medicare cuts

Societies advocate some change for colonoscopy patients with Medicare

Govs. Jindal, Walker offer views on averting sequester, reducing deficit

With sequester day looming, partisan differences become more entrenched

Research roundup: Patients hesitant to focus on costs; Increase in primary care demand is uneven

FDA approves Actavis’ generic Suboxone ANDA to treat opioid dependence

Viewpoints: Health care 'price gouging;' Health law pushing employers to cut workers' hours; Medicare spending must be tamed

Roundup: N.Y. GOP readies Medicaid probe after allegations; Mich. lawmakers consider Blue Cross overhaul without abortion provisions; Long-term care costs in Calif.

Kindred Healthcare fourth quarter consolidated revenues increase 2% to $1.55 billion

FDA approves Amneal’s generic Suboxone to treat opioid drug dependence

Bayshore Community Hospital's Center for Bariatrics receives ASMBS designation

Sequester: Who's to blame? Who will feel the pain?

After January renomination, a hearing for Tavenner appears likely

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

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