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Online access to Colorado docs linked to more office visits

The assumption had always been that offering patients email access to their doctors and records would reduce office visits, but a new study from Kaiser Permanente of Colorado showed the opposite.

22 Nov 2012

Meningitis outbreak could prompt call for executive jail time

A tough prosecutor and high public scrutiny could mean jail time for executives of the New England Compounding Center -- the pharmacy at the center of the deadly meningitis outbreak. In the meantime, the pharmacy's lawyers counter that the executives had no direct hand in the illnesses.

22 Nov 2012

New rules for 'Obamacare' implementation released - scrutinized by insurers, employers, states, consumers

The Obama administration released new health care regulations Tuesday that preclude insurers from adjusting premiums based on pre-existing or chronic health conditions, tell states what benefits must be included in health exchange plans, and allow employers to reward employees who work to remain healthy.

22 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Protecting us from counterfeit medicines; Governors making excuses on insurance exchanges?; Simpson-Bowles and the health law

HHS has made it clear that after federally operated exchanges are up and running, states may eventually take over operations. This seems like wasted effort. States have the information they need to move on insurance exchanges. Governors who care about fiscal responsibility, strong state government and the basic welfare of their residents would do well to get with the program.

21 Nov 2012

Unjustified repeat tests common among Medicare patients

Dartmouth researchers found that up to half of older adults who had a heart, lung, stomach or bladder test had the same procedure repeated within three years despite guidelines against routine testing, leading to unnecessary costs.

21 Nov 2012

Questions continue over state, FDA oversight of specialty pharmacies

Several news outlets analyze the hearings last week into the meningitis outbreak resulting from a New England compounding pharmacy.

21 Nov 2012

Panel backs routine HIV screenings for teens, adults

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises that nearly everyone ages 15 to 64 should be screened for the HIV virus, a recommendation which, if adopted, would require Medicare and most private health insurers to pay for the tests.

21 Nov 2012

Democrats face intra-party divide on changes to Medicare, other safety net programs

A split is evident on proposals to raise Medicare's eligibility age and increase premium costs for wealthier beneficiaries as part of a 'grand bargain' on the deficit, according to media reports.

21 Nov 2012

Viewpoints: Papa John's complaint; Renewed criticism of Justice Roberts; Calif. voters rout food police

If ObamaCare negatively impacts your business, you better not complain about it. That's what Papa John's CEO John Schnatter found out when he announced the health-care law would increase the price of a pizza by up to 14 cents. ... But Papa John's isn't the only restaurant chain to complain that the Affordable Care Act is bad for business.

21 Nov 2012

HeartWare receives FDA approval for new left ventricular assist device

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the HeartWare Ventricular Assist System, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD), to support heart function and blood flow in patients with end-stage heart failure who are awaiting a heart transplant.

21 Nov 2012

New article analyzes trends and risks involved in merging established physician practices

As an increasing number of physician groups opt to be acquired by hospitals and healthcare systems, the acquiring entities may be able to improve quality and efficiency through better clinical integration. A new article from Lockton analyzes the trend, what's driving it, and the risks involved in merging established practices with larger healthcare providers.

21 Nov 2012

Roundup: Larger-than-expected Medicaid enrollment in Conn.; Texas bill renews rural abortion debate; Calif. details exchange self-sufficiency

Ron Harney is still looking for work after being laid off from his marketing firm job three years ago. He's used up nearly all of his savings and says he's grateful for the state's Medicaid program, which covers the medical care he needs to manage his HIV.

20 Nov 2012

Neurologist care lowers risk for PD-related hospitalizations

Regular care by a neurologist lowers the risk for hospitalization for Parkinson's disease-related complications, US research shows.

20 Nov 2012

Young-onset Parkinson's most common in White men

Young-onset Parkinson's disease is most common among White individuals and men in America, research shows.

20 Nov 2012

What the health law's future holds

Even with the election in the rear view mirror, efforts to implement the healthcare law will continue to face challenges. Meanwhile, experts discuss what steps must be taken to control health care costs and to educate the public about the health overhaul.

20 Nov 2012

Medicare Part B premiums up $5 per month next year

The increase will eat about a quarter of a typical retiree's cost-of-living raise in Social Security payments.

20 Nov 2012

Uninsured patients could be twice as likely to die after brain cancer surgery

Uninsured patients who undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor could be twice as likely to die in the hospital as those who have the same operation but are privately insured, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. In teaching hospitals, where most neurosurgical procedures take place, those with government-subsidized insurance in the form of Medicaid were found in the same study to have rates of survival closer to those who are privately insured.

20 Nov 2012

Aging care: Hospices seek better image; New nursing home database released

People often have one regret about hospice care: that they didn't get it sooner. The hospice system has been caring for terminally ill patients and their families for decades; 42 percent of the 2.4 million Americans who died last year were under hospice care at the end. Now, hospices across the country are trying to rebrand and reposition themselves to reach patients earlier and erase the idea that turning to hospice is akin to "giving up."

20 Nov 2012

Even as leaders appear 'upbeat' after 'fiscal cliff' meeting, taxes, benefit programs remain flashpoints

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, appeared optimistic about a deal to avert automatic spending cuts and tax increases, but major issues must be tackled.

20 Nov 2012

Roundup: Wyo. conservatives ponder election; Ill. Insurer to buy Montana Blues; Calif. nurses plan new strike

But since the election, a blanket of baffled worry has descended on conservatives here like early snow across the plains, deepening a sense that traditional, rural and overwhelmingly white states in the center of the country are losing touch with an increasingly diverse and urban American electorate.

19 Nov 2012

Medicare News and Research

Online access to Colorado docs linked to more office visits

Meningitis outbreak could prompt call for executive jail time

New rules for 'Obamacare' implementation released - scrutinized by insurers, employers, states, consumers

Viewpoints: Protecting us from counterfeit medicines; Governors making excuses on insurance exchanges?; Simpson-Bowles and the health law

Unjustified repeat tests common among Medicare patients

Questions continue over state, FDA oversight of specialty pharmacies

Panel backs routine HIV screenings for teens, adults

Democrats face intra-party divide on changes to Medicare, other safety net programs

Viewpoints: Papa John's complaint; Renewed criticism of Justice Roberts; Calif. voters rout food police

HeartWare receives FDA approval for new left ventricular assist device

New article analyzes trends and risks involved in merging established physician practices

Roundup: Larger-than-expected Medicaid enrollment in Conn.; Texas bill renews rural abortion debate; Calif. details exchange self-sufficiency

Neurologist care lowers risk for PD-related hospitalizations

Young-onset Parkinson's most common in White men

What the health law's future holds

Medicare Part B premiums up $5 per month next year

Uninsured patients could be twice as likely to die after brain cancer surgery

Aging care: Hospices seek better image; New nursing home database released

Even as leaders appear 'upbeat' after 'fiscal cliff' meeting, taxes, benefit programs remain flashpoints

Roundup: Wyo. conservatives ponder election; Ill. Insurer to buy Montana Blues; Calif. nurses plan new strike

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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