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Planned spending cuts would hit some discretionary health programs

While programs like Medicare and Medicaid are virtually untouched by the cuts designed to reduce the deficit, other scheduled trims to the budget will have significant reach. Meanwhile, Democrats find an unlikely ally in their opposition to the GOP Medicare plan.

23 Jun 2012

Medicaid highlights: Calif. readies expansion to foster youths

State Medicaid news includes discussions around the expansion of Medicaid in California both for the general public who need assistance and for youth in foster care. Additionally, Oregon is close to finalizing its waiver request with the federal government to move forward with its own reforms in the program.

23 Jun 2012

Research roundup: Helping the homeless transition out of the hospital

Transitioning from a hospital visit can be challenge for many patients, but the homeless face particular difficulties as they move to a shelter, or even back to the streets. Researchers in this study surveyed 98 homeless individuals in New Haven, Conn., as well as interviewed them about their experiences leaving the hospital. More than half said that their providers did not address housing or transportation, and 11 percent reported living on the streets on the night of their discharge. The authors recommend "improved assessment of housing status, communication between hospital and shelter providers, and arrangement of safe transportation" for homeless individuals.

23 Jun 2012

CMMI to honor MultiCultural IPA with healthcare innovation award

MultiCultural IPA announced today that it is one of four project sites selected to receive a healthcare innovation award by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) and will partner with Rutgers State University of New Jersey to create a "sustainable high-utilization team model" for the nation's "super users" of hospital care in an effort to decrease hospital inpatient and emergency department use.

23 Jun 2012

AIO first in the Pittsburgh area to offer laser surgery for cataract removal

Associates in Ophthalmology (AIO), an eye care and surgery practice with seven locations in the Tri-State Area, has become the region's first medical group to offer bladeless, computer-controlled laser surgery for cataract removal.

23 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Berwick says health law puts system 'on the right track;' Mandate's effect overstated; Questions about Axelrod's ties

Obamacare is helping our nation achieve health care that is excellent, accessible to all and affordable. In the 17 months that I led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), I saw how this law is helping tens of millions of families and is finally putting our health-care system on the right track.

23 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 22, 2012

Reporting for Kaiser Health News, Roni Caryn Rabin writes: "They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the problem of the uninsured is no exception. The Houston metropolitan area has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in America, and a health safety net imploding under the demands of too many people and too few resources.

22 Jun 2012

Some Republicans shy away from prevailing GOP view on Medicare, budget

The Los Angeles Times reports that some Republican lawmakers have "economic visions" that are different from the budget plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and embraced by GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

22 Jun 2012

Using Medicare data to curb Medicaid fraud

Projects are underway to make Medicare data more useful to states in an effort to keep fraudulent providers out of their respective Medicaid programs.

22 Jun 2012

Janssen receives FDA complete response letter for XARELTO sNDA

Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen R&D) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a complete response letter regarding a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for XARELTO (rivaroxaban) for the reduction of the risk of secondary cardiovascular events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

22 Jun 2012

U.S. Department of Justice, Harden Healthcare reach settlement agreement

Harden Healthcare, a leading senior healthcare services provider and owner of Voyager HospiceCare and Hospice Care of Kansas, announced today that a settlement agreement has been reached with the U.S. Department of Justice.

22 Jun 2012

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle TN receives UnitedHealthcare donation to help eradicate hunger

UnitedHealthcare has donated $100,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee to aid in the fight against hunger. The donation is expected to help feed more than 10,000 hungry children, families and seniors by funding 40 Mobile Pantry deliveries throughout Middle and West Tennessee. Each Mobile Pantry will be coordinated with a local community organization, such as a church, senior center or help center.

22 Jun 2012

Teva launches Olanzapine and Fluoxetine Capsules for treatment of depression

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today the launch of Olanzapine and Fluoxetine Capsules USP 6 mg/25 mg, 12 mg/25 mg, 6 mg/50 mg, and 12 mg/50 mg, the Company's generic equivalent of Symbyax.

22 Jun 2012

IU receives CMS grant to expand Aging Brain Care model

A $7.8 million Health Care Innovation Award to Indiana University from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will expand the Aging Brain Care model developed by researcher-clinicians from the IU Center for Aging Research and the Regenstrief Institute.

22 Jun 2012

Congress considers Medicare, FDA proposals

The Senate Finance Committee is once again talking deficit reduction and Medicare as both houses are "poised" to pass an FDA bill.

21 Jun 2012

Health providers already raking in millions in HIT incentive funds

News outlets are detailing the incentive payments health care providers in Arizona and Kansas have received from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for instituting standardized electronic health records.

21 Jun 2012

One in five short-stay nursing home patients sustains a fall after admission

One in five short-stay nursing home patients sustains a fall after their admission, and certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing is associated with decreased fall risk, according to a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

21 Jun 2012

Mass. calls for bids to manage 111,000-person 'dual eligibles' program

Massachusetts is seeking a new manager to run the commonwealth's health care program for people who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid.

21 Jun 2012

What's at stake in the much-anticipated high court health law decision?

News outlets report on how the ruling will impact seniors, women and states, among other stakeholders. Reports also examine what might happen if the individual mandate is overturned but other elements of the law are left intact.

21 Jun 2012

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy safer than bariatric and metabolic surgery

Studies from Stanford University, Cleveland Clinic Florida and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego show laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, an increasingly popular surgical procedure where the stomach is reduced by 85 percent, is as safe as or safer than laparoscopic gastric bypass or gastric banding. The studies* were presented here at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).

21 Jun 2012