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Ways to improve care and reduce the high cost for Medicare beneficiaries highlighted by Hopkins study

It’s well known that a relatively small percentage of chronically ill patients account for a disproportionate amount of health care dollars. Now, a multicenter study led by Johns Hopkins researcher Bruce Leff, M.D., might provide insights into how to cut Medicare costs while improving health care for older adults suffering from chronic health conditions.

5 Jun 2012

$25 million grant announced to improve states' care for frail elderly; Calif. seeks changes for those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid

Stateline reports on a new HHS grant to help low-income adults with mental and physical disabilities remain in their communities. Meanwhile, California submits a plan to federal officials for the transition of dual eligibles to managed care.

5 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 4, 2012

Today's headlines include the latest news on implementation of the health law, on the pending Capitol Hill effort to repeal the medical device tax and reports from the states.

4 Jun 2012

Research roundup: Changing unhealthy diets with mobile tech; ACOs for Medicaid

Multiple Behavior Changes In Diet And Activity -- Mobile technologies have been touted for their potential benefits to health and wellness. Researchers in this study gave 204 individuals a dieting and exercise regimen. They also gave each person a handheld device to record adherence and receive remote coaching.

2 Jun 2012

Majority of patients undergoing CTAP in ED are classified as clinically complex

The overwhelming majority (93.8 percent) of patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis (CTAP) in the emergency department (ED) setting are classified as clinically complex, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Clinically complex is used to describe patients who are, based on documentation of their ED physician, much sicker than others.

2 Jun 2012

New $25M HHS funding to support Aging and Disability Resource Centers in all states

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced a new $25 million funding opportunity made possible by the Affordable Care Act to help states strengthen and expand their ability to help seniors and people with disabilities access home and community-based long-term services and supports. Over the next one to three years, funding will support Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) in nearly every state.

2 Jun 2012

End-of-life care in the US can be better

As Americans live longer, more generations are being impacted by advanced illnesses, such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer and heart disease. The nation's healthcare system, specifically Medicare, is being used like never before. Many families are enduring unbearable stress and strained relationships as they try to guess what kind of care their loved one wants. The country needs solutions.

1 Jun 2012

First Edition: June 1, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about the latest health policy developments on Capitol Hill and news on the health insurance marketplace.

1 Jun 2012

Medicare official sees Medicare Advantage enrollment continuing to grow

A top Medicare official predicted Wednesday that the private Medicare Advantage program will continue to grow at double-digit rates, although payment reductions in the program are included in the health care overhaul law.

1 Jun 2012

Feds announce effort to slash inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes

An estimated 40 percent of nursing home residents with dementia receive the drugs, which are approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

1 Jun 2012

Tentative deals forged in ill., Providence, R.I., to save money on retiree pensions, health care

Officials report accords with public employees restricting pension increases in order to keep the programs solvent. Both deals also involve changes to retiree health care programs..

1 Jun 2012

Viewpoints: Bishops' request for contraception exemption may push legal precedent; Maine's experiment on health care

43 Roman Catholic organizations have filed lawsuits challenging a ... regulation that requires employers or their health insurers to offer birth control coverage to workers. The plaintiffs say that complying with the regulation would violate their religious freedom.

1 Jun 2012

Ventas agrees to sell 5,200,000 shares of common stock to Citigroup

Ventas, Inc. announced today that it has agreed to sell 5,200,000 shares of its common stock to Citigroup, as sole underwriter, in an underwritten public offering.

1 Jun 2012

State roundup: Federal judge rejects Calif. request to end oversight of prison health care; States push prescription drug databases; Medicare drug benefit at issue in Utah Senate race

A federal judge rejected a request by California prison officials Wednesday to regain control of inmate health care, which has been under court-supervised receivership for six years, and said the state must first show it can provide adequate medical treatment. ... The current receiver, Clark Kelso, has reported improvements in the prisons' medical staff and facilities, and said a "turnaround plan" he proposed for the system in 2008 is about 80 percent complete.

1 Jun 2012

First Edition: May 31, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about various health-related measures currently on the move in Congress.

31 May 2012

U.S. House poised for a series of health-related votes

Included on the list is a bill to repeal the health law's medical device tax and another to repeal the OTC ban. The device-tax issue has already emerged as a hot topic in many congressional races.

31 May 2012

Specialty doctor groups ask feds to delay managed care move for dual eligibles

Several organizations have asked the federal government to slow down implementation of a health law provision that would move people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid into managed care.

30 May 2012

Seniors increasingly cared for in multi-generational homes

NPR examines how families are living under the same roof to care for senior relatives -- and also, to get by.

30 May 2012

Patients with history of skin infection more likely to develop surgical site infections

Johns Hopkins scientists have engineered cells that behave like AND and OR Boolean logic gates, producing an output based on one or more unique inputs. This feat, published in the May issue of Nature Chemical Biology, could eventually help researchers create computers that use cells as tiny circuits.

30 May 2012

State roundup: The effects of proposed Calif. budget cuts; Fewer free vaccinations in Texas

Low-income children in rural California communities are in jeopardy of losing their doctors and health care plans under Gov. Jerry Brown's budget proposal, state lawmakers, doctors and health advocates say. The governor is proposing to transfer nearly 900,000 children enrolled in Healthy Families, the state's Children's Health Insurance Program, to Medi-Cal – a program aimed at serving the state's poorest families, seniors and disabled residents.

30 May 2012

Medicare News and Research

Ways to improve care and reduce the high cost for Medicare beneficiaries highlighted by Hopkins study

$25 million grant announced to improve states' care for frail elderly; Calif. seeks changes for those eligible for Medicare and Medicaid

First Edition: June 4, 2012

Research roundup: Changing unhealthy diets with mobile tech; ACOs for Medicaid

Majority of patients undergoing CTAP in ED are classified as clinically complex

New $25M HHS funding to support Aging and Disability Resource Centers in all states

End-of-life care in the US can be better

First Edition: June 1, 2012

Medicare official sees Medicare Advantage enrollment continuing to grow

Feds announce effort to slash inappropriate use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes

Tentative deals forged in ill., Providence, R.I., to save money on retiree pensions, health care

Viewpoints: Bishops' request for contraception exemption may push legal precedent; Maine's experiment on health care

Ventas agrees to sell 5,200,000 shares of common stock to Citigroup

State roundup: Federal judge rejects Calif. request to end oversight of prison health care; States push prescription drug databases; Medicare drug benefit at issue in Utah Senate race

First Edition: May 31, 2012

U.S. House poised for a series of health-related votes

Specialty doctor groups ask feds to delay managed care move for dual eligibles

Seniors increasingly cared for in multi-generational homes

Patients with history of skin infection more likely to develop surgical site infections

State roundup: The effects of proposed Calif. budget cuts; Fewer free vaccinations in Texas

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

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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