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For same-sex couples, Medicare, federal health programs problematic

Same-sex couples also face financial trouble with their healthcare when they are seniors. Eligibility for Medicare is based on the number of quarters in which you have paid payroll taxes into the system. At age 65, anyone with a work history of at least 40 quarters can enroll for Medicare Part A (hospitalization) without paying a premium.

17 May 2012

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

When I was governor of Tennessee in the early 1980s, I traveled to meet with President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office and offer that Grand Swap: Medicaid for K-12 education. The federal government would take over 100% of Medicaid, the federal health-care program mainly for low-income Americans, and states would assume all responsibility for the nation's 100,000 public schools. Reagan liked the idea, but it went nowhere.

17 May 2012

La. panel kills health exchange plan; Kansas enacts another abortion hurdle; Utah official resigns after medical records breach

With a decisive 8-1 vote late Tuesday evening, the Louisiana Senate Finance Committee buried a bill that would have set up a body of elected and appointed officials to craft the exchanges that are an anchor of President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul. With the death of Senate Bill 744, Louisiana remains one of a handful of states that have refused to set up their own exchanges, with Gov. Bobby Jindal punting the job back to federal government that he accuses of taking over the American health care system

17 May 2012

Older, high-risk prostate cancer patients get better results in larger hospitals

Older, sicker, high-risk patients who undergo one of the most common treatments for prostate cancer get better results in larger, busier hospitals, according to new research by Henry Ford Hospital.

16 May 2012

PN kidney cancer surgery not being used for older, sicker and poorer uninsured patients

An increasingly common and safer type of surgery for kidney cancer is not as likely to be used for older, sicker and poorer patients who are uninsured or rely on Medicare or Medicaid for their health care, according to a new study by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

16 May 2012

First Edition: May 16, 2012

Today's headlines highlight the growing partisan faultlines regarding budget issues, including spending cuts and entitlement reforms.

16 May 2012

Quality Systems announces acquisition of The Poseidon Group

Quality Systems, Inc., announced today the acquisition of The Poseidon Group, Inc. to support the growth of its NextGen Inpatient Solutions offering, which provides a range of healthcare information technology services to small hospitals.

16 May 2012

Reducing off-label antipsychotic use may generate savings with little impact on patient care

Reducing the non-FDA-approved use of antipsychotic drugs may be a way to save money while having little effect on patient care, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study.

16 May 2012

Heritage: Stop subsidies for 'multimillionaire seniors' to shore up Medicare program

A report by the conservative Heritage Foundation recommends making wealthier Medicare beneficiaries pay more to help get the program's "fiscal house in order." Also in the news, The Wall Street Journal reports that a judge who considers cases related to the Social Security Disability Insurance Program -- one of the federal governments most rapidly growing entitlement programs -- was placed on paid leave while complaints about his demeanor are probed.

16 May 2012

Vermillion first quarter total revenue increases to $312,000

Vermillion, Inc., a leading molecular diagnostics company, reported financial and operational results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

From Quest Diagnostics 16 May 2012

Partnership for Patients initiative participants launch sprint program to prevent pressure ulcers

Hospitals participating in the Partnership for Patients initiative have launched a program to prevent pressure ulcers.

16 May 2012

First study to track movement of individuals with dementia until death

A new study from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University has found that, at time of death, individuals with dementia are more likely to be living at home than in a nursing home. This contradicts the commonly held view that most individuals with dementia in the United States eventually move to nursing homes and die there.

15 May 2012

Governors seek allies for Medicaid, health program budget cuts, changes

In response to struggling state budgets, governors in California, Illinois, Kansas and Louisiana are looking for allies to support cuts and changes to their Medicaid and other health care programs.

15 May 2012

Viewpoints: Approving drugs quickly; Berwick: In health care, cheaper can mean better; Health costs 'persistent' concern

For about 20 years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has charged pharmaceutical companies "user fees" for reviewing drug-approval applications. The revenue allows the FDA to hire more evaluators, which allows useful drugs to reach patients faster. Now the Prescription Drug User Fee Act needs reauthorization, as it does every five years. Legislators should not dillydally.

15 May 2012

Feeding tubes may make sores more likely to develop in dementia patients

A new study led by Brown University researchers reports that percutaneous endoscopic gastric (PEG) feeding tubes, long assumed to help bedridden dementia patients stave off or overcome pressure ulcers, may instead make the horrible sores more likely to develop or not improve.

14 May 2012

GOP's Medicare plan has some candidates playing defense

The budget plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has become a hot topic in many congressional races. One example is the Illinois race between Rep. Joe Walsh, a Republican, and Democratic challenger and Iraqi war veteran Tammy Duckworth.

14 May 2012

Accretive gives detailed response to Sen. Franken inquiry

The Minnesota attorney general says the company has some overly-aggressive billing and collection practices.

14 May 2012

First Edition: May 14, 2012

In today's headlines, a report about how the Ryan budget plan -- specifically, its Medicare changes -- is playing in congressional races.

14 May 2012

College Park Family Care Center chooses eClinicalWorks comprehensive EHR solution

eClinicalWorks, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announces that College Park Family Care Center, the largest non-hospital owned multi-specialty group in the Kansas City-area, has chosen eClinicalWorks comprehensive electronic health records (EHR) solution for its 91 providers across 12 locations.

14 May 2012

Medication nonadherence linked to unnecessary cardiovascular hospitalizations in older patients

Older patients with high cholesterol or high blood pressure are at particular risk for unnecessary hospitalizations if they don't follow doctor's orders on taking their medications, according to new research from Express Scripts presented this week.

14 May 2012

Medicare News and Research

For same-sex couples, Medicare, federal health programs problematic

Viewpoints: Sen. Alexander proposes a Medicaid-school funding swap; Doctors' voices missing in abortion debates

La. panel kills health exchange plan; Kansas enacts another abortion hurdle; Utah official resigns after medical records breach

Older, high-risk prostate cancer patients get better results in larger hospitals

PN kidney cancer surgery not being used for older, sicker and poorer uninsured patients

First Edition: May 16, 2012

Quality Systems announces acquisition of The Poseidon Group

Reducing off-label antipsychotic use may generate savings with little impact on patient care

Heritage: Stop subsidies for 'multimillionaire seniors' to shore up Medicare program

Vermillion first quarter total revenue increases to $312,000

Partnership for Patients initiative participants launch sprint program to prevent pressure ulcers

First study to track movement of individuals with dementia until death

Governors seek allies for Medicaid, health program budget cuts, changes

Viewpoints: Approving drugs quickly; Berwick: In health care, cheaper can mean better; Health costs 'persistent' concern

Feeding tubes may make sores more likely to develop in dementia patients

GOP's Medicare plan has some candidates playing defense

Accretive gives detailed response to Sen. Franken inquiry

First Edition: May 14, 2012

College Park Family Care Center chooses eClinicalWorks comprehensive EHR solution

Medication nonadherence linked to unnecessary cardiovascular hospitalizations in older patients

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

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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