Medicare News and Research

RSS

Misleading information about breast brachytherapy

One of the leading experts on radiation therapy for breast cancer says a new study in JAMA -- about breast cancer treatment - has misleading information and may unnecessarily deter women from getting breast brachytherapy, a safe and effective treatment.

2 May 2012

Kindred Healthcare first quarter consolidated revenues increase 33% to $1.6 billion

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today announced its operating results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. The Company's consolidated financial statements include the operating results of RehabCare Group, Inc. since the closing of the acquisition on June 1, 2011.

2 May 2012

Older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in primary care

Large majorities of older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in their primary care, according to a new national survey, "How Does It Feel? The Older Adult Health Care Experience," released today by the John A. Hartford Foundation, a champion for improved geriatric care and longtime partner of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University's College of Nursing.

2 May 2012

Study assesses perceived impact of CMS payment policy on hospital infection prevention efforts

The 2008 decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to cease additional reimbursement to hospitals for certain healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) has led to enhanced focus on infection prevention and changes in practice by front-line staff, according to a national survey of infection preventionists published in the May issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

2 May 2012

Accelerated partial breast irradiation therapy increases risk for subsequent mastectomy

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) brachytherapy, the localized form of radiation therapy growing increasingly popular as a treatment choice for women with early-stage breast cancer, is associated with higher rate of later mastectomy, increased radiation-related toxicities and post-operative complications, compared to traditional whole breast irradiation (WBI), according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

2 May 2012

Bevacizumab equivalent to ranibizumab in treating wet AMD

In a landmark drug-comparison study, Cleveland Clinic researchers found that bevacizumab (Avastin) is equivalent to ranibizumab (Lucentis) in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) through two years.

2 May 2012

DJOFL first quarter net sales increase 11.7% to $278.9 million

DJO Global, Inc., a leading global provider of medical device solutions for musculoskeletal health, vascular health and pain management, today announced financial results for its operating subsidiary, DJO Finance LLC, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

2 May 2012

House Republicans divided over how to 'replace' health law

Ask each of the 242 House Republicans what kind of health policy they'd like to enact instead of President Barack Obama's health care reform law and you might get 242 different answers. Even after three years of railing against Obama's plan, Republicans have coalesced around only a few basic tenets of health policy - let alone a full replacement plan.

2 May 2012

New studies restart debate about mammography for women in their 40s

Another study in today's news examines two eye drugs and finds they are comparable, a conclusion that could potentially save Medicare and other insurers millions of dollars.

2 May 2012

BD second quarter revenues increase 3.6% to $1.991 billion

BD, a leading global medical technology company, today reported quarterly revenues of $1.991 billion for the second fiscal quarter ended March 31, 2012, representing an increase of 3.6 percent from the prior-year period, or 4.6 percent on a foreign currency-neutral basis.

From BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) 2 May 2012

As voters weigh presidential candidates, Romney seeks support from intra-party rivals

Although President Barack Obama and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney offer voters "a distinct choice," Romney is still courting conservatives within his party who have been concerned about his past positions on things such as abortion and health reform.

2 May 2012

Viewpoints: Romney's argument that health law would kill free enterprise; FDA's delay in cutting use of antibiotics in animals

In my column on Sunday, I quoted Mitt Romney's warning last week that President Obama's health reform law could doom the free-enterprise system in the United States. "With Obamacare fully installed," Romney said, "government will come to control half the economy, and we will have effectively ceased to be a free-enterprise society." Could that be true? Would "Obamacare," which relies mostly on free-enterprise health insurance companies, really turn America into a socialist state?

2 May 2012

DaVita first quarter net income increases to $140.1 million

DaVita Inc. today announced results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012. Net income attributable to DaVita Inc. for the quarter ended March 31, 2012 was $140.1 million, or $1.46 per share.

2 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. premium increases muted; Iowa cuts payment to charity after fraud probe; Ga. asks EMS providers to save scarce drugs

State regulators on Monday approved third-quarter health insurance rates that will raise premiums an average of just 1.2 percent in the market serving small businesses and individuals, continuing a trend of more modest increases seen over the past three quarters. And several carriers, including Tufts Health Plan of Watertown and Fallon Community Health Plan, based in Worcester, will reduce their rates -- a rarity in Massachusetts health care -- according to data from the state Division of Insurance.

2 May 2012

AmerisourceBergen acquires World Courier Group

AmerisourceBergen Corporation today announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of World Courier Group, Inc., a privately held leading global specialty transportation and logistics provider for the biopharmaceutical industry.

2 May 2012

First Edition: May 1, 2012

Today's health policy headlines include reports from the presidential campaign trail and from states on issues ranging from Massachusetts' payment reform to Idaho's scope-of-practices issues.

2 May 2012

Viewpoints on health law: Concerns about 'Lake Wobegon-ization' of Medicare Advantage; Romney's efforts to raise fears

One of the significant reforms in the health-care law was to put private Medicare plans on a more equal footing with the traditional government program. ... But the immediate sting of the cuts was significantly lessened by the Obama administration's move to expand and speed up a program to pay bonuses to high-performing programs.

30 Apr 2012

Health information technology gains momentum, uses

One in 10 doctors who work outside hospitals in the United States began using electronic health records in 2011, helped along by the promise of $27 billion in incentives from the federal government.

30 Apr 2012

House passes student loan plan that siphons health law's prevention trust fund

The student loan issue has become a politically charged showdown with the health law in the middle of the controversy.

30 Apr 2012

Ryan's Medicare plan moves him into the headlines

The New York Times reports on how the budget plan advanced Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has become the GOP's marching orders. In related news, the Medicare component of the Republican budget blueprint overhaul drew in-depth scrutiny during a House hearing last week.

30 Apr 2012

Medicare News and Research

Misleading information about breast brachytherapy

Kindred Healthcare first quarter consolidated revenues increase 33% to $1.6 billion

Older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in primary care

Study assesses perceived impact of CMS payment policy on hospital infection prevention efforts

Accelerated partial breast irradiation therapy increases risk for subsequent mastectomy

Bevacizumab equivalent to ranibizumab in treating wet AMD

DJOFL first quarter net sales increase 11.7% to $278.9 million

House Republicans divided over how to 'replace' health law

New studies restart debate about mammography for women in their 40s

BD second quarter revenues increase 3.6% to $1.991 billion

As voters weigh presidential candidates, Romney seeks support from intra-party rivals

Viewpoints: Romney's argument that health law would kill free enterprise; FDA's delay in cutting use of antibiotics in animals

DaVita first quarter net income increases to $140.1 million

Roundup: Mass. premium increases muted; Iowa cuts payment to charity after fraud probe; Ga. asks EMS providers to save scarce drugs

AmerisourceBergen acquires World Courier Group

First Edition: May 1, 2012

Viewpoints on health law: Concerns about 'Lake Wobegon-ization' of Medicare Advantage; Romney's efforts to raise fears

Health information technology gains momentum, uses

House passes student loan plan that siphons health law's prevention trust fund

Ryan's Medicare plan moves him into the headlines

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

Latest News