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DOJ investigating Humana coding, loan practices in South Florida

Health insurer Humana said in quarterly filings Monday that the Department of Justice is investigating its coding practices by doctors in South Florida as well as loans made to doctor practices.

3 May 2012

Congressional partisan wrangling over CHIP, postal retiree health coverage, mandatory Medicare cuts

On Capitol Hill, Republicans are charging that the health law is encouraging businesses to drop coverage and politicians prepare for the next fight on some of the law's provisions.

3 May 2012

Viewpoints: The health law's double count on Medicare funding; Pa. budget endangering health safety net; A doctor's call for more texting

One of the enduring mysteries of President Obama's health law is how its spending constraints and payroll tax hikes on high earners can be used to shore up Medicare finances and at the same time pay for a massive new entitlement program. Isn't this double counting?

3 May 2012

First Edition: May 2, 2012

Today's headlines include a report that House Republican lawmakers want to cut bonuses to states for enrolling low-income kids in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

3 May 2012

Patients with spinal cord injury report higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns

Wheelchair-dependent patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are reporting higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns requiring repairs, according to a study in American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AJPM&R), the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, AJPM&R is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

3 May 2012

Enrollment complete in Hanger’s WalkAide System clinical trial for stroke

Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. today announced the completion of enrollment in its pivotal INSTRIDE investigational device exemption (IDE) clinical trial studying the effectiveness of its WalkAide System in the rehabilitation of stroke survivors.

3 May 2012

Roundup: Mass. health cost control bill could save $8B to $34B; Md. weighs hospital rate freeze; Iowa Senate passes a fix for HIV insurance program

As Massachusetts' state legislators put the finishing touches on a major health care cost-control bill, there is still one big question: How much could it save? A recent report claims employers and employees could see between $8 billion and $34.5 billion in savings over nine years.

3 May 2012

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

Medicare News and Research

DOJ investigating Humana coding, loan practices in South Florida

Congressional partisan wrangling over CHIP, postal retiree health coverage, mandatory Medicare cuts

Viewpoints: The health law's double count on Medicare funding; Pa. budget endangering health safety net; A doctor's call for more texting

First Edition: May 2, 2012

Patients with spinal cord injury report higher rates of wheelchair breakdowns

Enrollment complete in Hanger’s WalkAide System clinical trial for stroke

Roundup: Mass. health cost control bill could save $8B to $34B; Md. weighs hospital rate freeze; Iowa Senate passes a fix for HIV insurance program

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

Industry Focus eBook - Forensics & toxicology (2nd edition) 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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