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AMA details concerns about payment policy changes for Medicare Part C, D

Modern Healthcare details the positions taken by the American Medical Association in response to recent changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Also, in related news, a new panel sets to work on improving the physician payment system.

6 Mar 2012

RAND researchers outline methods to improve creation of health care performance reports

As health care reform expands the use of "report cards" to grade health care providers, greater attention to reporting methods may be needed to assure the quality of such efforts, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

6 Mar 2012

State news: Ore. Gov. signs reform bill; Texas seeks early release of sick inmates

If Oregon's Democratic governor is right, the bill he signed Friday will improve health care and reduce costs so significantly that it could help fix the federal budget. The Obama administration is watching with keen interest - and so are critics who say Gov. John Kitzhaber's plan is just another example of government overreach.

6 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Statins and diabetes; Frightening tobacco warnings; The U.S. dental crisis

We're overdosing on cholesterol-lowering statins, and the consequence could be a sharp increase in the incidence of Type 2 diabetes. This past week, the Food and Drug Administration raised questions about the side effects of these drugs and developed new labels for these medications that will now warn of the risk of diabetes and memory loss.

6 Mar 2012

Cost estimates for health law's subsidies boosted by $111 billion

The new estimate, which represents an estimated 30 percent jump for an eight-year period, triggered calls during hearings last week by key House Republicans for the Obama administration to explain the number.

6 Mar 2012

AMAG fourth quarter total revenues decrease to $14.9 million

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of a therapeutic iron compound to treat iron deficiency anemia, today reported unaudited consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2011. As of December 31, 2011, the company's cash, cash equivalents and investments totaled approximately $230 million.

5 Mar 2012

Univita Health announces acquisition of All-Med Services of Florida

Univita Health, a leader in providing home-based care management, has announced the acquisition of All-Med Services of Florida (All-Med).

5 Mar 2012

Rep. Camp wants explanation about rising cost of health law

Cost estimates for a key portion of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law have ballooned by $111 billion from last year's budget, and a senior Republican lawmaker on Friday demanded an explanation.

5 Mar 2012

New York's Beth Israel hospital admits to inflating Medicare fees

The hospital will pay $13 million for "fraudulently" inflating Medicare inpatient fees between 1998 and 2003 - a practice known as "turbocharging."

3 Mar 2012

Gingrey: Outlook dim for long-term fix for Medicare's SGR

Here's a dose of bad news for physicians eager for a long-term fix for Medicare's Sustainable Growth Rate - and it's being delivered by one of their own. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), a physician, predicts Congress will settle for "another Band-Aid in regards to the SGR problem." That would come after the latest short-term patch expires in late December.

3 Mar 2012

Poll reveals public opinions on contraception coverage, Medicare plans

The close divide in a Senate vote Thursday over whether employers can refuse insurance coverage for contraception mirrors a sharp partisan divide among the public, according to a national poll and interviews with women around the country.

3 Mar 2012

States consider their own legislation limiting contraception coverage, abortion

Lawmakers in Mississippi, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Florida are considering bills to limit contraception coverage or abortion.

3 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: The defeated Blunt Amendment, Obama's $100B Catholic hospital risk, fixing drug shortages

The amendment, which was attached to a highway bill, was defeated on a narrow 48-to-51 vote. But it showed once again how far from the mainstream Republicans have strayed in their relentless efforts to undermine the separation of church and state, deny women access to essential health services and tear apart President Obama's health care reform law.

3 Mar 2012

Research roundup: The push for hospital quality and concerns about disparities; Rating physicians online

Researchers wondered if pay-for-performance (P4P) programs, which reward hospitals for meeting quality targets, have unintentional effects on racial and/or ethnic disparities. Using federal patient-level quality data, researchers found that "many hospitals treat Whites and minorities equitably" but they noted that since many minorities tend to seek care at hospitals that "perform poorly on common quality score composites, the pay for performance efforts could unintentionally penalize hospitals serving high numbers of minorities.

3 Mar 2012

Maintaining healthy lifestyle from young adulthood linked with low CVD risk in middle age

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

3 Mar 2012

Watson introduces generic PROMETRIUM for endometrial hyperplasia

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that Watson has launched an authorized generic version of PROMETRIUM (progesterone, USP) Capsules 100mg and 200mg, as part of an agreement with Abbott Laboratories.

2 Mar 2012

Congress urged to pass 'Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2012'

Colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening saves lives, but a loophole in current Medicare law may cause patients to think twice before undergoing this vital test. Legislation introduced today seeks to ensure that colorectal cancer screening for all Medicare beneficiaries is free, as intended.

2 Mar 2012

Medicare News and Research

AMA details concerns about payment policy changes for Medicare Part C, D

RAND researchers outline methods to improve creation of health care performance reports

State news: Ore. Gov. signs reform bill; Texas seeks early release of sick inmates

Viewpoints: Statins and diabetes; Frightening tobacco warnings; The U.S. dental crisis

Cost estimates for health law's subsidies boosted by $111 billion

AMAG fourth quarter total revenues decrease to $14.9 million

Univita Health announces acquisition of All-Med Services of Florida

Rep. Camp wants explanation about rising cost of health law

New York's Beth Israel hospital admits to inflating Medicare fees

Gingrey: Outlook dim for long-term fix for Medicare's SGR

Poll reveals public opinions on contraception coverage, Medicare plans

States consider their own legislation limiting contraception coverage, abortion

Viewpoints: The defeated Blunt Amendment, Obama's $100B Catholic hospital risk, fixing drug shortages

Research roundup: The push for hospital quality and concerns about disparities; Rating physicians online

Maintaining healthy lifestyle from young adulthood linked with low CVD risk in middle age

Watson introduces generic PROMETRIUM for endometrial hyperplasia

Congress urged to pass 'Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act of 2012'

First Edition: March 2, 2012

Poll: Democrats hold political advantage on contraception, Medicare debates

GOP presidential candidates look to health policies to highlight differences

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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