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Hospitals seek to consolidate in Ga., Wis. and N.Y.; Other state hospital news

Hospitals in Atlanta, Wisconsin and New York are consolidating or partnering more closely with others in a bid to reduce costs and save themselves. In other hospital news, small California hospitals market back surgery to patients and a Minnesota hospital faces a "patient abuse" crisis.

10 Feb 2012

Romney remains target over health care credentials

Mitt Romney remains directly in the crosshairs of his GOP presidential rivals as Rick Santorum hits Romney on his health care credentials on the campaign trail. But, Santorum's presidential bid is itself finding some controversy for the candidates ties to hospital chain Universal Health Services, where he was once director.

10 Feb 2012

Study shows high cost of defensive orthopaedic care

In a first-ever national survey of orthopaedic surgeons, 96 percent said they have practiced defensive medicine - the ordering of tests, referrals to specialists and hospital admissions primarily to avoid liability and without significant benefit to patients - according to a new study presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

10 Feb 2012

Congress struggles to tackle doc fix, payroll tax cut extension

It's Groundhog Day in Congress, where lawmakers appear to have glimpsed their shadows and are entering a newly intense period of negotiations over whether to extend the payroll tax cut that is shaping up to be remarkably similar to a bruising December fight over the same issue.

9 Feb 2012

Roundup: State legislatures consider nursing home, insurance exchange bills

Even as Massachusetts business and government leaders celebrate the most modest premium rate hikes in years for small employers and individuals, speakers at a health insurance seminar here yesterday warned that the main trend restraining bigger increases - fewer people seeking health care in the past year - already may be changing.

9 Feb 2012

Discussion of SGR fix heats up

Conferees negotiating the legislative package to extend the payroll tax break and to prevent a scheduled Medicare physician pay cut increased their focus on the physician payment piece of the puzzle. Meanwhile, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing exploring private sector ideas for creating a new physician payment system.

9 Feb 2012

Court says Medicare beneficiaries can't opt out if they receive Social Security

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that seniors who receive Social Security cannot reject their legal right to Medicare benefits, in a rare case of Americans suing to get out of a government entitlement. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey is among the five senior citizens who sued to stop their automatic eligibility for Medicare.

9 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: Political furor on contraceptive policy; Confusing estimates of Medicare's costs

The political furor over President Obama's birth-control mandate continues to grow, even among those for whom contraception poses no moral qualms, and one needn't be a theologian to understand why. The country is being exposed to the raw political control that is the core of the Obama health-care plan, and Americans are seeing clearly for the first time how this will violate pluralism and liberty.

9 Feb 2012

Watson settles ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO patent litigation with Janssen

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has reached a settlement with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. on outstanding patent litigation related to Watson's generic version of Janssen's ORTHO TRI-CYCLEN LO (norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol) tablets.

8 Feb 2012

White House budget trims Medicare with cuts focused on insurance company payments, hospitals

President Barack Obama's budget proposal on February 13 will make an election-year call for economic fairness with higher taxes on wealthy Americans as part of a $3 trillion-plus deficit reduction plan that he first unveiled last September... Expect domestic spending cuts of around $580 billion over 10 years, going by Obama's September deficit plan.

8 Feb 2012

More seamless exchange of information between EHRs and immunization registries needed

U-M researchers are calling for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to encourage a more seamless exchange of information between electronic health records and immunization registries.

8 Feb 2012

Humana, HCA show brighter earnings picture though worries remain

Humana met analyst projections for the quarter and HCA stock shares are rebounding.

8 Feb 2012

Obama administration rejects Calif. Medicaid co-pay proposal

The Obama administration said "no" Monday to a California proposal designed to help close a budget gap. Elsewhere, Texas is planning a change to how it pays for charity care in its Medicaid program.

8 Feb 2012

Some House Democrats press for 'essential benefits' to be federal decision

These House Democratic lawmakers are concerned that the Department of Health and Human Services is allowing states significant latitude in determining the definition of "essential benefits." Also in the news, the Office of Management and Budget has begun its review of the long-awaited final regulations for the establishment of state exchanges.

8 Feb 2012

President's budget plan to include Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts but no structural changes

The president will propose cutting spending on Medicare, the federal health program for the elderly, and Medicaid, the joint federal-state program for the poor and disabled. However, he isn't proposing the structural changes that experts say are needed to control spending in these programs over the long term.

8 Feb 2012

Negotiations at impasse on efforts to prevent a scheduled cut to Medicare physician payments

The gridlock is over how to pay for the fix and could threaten the broader legislative package, which includes the payroll tax break extension. Meanwhile, lawmakers examine familiar offset possibilities, as well as some ideas from the private sector.

8 Feb 2012

Elan fourth quarter total revenue increases 18% to $271.0 million

Elan Corporation, plc today reported its fourth quarter and full-year 2011 financial results.

8 Feb 2012

Study highlights benefits of TKR in elderly patients with osteoarthritis

New research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) highlights the benefits of total knee replacement (TKR) in elderly patients with osteoarthritis, including a lower probability of heart failure and mortality.

7 Feb 2012

Viewpoints: GOP dragging heels on payroll tax, doc fix plan; Opinions still heated on contraception rule

Republicans in Congress seem to have forgotten the embarrassment they suffered late last year for trying to block a payroll tax cut for millions of wage-earners.

7 Feb 2012

NQF endorses two surgical outcomes-based measures from ACS NSQIP

Two outcomes-based measures from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) were recently endorsed by the National Quality Forum.

7 Feb 2012