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Polls and expectations for debt panel

Two new polls indicate that Americans want the 'super committee' to reach an accord that includes new taxes on the wealthy and major cuts in domestic spending. Public opinion appears cool, though, to proposals to make significant changes in Medicare.

11 Aug 2011

New report finds lackluster growth for nonprofit hospitals

Moody's finds that the hospitals reporting the slowest rate of revenue growth in 20 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. Also in hospital news, a new urgent care center in New Orleans is off to a good start and California officials weigh one chain's efforts to take over more facilities.

11 Aug 2011

Many low-income seniors go without enhanced Medicare drug coverage

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which says that as many as 2 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries are not enrolled in the Medicare Low-Income Subsidy Program, is stepping up efforts to market the assistance to consumers.

11 Aug 2011

Reid taps Sen. Patty Murray to co-chair 'super committee'; Baucus, Kerry also named

The deficit panel will have three months to recommend $1.5 trillion in deficit reductions over the next 10 years, with Medicare and Medicaid part of the mix. Republicans reacted by saying the picks were political moves and offered little hope of overcoming the continuing partisan stalemate.

11 Aug 2011

Neurologist care may improve quality of life for people with Parkinson's

People with Parkinson's disease who go to a neurologist for their care are more likely to live longer, less likely to be placed in a nursing home and less likely to break a hip than people who go to a primary care physician, according to a study published in the August 10, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

11 Aug 2011

Outlook: The health law and its various battles

News outlets report on how timing issues could impact whether the challenges to the health law make it to the Supreme Court in the next term, how messages regarding efforts to overhaul the health care system are playing in presidential primary states and how opposition to "Obamacare" is motivating one Republican to consider joining the presidential contest fray.

11 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: High-cost drugs and Medicare; pitfalls for ACOs; federal funding fix for nursing homes

Life-extending drugs debut frequently, and they usually seem exorbitantly expensive when weighed against their promise of adding a few weeks or months of life to someone with a terminal illness. In these prostate-cancer cases, one new drug costs $5,000 a month, another $8,000 every three weeks and a third $93,000 for a full course of treatment.

11 Aug 2011

FDA acceptance of peginesatide NDA triggers $10M milestone payment to Affymax

Affymax, Inc. today announced that it has received a $10 million development milestone payment from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company as part of the companies' exclusive global agreement to develop and commercialize peginesatide (formerly known as Hematide™), Affymax's investigational drug for the treatment of anemia in chronic renal failure patients.

10 Aug 2011

First Edition: August 10, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's picks for the debt panel and what Americans -- according to two new polls -- expect the 'super committee' to accomplish.

10 Aug 2011

Medicare officials report positive results for ACO precursor program

Some health policy experts, though, considered the findings from the five-year demo programs to be discouraging, noting that six of the 10 sites involved in the effort did not qualify for savings. But some news coverage highlights success stories.

10 Aug 2011

House Dem supports lawsuit against Medicare regarding physician pay

The action, which is being brought by the Center for Primary Care in Georgia, takes issue with the way Medicare sets its reimbursement rates for specialists and primary care physicians.

10 Aug 2011

Planned $4 billion cut in nursing home funding is 'lesson in health care complexity'

Federal officials say a plan to cut nearly $4 billion in Medicare funding to nursing homes is just a correction to curb unanticipated overspending. Critics say it's a wrongheaded move that could force staff cuts and lead some homes to close.

10 Aug 2011

The debt deal's 'super committee': Who will be selected? What choices will they have?

News outlets report on the work ahead regarding this budget-trimming panel. First on the list — appointing its members. After that, however, the hard work of finding at least $1.2 trillion in spending cuts will begin.

10 Aug 2011

Study finds highest and lowest healthcare spending regions in the U.S.

A study released today has found vast differences from one city to the next in the amount spent on healthcare for Americans with employer-sponsored health plans.

10 Aug 2011

In bid to calm markets, Obama urges deficit reduction approach that includes 'modest adjustments' to Medicare

As the stock market plunged, President Barack Obama said the nation's deficit couldn't be ignored. He recommended an approach that includes spending cuts as well as increased tax revenue and "modest adjustments" to health care programs. Meanwhile, health care stocks were among those that posted double-digit losses, and, as the fallout from S & P's downgrade continues, some states are at more risk than others.

10 Aug 2011

Roundup: Mass. Gov. remains committed to health payment changes; insurers fight Fla. decision on state workers' HMO

The Patrick administration is still angling to get the Legislature to pass a sweeping overhaul of the state's health care payment and delivery system by the end of 2011, Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray said yesterday.

10 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: DeLauro on discretionary spending 'value'; S&P downgrade's entitlement effects; docs and guns

The deficit reduction plan signed by President Barack Obama last week focused sharply on the narrow slice of the budget labeled as "non-defense discretionary spending."

10 Aug 2011

Geisinger Health System completes CMS' Physician Group Practice demonstration project

Geisinger Health System has completed the Centers for Medicare Services' (CMS) five-year Physician Group Practice (PGP) demonstration project, again achieving 100 percent on the program's quality measures.

9 Aug 2011

Marshfield Clinic improves quality of health care and decreases Medicare costs

When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated its Physician Group Practice (PGP) Demonstration, it challenged the 10 participating large physician group practices to prove that providing high quality coordinated health care could also save money.

9 Aug 2011

Providio, PRIUM partner to deliver Medicare Set Aside Clinical Review service

PRIUM and Providio MediSolutions, LLC have joined forces to deliver an innovative Medicare Set Aside Clinical Review (MSA-CR) service that not only calculates future medical and pharmacy costs of workers' compensation claims, but also reduces medical costs by recommending changes to treatment plans and drug regimens while overseeing their implementation.

9 Aug 2011

Medicare News and Research

Polls and expectations for debt panel

New report finds lackluster growth for nonprofit hospitals

Many low-income seniors go without enhanced Medicare drug coverage

Reid taps Sen. Patty Murray to co-chair 'super committee'; Baucus, Kerry also named

Neurologist care may improve quality of life for people with Parkinson's

Outlook: The health law and its various battles

Viewpoints: High-cost drugs and Medicare; pitfalls for ACOs; federal funding fix for nursing homes

FDA acceptance of peginesatide NDA triggers $10M milestone payment to Affymax

First Edition: August 10, 2011

Medicare officials report positive results for ACO precursor program

House Dem supports lawsuit against Medicare regarding physician pay

Planned $4 billion cut in nursing home funding is 'lesson in health care complexity'

The debt deal's 'super committee': Who will be selected? What choices will they have?

Study finds highest and lowest healthcare spending regions in the U.S.

In bid to calm markets, Obama urges deficit reduction approach that includes 'modest adjustments' to Medicare

Roundup: Mass. Gov. remains committed to health payment changes; insurers fight Fla. decision on state workers' HMO

Viewpoints: DeLauro on discretionary spending 'value'; S&P downgrade's entitlement effects; docs and guns

Geisinger Health System completes CMS' Physician Group Practice demonstration project

Marshfield Clinic improves quality of health care and decreases Medicare costs

Providio, PRIUM partner to deliver Medicare Set Aside Clinical Review service

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