Medicare News and Research

RSS

Viewpoints: Supreme Court drug decisions; Medicaid's burden; Concierge medicine questioned

The image of Justice blindfolded, holding her scales, is familiar from courthouses all over the United States and the world. Sadly, in its Thursday ruling in the case of PLIVA v Mensing, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision that makes one wonder if that blindfold made the court unable to see the right thing to do.

27 Jun 2011

NovaSom completes $35M equity financing led by Safeguard Scientifics

NovaSom, Inc., the market leader in technology-driven, payer-aligned cost-saving solutions for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) management, today announced it has closed $35 million in equity financing.

27 Jun 2011

Metropolitan enters definitive merger agreement to acquire Continucare

Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. and Continucare Corporation announced jointly today that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement whereby Metropolitan will acquire Continucare in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $416 million at the time of announcement.

27 Jun 2011

Teleflex, Premier sign new three-year agreement for laryngoscopes

Teleflex Incorporated, a leading global provider of medical devices for critical care and surgery, has announced a new three-year agreement with Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., the group purchasing unit of the Premier healthcare alliance.

27 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 27, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about the status of ongoing deficit negotiations and details about a "stealth" survey on access to doctors.

27 Jun 2011

Many women with advanced breast cancer do not receive radiation after mastectomy

Radiation after a mastectomy for women with advanced breast cancer saves lives, but almost half of these patients do not receive it. That is the conclusion of a new study published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. =

27 Jun 2011

Policy leaders to identify targeted strategies for creating national breastfeeding agenda

One hundred invited health and policy leaders will meet again in Washington, D.C. on June 29-30 to identify targeted strategies for establishing a national breastfeeding agenda as part of our nation's Health Reform, building on the essential recommendations and positive outcomes of the Second Annual Summit held last June.

27 Jun 2011

Research roundup: Revamping public health law; Pay-for-performance

New Cardiac Surgery Programs Established From 1993 To 2004 Led To Little Increased Access, Substantial Duplication Of Services -- This study, using Medicare data from 1993-2004, finds that although the number of coronary artery bypass surgeries declined, 301 new cardiac surgery units opened.

24 Jun 2011

Ryan budget plan proves divisive point in Senate primary election campaigns

Democrats, and now also Republicans, view members' support for the plan's Medicare changes, which would signficiantly alter the program's current shape, as a theme in campaigns.

24 Jun 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius defends IPAB; Wash Post on debt talks and entitlements

A key part of the president's plan, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, has recently been the subject of inaccurate claims. Critics say it will ration care and put bureaucrats in charge of the health care system.

24 Jun 2011

Health law implementation progress, issues continue to draw attention

For starters, reports say the proposed rule for the measure's health exchanges is due out July 7. In addition, indications are that many public health provisions remain unfunded and movement toward electronic health records is still slow.

24 Jun 2011

Debt-ceiling negotiations stall

A top Republican walks away from the bargaining table -- leaving the debate unresolved regarding Democratic demands for higher taxes and spending reductions at the Pentagon, and GOP calls for significant cuts to health and retirement programs.

24 Jun 2011

Medical residents should work no more than 16 hours without sleep

A group of 26 of the nation's leaders in medicine, health care, patient safety, and research today called for sweeping changes in the design, supervision and financing of U.S. hospital residency care programs to protect patients from serious, preventable medical errors, and end dangerously long work hours for physicians in training.

24 Jun 2011

First Edition: June 24, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that Republicans have quit the debt-ceiling negotiations and details about how the Supreme Court sided with drug makers in two decisions.

24 Jun 2011

CMS official grilled on Medicare Secondary Payer program

Politics were at work as Deborah Taylor, the chief financial officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, faced tough questioning during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee On Oversight and Investigations hearing regarding the financial controls applied to this aspect of Medicare — a generally complex and obscure part of the program.

24 Jun 2011

InVasc commences INV-144 Phase IIa trial in chronic kidney disease

InVasc Therapeutics, Inc., announced today that it has initiated a Phase IIa, proof of concept (POC), clinical trial with INV-144, a combination drug of losartan with alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in hypertensive diabetic patients.

24 Jun 2011

Tensions rise in bipartisan debt-ceiling negotiations

Both Democrats and Republicans appear to be increasingly entrenched on key issues, including changes to entitlement programs like Medicare. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office issued a daunting report, warning that the national debt will exceed the size of the national economy by 2021.

24 Jun 2011

Health law politics cause sparks to fly among GOP presidential hopefuls

In the background, Republicans on Capitol Hill are renewing their criticisms of the health law's Independent Payment Advisory Board as a "rationing" panel. Also reverberating — how candidates are handling the GOP anti-abortion pledge, and findings from a new poll suggest Americans are leery of the Medicare plan advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

24 Jun 2011

News outlets detail ACO concerns, historic perspectives

The idea of coordinating care through accountable care organizations used to be a non-ideological notion. Not anymore. At a briefing for Capitol Hill staff sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, conservative critics complained about the Obama administration's work on ACOs.

24 Jun 2011

Longer looks: Prenatal care for dads; rise in bipolar diagnosis for children

Perhaps it's because mom has the burgeoning belly, but dads have largely been left out of prenatal care. That could be damaging to the family's health, contends research in a recent issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

24 Jun 2011