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GOP lawmakers draw comparisons between Medicare plan, FEHBP

GOP Lawmakers Tout Medicare Reform By Stretching A Comparison To The Health Benefits They Receive During the congressional recess, Rep. Ryan and other Republican lawmakers have been selling their proposal to restructure Medicare with what appears to be a poll-tested phrase: It will be similar to a system "just like" what members of Congress have.

3 May 2011

Study finds disparities in male, female patients for heart disease treatment at U.S. hospitals

A study released today by HealthGrades, the nation's leading, independent source of physician information and hospital quality ratings, found notable disparities in the treatment and outcomes of male and female patients at U.S. hospitals.

3 May 2011

Sparks continue to fly around GOP Medicare plan

News outlets offer varying takes on how voters and fellow Republicans are reacting to the GOP plan to transform Medicare.

3 May 2011

Medicare unveils rules for hospital quality bonuses

The shift in payment strategy will reward hospitals for the quality, rather than the quantity, of care they provide. The change was set in motion by the health law.

3 May 2011

Congress returns to work on the budget; Medicare will be key

All sides of the budget issue are preparing for a long fight. Among the key players is the so-called "Gang of Six," which is honing its deficit reduction plan.

3 May 2011

CMS: States to analyze Medicaid provider payments, access issues

CMS officials may have kept the Supreme Court from injecting itself into the controversy over disparate state Medicaid payment rates for various providers through a proposed rule issued Friday.

3 May 2011

State roundup: Assisted living hazards in Fla.; Ariz.'s Medicaid limits

Despite some efforts to ease the blow to pediatric health care providers, Texas' proposed budget cuts will most likely have a disproportionate effect on children's hospitals.

3 May 2011

IASIS Healthcare acquires St. Joseph Medical Center

IASIS Healthcare LLC today announced the completion of its acquisition of a 79% ownership interest in St. Joseph Medical Center a 792 licensed bed facility in downtown Houston, Texas.

3 May 2011

Viewpoints: Ryan plan politics; senior care; health care consumerism

Democrats spent the last week of Easter recess bashing the GOP on the Medicare reforms in the Paul Ryan budget, and Republicans tell me they are feeling the heat back home.

3 May 2011

Watson introduces generic version of Concerta

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has launched an authorized generic version of Concerta as part of an exclusive agreement with Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

2 May 2011

Teva signs definitive agreement to acquire Cephalon shares for $6.8 billion

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Cephalon, Inc. today announced that their Boards of Directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement under which Teva will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Cephalon for $81.50 per share in cash, or a total enterprise value of approximately $6.8 billion. The transaction is not conditioned on financing and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2011.

2 May 2011

First Edition: May 2, 2011

With Congress due back to work in Washington, D.C., after its spring recess, the next stage of the budget battle is expected to heat up. News reports detail the part Medicare and Medicaid will play in the debate.

2 May 2011

Humana reports EPS of $1.86 for quarter ended March 31, 2011

Humana Inc. today reported diluted earnings per common share for the quarter ended March 31, 2011 of $1.86, compared to $1.52 per share for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.

2 May 2011

GOP link of Medicare plan to FEHBP faulted; 'premium support' once had bipartisan support

During the congressional recess, Rep. Ryan and other Republican lawmakers have been selling their proposal to restructure Medicare with what appears to be a poll-tested phrase: It will be similar to a system "just like" what members of Congress have. ... The focus on "a system just like members of Congress and federal employees have" suggests that this would be something better than the typical employee plan.

2 May 2011

Clinton says Supreme Court might strike the individual mandate from the health law

There's a chance that the Supreme Court could rule the so-called "individual mandate" in the healthcare reform law unconstitutional, but on the whole the bill will stay intact, former President Bill Clinton said.

2 May 2011

Childs Medical Clinic uses Greenway Medical Technologies' PrimeSUITE 2011

Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc. announced today that Childs Medical Clinic of Samson, Ala. is the first Greenway customer utilizing the company's integrated electronic health record, practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSUITE 2011 to successfully attest and receive payment notice within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Stage 1 meaningful use incentives program within the Medicare pathway.

30 Apr 2011

Kindred Healthcare responds to CMS' proposed Medicare rule

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. today issued a response to the proposed rule issued late yesterday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding Medicare payment rates for skilled nursing facilities for fiscal year 2012.

30 Apr 2011

Hospitals: Another merger; patient satisfaction as a quality indicator

Alexian announces merger with St.Louis-Based Ascension Health while a war of words continues between Community Health and Tenet. Also, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is finalizing the specifics of a new hospital reimbursement method that will link payment to patient satisfaction.

30 Apr 2011

THCA expresses deep concern about CMS' proposed Medicare regulations

In the context of the unfolding Texas budget debate, the Texas Health Care Association today expressed deep concern about a proposed regulation just issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that could result in Medicare-funded nursing home care reductions of approximately $4 billion in 2012.

30 Apr 2011

GOP Medicare plan triggers town hall rage — but is it real?

News outlets examine what's behind the activity during recent town-hall meetings as activists voice concerns about the GOP spending plan, which was advanced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Experts wonder, though, whether the mounting criticism is organic or rooted in Washington political theatrics.

30 Apr 2011