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Senate 'Gang of Six' develops deficit reduction framework

A bipartisan group of senators is considering legislation that would trigger new taxes and budget cuts if Congress fails to meet a set of mandatory spending targets and other fiscal goals aimed at reducing federal deficits. The plan would break the task of deficit reduction into four pieces: a tax code overhaul; discretionary spending cuts; changes to Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlements; and changes to Social Security, aides said.

17 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Arizona's waiver; next gen's 'different' Medicare?; individual mandate's constitutionality

There may be no federal obstacles to cutting 250,000 people out of AHCCCS, part of Gov. Jan Brewer's budget proposal. But there are compelling reasons to avoid such a drastic step if at all possible. And it's possible.

17 Feb 2011

Health law, budget plans examined, defended during Capitol Hill hearings

Across the Hill, oversight hearings were held to review specific provisions of the new health law and related waivers. In addition, administration officials took questions about some specifics within the president's budget blueprint. And the House Judiciary Committee approved a medical malpractice reform bill.

17 Feb 2011

More than 170 executives visit members of Congress to advocate for senior-friendly public policies

More than 170 executives from the senior living industry today visited with members of Congress to advocate for policies that will advance quality of life for America's seniors. The Assisted Living Federation of America facilitated the meetings and hosted a briefing about critical matters before Congress that could impact the future of senior living.

17 Feb 2011

CMS selects BWH to participate in Medicare Imaging Demonstration project

Brigham and Women's Hospital was selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as one of five conveners of a demonstration project that promotes appropriate utilization of advanced imaging services, CMS announced February 2, 2011.

17 Feb 2011

Senate finance leaders push for permanent Medicare 'doc fix'

Both Committee Chair Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Ranking Member Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, are pushing for an overhaul of Medicare's physician payment formula. Meanwhile, Baucus is not "ready to commit" to hold confirmation hearings for the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who has been re-nominated.

17 Feb 2011

Study: 35% of imaging costs ordered for defensive purposes

Nearly 35 percent of all the imaging costs ordered for 2,068 orthopaedic patient encounters in Pennsylvania were ordered for defensive purposes, according to a new study presented today at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

17 Feb 2011

Medicaid should stop paying more than Medicare for pharmacy benefits

To help reduce state Medicaid spending, the New York State Health Department yesterday proposed that the program's prescription drug benefits be managed more like those in Medicare and commercial plans. The Department's "Proposal to Redesign Medicaid" says this move would save state taxpayers $350 million though 2015.

17 Feb 2011

Can Obama, GOP find consensus on Medicare, Medicaid spending?

As criticism continues regarding President Barack Obama's budget plan, he acknowledged in a Tuesday speech that more needs to be done to resolve the nation's long-term budget problems and he signaled an interest in working toward a compromise with Republicans. Some GOP Senators responded by challenging Obama to begin such negotiations "swiftly."

17 Feb 2011

Omega fourth quarter net income decreases to $5.0 million

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. today announced its results of operations for the quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2010. The Company also reported Funds From Operations ("FFO") available to common stockholders for the three months ended December 31, 2010 of $28.4 million or $0.29 per common share.

17 Feb 2011

GOP presses on with CR budget cuts; Some health programs at risk

House Republican lawmakers are continuing work on ratcheting down spending in the current year continuing resolution to fund the federal government. Some discretionary health programs are feeling the heat.

17 Feb 2011

Arrests made in major Medicare fraud case

But CQ HealthBeat reports that the administration's top Medicare and Medicaid fraud buster told a Senate panel that the current-year spending plan being advanced by House Republicans could undermine the fed's efforts to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the health care system.

16 Feb 2011

New study finds racial disparities among elderly Americans in hospital readmissions

Elderly black patients were more likely to be readmitted to the hospital after a prior hospital stay for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health researchers.

16 Feb 2011

Only hope of future affordability is better utilization of health resources and teamwork among professionals

An article published this month in Canadian Chiropractor Magazine, co-authored by a health economist who had been instrumental in the evolution of Canada's Medicare system, argues that the only hope of future affordability is a better utilization of health resources and teamwork among professionals.

16 Feb 2011

NYU Langone one of 16 centers chosen to participate in American Joint Replacement Registry

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center has been chosen as one of only 16 centers across the country to participate in the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR). The AJRR is a national, independent, not-for-profit organization created to collect key joint replacement and revision data in order to better to monitor device performance and identify underperforming processes while providing information supporting best practices in safety, cost control and advances in technology.

16 Feb 2011

Racial disparities in readmissions related to both patient race and site of care

Elderly Medicare black patients have a higher 30-day hospital readmission rate for several conditions including congestive heart failure and pneumonia compared to white patients, that is related in part to higher readmission rates among hospitals that disproportionately care for black patients, according to a study in the February 16 issue of JAMA.

16 Feb 2011

Women, young people who experienced premium increase more likely to seek health care information

New findings by the Employee Benefit Research Institute show that women, younger individuals, and individuals who experienced an increase in either premiums or cost sharing are more likely to seek information on health care costs, quality, and access in order to make informed decisions. Additionally, people with a higher level of education are also more likely than those with less education to research information.

16 Feb 2011

NQF converts endorsed measures from paper-based format to electronic 'eMeasures'

The National Quality Forum announces the conversion of 113 NQF-endorsed measures from a paper-based format to an electronic "eMeasure" format.

16 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Budget disappointment; supporting CLASS Act; health law's Medicaid 'mess'

If fiscal sanity is to be restored, Americans need to be told the hard facts — not just that the national debt is out of control and that deficits can't go on and on, but that getting the nation's finances in order will require going everywhere in the budget: domestic programs, defense spending and the big entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that already consume three of every five dollars the government spends.

16 Feb 2011

New study finds 35% of imaging costs ordered for defensive purposes in Pennsylvania

16 Feb 2011

Medicare News and Research

Senate 'Gang of Six' develops deficit reduction framework

Viewpoints: Arizona's waiver; next gen's 'different' Medicare?; individual mandate's constitutionality

Health law, budget plans examined, defended during Capitol Hill hearings

More than 170 executives visit members of Congress to advocate for senior-friendly public policies

CMS selects BWH to participate in Medicare Imaging Demonstration project

Senate finance leaders push for permanent Medicare 'doc fix'

Study: 35% of imaging costs ordered for defensive purposes

Medicaid should stop paying more than Medicare for pharmacy benefits

Can Obama, GOP find consensus on Medicare, Medicaid spending?

Omega fourth quarter net income decreases to $5.0 million

GOP presses on with CR budget cuts; Some health programs at risk

Arrests made in major Medicare fraud case

New study finds racial disparities among elderly Americans in hospital readmissions

Only hope of future affordability is better utilization of health resources and teamwork among professionals

NYU Langone one of 16 centers chosen to participate in American Joint Replacement Registry

Racial disparities in readmissions related to both patient race and site of care

Women, young people who experienced premium increase more likely to seek health care information

NQF converts endorsed measures from paper-based format to electronic 'eMeasures'

Viewpoints: Budget disappointment; supporting CLASS Act; health law's Medicaid 'mess'

New study finds 35% of imaging costs ordered for defensive purposes in Pennsylvania

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