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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

Obama resubmits Berwick nomination to Senate, Kagan responds to health law concerns

President Obama on Monday submitted his nomination of Dr. Donald Berwick to head Medicare and Medicaid — "a move that comes two weeks after Obama bypassed Congress to put his stalled nominee in the post until the end of 2011," Roll Call reports. If Berwick is approved, he would have the job indefinitely instead of merely through 2011, a rule that is imposed when a recess appointment is used.

21 Jul 2010

Senate moves to extend unemployment benefits, no COBRA subsidy extension

The New York Times: "The Senate broke a stalemate on Tuesday over extending unemployment benefits for Americans who have been out of work for six months or more, voting to override Republican objections that the bill's costs would add to the federal deficit" (Hulse, 7/20).

21 Jul 2010

Gentiva preliminary second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297 million

Gentiva Health Services, Inc., a leading provider of home health and hospice services, today reported preliminary operating results for the second quarter ended July 4, 2010. A conference call to discuss these preliminary results will be held on July 21, 2010 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Time. The Company will issue its final 2010 second quarter and six months financial results on July 29, 2010.

21 Jul 2010

JHM, All Children's Hospital sign letter of intent to integrate

Johns Hopkins Medicine and All Children's Hospital & Health System of St. Petersburg, Fla., have signed a letter of intent to integrate. After appropriate due diligence is completed sometime later this year, ACH will join the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS) as a fully integrated member of JHM.

21 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 20, 2010

Today's headlines reflect more analysis and debate regarding continuing health reform implementation efforts.

20 Jul 2010

UnitedHealth Group second-quarter consolidated revenues increase 7% to $23.3 billion

UnitedHealth Group today reported second quarter results, including better-than-projected growth in Health Benefits and Health Services. Key performance metrics and costs were in line with or better than Company expectations.

20 Jul 2010

Policies that weaken ability of payers to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse must be rejected: PCMA

Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) President and CEO Mark Merritt issued the following statement today on the recent U.S. House Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies subcommittee vote to provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Inspector General, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Justice Department with $561 million for programs designed to combat fraud, waste, and abuse:

20 Jul 2010

Proactive Patient Outreach system, patient registry to improve care coordination, population health outcomes

Under the HITECH Act's final rules for meaningful use issued last week by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, physicians are required to demonstrate the ability to effectively report quality data, manage care coordination, engage patients and families, and improve population health in order to qualify for federal financial incentives.

20 Jul 2010

Kagan would consider health law recusal on a case-by-case basis

The Associated Press: "Responding to a final GOP challenge, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said Monday that she would weigh recusing herself from matters related to the new health care law on a case-by-case basis." The issue was raised as part of questions from Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans regarding "her involvement as solicitor general in defending the health law."

20 Jul 2010

International Health News: German hospitals worry over end of compulsory military service; Britain tops study on end-of-life care

The Wall Street Journal: German hospitals are worried that the end of compulsory military service could hurt their workforce as most young German men end up fulfilling their duties there and in other public-service venues. "Increasingly … conscription's main impact has little to do with military training at all.

19 Jul 2010

e-MDs selected for IFMC's HITREC Preferred Vendor List

e-MDs, an industry leader in the development and implementation of electronic health record (EHR) and practice management (PM) solutions, announced they have been chosen for the IFMC's Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (HITREC) Preferred Vendor List. The list represents the best products designed to help smaller practices and clinics achieve meaningful use of EHRs.

19 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 19, 2010

Today's headlines include the latest news regarding the politics of implementing health reform as well as developments from the international AIDS conference now underway in Vienna.

19 Jul 2010

Sen. Roberts lashes out at recess appointment of Berwick

"Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts is taking aim at President Barack Obama for making a recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick as the new head of the federal agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid," CNN reported.

19 Jul 2010

Businesses, states seek solutions to rising health insurance costs

News outlets, including The New York Times, reported on health insurance in light of the new law: "the country's biggest insurers are promoting affordable plans with reduced premiums that require participants to use a narrower selection of doctors or hospitals.

19 Jul 2010

AHRQ: 12M people with mental health, substance abuse problems visited emergency department in 2007

Nearly 12 million visits made to U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2007 involved people with a mental disorder, substance abuse problem, or both, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. This accounts for one in eight of the 95 million visits to emergency departments by adults that year.

17 Jul 2010

New Jersey District Court denies Teva's motion to overturn jury verdict in generic Protonix litigation

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey denied Teva's motion to overturn an April 23, 2010, jury verdict finding the patent in suit not invalid. The Court also denied Wyeth and Nycomed's request for FDA to reset the date of Teva's final approval to January 2011, based on the fact that Teva has patent defenses remaining at the District Court, including patent misuse.

17 Jul 2010

Medicaid directors worried over expansion, Indiana's says federal government is not giving enough guidance

The new health law calls for dramatic increase in Medicaid programs, the joint federal-state health coverage for low-income residents. Some state Medicaid directors say they are worried about how that expansion will work and some are complaining that they are not getting enough guidance from federal officials.

17 Jul 2010

DOJ-HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force charges 94 people for $251 million in false claims

Ninety-four people have been charged for their alleged participation in schemes to collectively submit more than $251 million in false claims to the Medicare program in the continuing operation of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in Miami; Baton Rouge, La.; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Detroit and Houston, announced Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, FBI Director Robert Mueller and Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of HHS.

17 Jul 2010

Aetna awards $75,000 grant to support Judge Glenda Hatchett's ParentPowerNow! anti-obesity program

Aetna announced today it will support Judge Glenda Hatchett's ParentPowerNow! anti-obesity program. "Parent Power Now!" is an online community of people interested in working together and learning more about parenting. Aetna has awarded a $75,000 grant and will provide health content for the ParentPowerNow! website, guest speakers to address healthy living on Judge Hatchett's live website radio program, and support for health events scheduled around the country.

17 Jul 2010

94 indicted in five-state crackdown on Medicare fraud

Law enforcement officers fanned out across five states Friday in what federal officials called the largest Medicare fraud bust ever conducted. Nearly 100 people were indicted in frauds that totaled $251 million.

17 Jul 2010

Medicaid News and Research

Obama resubmits Berwick nomination to Senate, Kagan responds to health law concerns

Senate moves to extend unemployment benefits, no COBRA subsidy extension

Gentiva preliminary second-quarter total net revenues increase 4% to $297 million

JHM, All Children's Hospital sign letter of intent to integrate

First Edition: July 20, 2010

UnitedHealth Group second-quarter consolidated revenues increase 7% to $23.3 billion

Policies that weaken ability of payers to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse must be rejected: PCMA

Proactive Patient Outreach system, patient registry to improve care coordination, population health outcomes

Kagan would consider health law recusal on a case-by-case basis

International Health News: German hospitals worry over end of compulsory military service; Britain tops study on end-of-life care

e-MDs selected for IFMC's HITREC Preferred Vendor List

First Edition: July 19, 2010

Sen. Roberts lashes out at recess appointment of Berwick

Businesses, states seek solutions to rising health insurance costs

AHRQ: 12M people with mental health, substance abuse problems visited emergency department in 2007

New Jersey District Court denies Teva's motion to overturn jury verdict in generic Protonix litigation

Medicaid directors worried over expansion, Indiana's says federal government is not giving enough guidance

DOJ-HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force charges 94 people for $251 million in false claims

Aetna awards $75,000 grant to support Judge Glenda Hatchett's ParentPowerNow! anti-obesity program

94 indicted in five-state crackdown on Medicare fraud

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