Home Care News and Research

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Highlights: Cuomo's plan for out-of-network charges runs into trouble; Federal agents seize patient records in Houston mental hospital

Today's news on local health policy issues comes from New York, Connecticut, Mississippi, Colorado, Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and Kansas.

27 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 27, 2012

Today's headlines include details of a new study finding that, as a result of the health law, consumers and businesses will receive an estimated $1.3 billion in rebates from insurance companies this year.

27 Apr 2012

State Medicaid programs scrutinized for fraud

With the federal government trying to cut costs and crack down on fraud, a congressional panel this week will set its sights on the Medicaid program, which last year paid out nearly $22 billion in error or fraudulent claims. The April 25 hearing by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is just the latest in a series that Congress has held recently targeting federal program that have high "error rates" in payments, such as Medicaid.

25 Apr 2012

Collective bargaining agreements mean public employee benefit changes in Conn., Wis.

Collective bargaining agreements are changing health plans in Connecticut and Wisconsin for home care workers, teachers and a police union -- which, if it was not granted an injunction from a judge, would have had to pay new deductibles and copays in Milwaukee.

24 Apr 2012

State roundup: Mo. bill would outlaw federal health law; Texas docs got unwarranted Medicare bonuses

The Missouri House thinks the dreaded federal health care reform law is a crime. Or at least a misdemeanor. Going even further than other state legislatures fighting the law, the Missouri state House has passed a bill declaring the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional and therefore "altogether void and of no force." Any federal worker who tries to implement it would be committing a misdemeanor.

24 Apr 2012

Study investigates why women have increased risk of home care admission

New research from Queen's University Belfast, published today in the journal Age and Ageing, has investigated why women are 40 per cent more likely to be admitted in to a care home than men.

20 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: The missing debate on women; The true cost of care; Fair wages for home health aides

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just reported that the nation's teen pregnancy rate is at an all-time low. Increased contraceptive use appears to have played a significant role in the decline. The Guttmacher Institute estimates that without Title X services, hundreds of thousands more teenagers would become pregnant every year. Why does GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney think eliminating the federal money for family planning - $327 million annually - is wise?

17 Apr 2012

Dementia burden on the Australian economy raises concerns

The report by the World Health Organization and Alzheimer's Disease International added that policy priorities should include raising awareness of the disease ensuring timely diagnosis. It estimates the global cost of dementia is more than $600 billion per year.

11 Apr 2012

States count health law dollars, brace for back-ups if overhaul struck down

In health law implementation news, Iowa gets federal grants for home care workers to visit families with children while Minnesota lawmakers brace for losing Medicaid dollars.

9 Apr 2012

O2 Concepts reaches full production on new portable oxygen concentrator

O2 Concepts has reached full production on its new state-of-the-art portable oxygen concentrator. The Oxlife Independence was designed for the PROVIDER by delivering the lowest lifecycle costs for today's declining reimbursement environment.

7 Apr 2012

Advice for getting coverage for an ER visit; Accessing lab results

In health care marketplace news, outlets examine coverage for emergency room visits and patients' efforts to get direct lab reports. Also, a new study finds that the health care workforce is continuing to grow.

7 Apr 2012

Study explores risk of re-hospitalization among stroke patients

Stroke patients receiving in-patient rehabilitation are more likely to land back in the hospital within three months if they are functioning poorly, show signs of depression and lack social support according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston. Hospital readmission for older adults within 30 days of discharge costs Medicare roughly $18 billion annually.

7 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 6, 2012

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including the Obama administration's response to a federal court about the Supreme Court's power.

6 Apr 2012

Ensign subsidiary acquires Zion's Way Home Health and Hospice

The Ensign Group, Inc., announced today that an Ensign subsidiary has acquired Zion's Way Home Health and Hospice, a well-regarded home health and hospice agency based in St. George, Utah, with branch offices in the cities of Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona. The acquisition was effective as of April 1, 2012.

3 Apr 2012

Staggering economic costs of autism will continue to rise

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced preliminary results of new research that estimates autism costs society a staggering $126 billion per year (U.S.) - a number that has more than tripled since 2006, and annually in the U.K. has reached more than -34 billion (equivalent to $54 billion U.S.).

30 Mar 2012

Cumulative negative impact of Medicare, Medicaid payment reductions on nursing facilities

Noting that sufficient levels of skilled nursing staff are essential to providing high quality care and reducing unnecessary, costly hospital readmissions, the new Spring 2012 Care Context health policy paper released today by the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (AQNHC), with analytic support from Avalere Health, examines the cumulative negative impact of Medicare and Medicaid payment reductions on nursing facilities (NFs).

29 Mar 2012

LivHOME introduces LivIndependa for older adults

LivHOME, Inc., one of the nation's largest providers of professionally led at-home care for seniors, today announced the launch of LivIndependa, a tablet-computer based remote care service for older adults.

29 Mar 2012

Roundup: Abortion-restriction bills stopped in Ga.; Minnesota can cut health care aide pay; Guidelines for Ore. coordinated care released

One of the most controversial bills this legislative session, that sought to put new restrictions on late-term abortions, was all but gutted Monday after a bipartisan coalition in the state Senate forced key changes. The original proposal would have cut by about six weeks the time women in Georgia may have an elective abortion. With the changes, it would now also include an exemption for "medically futile" pregnancies, giving doctors the option to perform an abortion when a fetus has congenital or chromosomal defects. The change hits at the heart of the controversy: Should fetuses once they hit 20 weeks be protected even if those protections mean women are forced to continue medically risky pregnancies?

28 Mar 2012

State highlights: Mass. enforcing individual mandate; Improving kids' dental coverage; Health 'navigators'

Getting the word out is half the battle, and the state is well into a $3 million media campaign ... [E]very adult must have insurance by December. If they don't and if the state determines that insurance was affordable for them, they will be fined $219 next year. The penalty increases substantially in 2009.

23 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: Health law's threat to individual liberty; Conflicting opinions on the constitutionality of the individual mandate

On Monday, the Supreme Court will begin an extraordinary three-day hearing on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. At stake are the Constitution's structural guarantees of individual liberty, which limit governmental power and ensure political accountability by dividing that power between federal and state authorities. Upholding ObamaCare would destroy this dual-sovereignty system, the most distinctive feature of American constitutionalism.

23 Mar 2012

Home Care News and Research

Highlights: Cuomo's plan for out-of-network charges runs into trouble; Federal agents seize patient records in Houston mental hospital

First Edition: April 27, 2012

State Medicaid programs scrutinized for fraud

Collective bargaining agreements mean public employee benefit changes in Conn., Wis.

State roundup: Mo. bill would outlaw federal health law; Texas docs got unwarranted Medicare bonuses

Study investigates why women have increased risk of home care admission

Viewpoints: The missing debate on women; The true cost of care; Fair wages for home health aides

Dementia burden on the Australian economy raises concerns

States count health law dollars, brace for back-ups if overhaul struck down

O2 Concepts reaches full production on new portable oxygen concentrator

Advice for getting coverage for an ER visit; Accessing lab results

Study explores risk of re-hospitalization among stroke patients

First Edition: April 6, 2012

Ensign subsidiary acquires Zion's Way Home Health and Hospice

Staggering economic costs of autism will continue to rise

Cumulative negative impact of Medicare, Medicaid payment reductions on nursing facilities

LivHOME introduces LivIndependa for older adults

Roundup: Abortion-restriction bills stopped in Ga.; Minnesota can cut health care aide pay; Guidelines for Ore. coordinated care released

State highlights: Mass. enforcing individual mandate; Improving kids' dental coverage; Health 'navigators'

Viewpoints: Health law's threat to individual liberty; Conflicting opinions on the constitutionality of the individual mandate

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