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Today's Opinions: Never-events, Medicare 'propaganda' and drug copays

According to the Labor Department, overall inflation has averaged about 2.5 percent annually, and prescription drug prices have gone up about 3.6 percent each year, over that time frame. Co-pays, though, have increased four times faster than inflation (Peter J. Pitts, 5/28).

29 May 2010

First Edition: May 28, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on efforts by federal officials to get more insurance plans to move early on coverage for young adults as well as congressional Democrats' struggle to pass legislation to extend the COBRA benefit subsidy and to prevent a scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians.

28 May 2010

New report showing nation's progress toward eliminating HAIs released

Today, we are releasing a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which shows our nation is making progress toward eliminating healthcare-associated infections that kill almost 100,000 Americans each year. The report today focuses on central line-associated bloodstream infections, serious infections that can cause death in hospitalized patients and an estimated $2.7 billion in added cost to the U.S. healthcare system.

28 May 2010

One-quarter of all hospital patients experience readmission for same conditions: AHRQ

Roughly one-quarter of all hospital patients were readmitted over a two-year period for the same conditions that prompted their initial hospitalization, according to the latest News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

28 May 2010

Quality Partners of Rhode Island equips healthcare providers with Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers

Quality Partners of Rhode Island, the state's Medicare Quality Improvement Organization, has equipped Ocean State nursing homes working to reduce pressure ulcers with copies of the Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers, a new reference resource.

28 May 2010

Uroplasty reports strong sales growth for Macroplastique in fourth-quarter 2010

Uroplasty, Inc., a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative proprietary products to treat voiding dysfunctions, today reported financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter and full year ended March 31, 2010. The results were highlighted by continued strong U.S. sales growth for Macroplastique and a reduction in operating and net loss compared to the prior year.

28 May 2010

Last defendant in 6-year Calif. Medicare fraud case sentenced

The Associated Press/San Jose Mercury News: A $15 million Medicare fraud case in California has ended as the last of 17 defendants was sentenced this week to 30 months in prison.

28 May 2010

Medicare brochure mailing draws GOP ire

Republicans are criticizing a taxpayer-funded brochure sent to 40.2 million Medicare beneficiaries explaining changes to the program under the new health law.

28 May 2010

Democrats scale back 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy in jobs bill

Without congressional action this week on a tax "extenders" and jobs bill, a number of benefits, including a subsidy for COBRA health insurance benefits for newly laid-off workers, will expire.

28 May 2010

Impact of Affordable Care Act on Medicare recipients discussed in Web chat

Marilyn Tavenner, acting administrator and chief operating officer of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and Caya Lewis, chief of staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will take part in a Web chat Wednesday, May 26, to discuss how America's Medicare recipients will benefit from the Affordable Care Act and discuss how it will reduce costs and give people more control over their health insurance.

27 May 2010

Guadalupe County Hospital to implement Phoenix's Total IT Solution featuring Medsphere's OpenVista EHR

Medsphere Systems Corporation, Phoenix Health Systems and Guadalupe County Hospital today announced Guadalupe's selection of Phoenix's Total IT Solution featuring Medsphere's OpenVista® electronic health record. Phoenix IT expertise paired with Medsphere's open-source EHR solution will enable this 10-bed Santa Rosa, N.M., acute-care hospital to secure federal stimulus support for health IT implementation while improving patient care.

27 May 2010

First Edition: May 27, 2010

Today's health policy headlines focus on a new study about the federal government's funding level for the high-risk pools set up in the new health law as well as congressional Democrats' ongoing struggle to pass legislation to extend the COBRA benefit subsidy and to prevent a scheduled cut in Medicare payments to physicians.

27 May 2010

CREST study data published in The New England Journal of Medicine

Data from the CREST (Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs. Stenting Trial) study were published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. In this trial, stenting and surgery had similar initial safety and longer-term outcomes for symptomatic and asymptomatic men and women. Adverse event rates of death, stroke and heart attack were also similar for both therapies.

27 May 2010

Aria Health joins other healthcare organizations nationwide to launch ACOs

Aria Health has joined 18 other healthcare organizations nationwide to launch Accountable Care Organizations, a collaborative effort designed to implement essential healthcare reforms to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care.

27 May 2010

Benefits of new health insurance reform law for Medicare recipients discussed in news conference

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Barbara Kennelly of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and Dr. Ben Williamowsky of Silver Spring, Md., a Medicare recipient, held a news conference today to discuss benefits of and misconceptions about the Affordable Care Act and Medicare.

27 May 2010

Democrats struggle to line up votes on bill containing 'doc fix,' COBRA subsidy extension

A jobs and benefits bill that would extend subsidies to help laid-off workers keep their health insurance and would avert payment cuts to Medicare doctors is still pending in Congress.

27 May 2010

Employers: Health insurance coverage to remain, but costs may rise

Business Insurance reports that, in the wake of health reform, 88 percent of employers "responding to a Towers Watson & Co. survey said they definitely or likely will continue providing coverage to employees. Just 3% said they are likely to drop coverage and instead pay the annual $2,000-per-full-time-employee penalty that starts in 2014.

27 May 2010

Feds crack down on health care fraud in California, Florida

The Sacramento Bee reports: "Three Sacramento-area residents are among 11 people, including five doctors, accused of participating in a Medicare fraud ring. ... From February 2006 through August 2008, the defendants are alleged to have operated three health-care clinics -- in Sacramento, Carmichael and Richmond -- that submitted more than $5 million in allegedly fraudulent claims to Medicare" (Locke, 5/25).

27 May 2010

Sen. McConnell blasts Medicare brochure touting health overhaul

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, is blasting the Obama administration for using flyers to tout the new health law to seniors, The Hill reports. "McConnell took offense to the flyers for saying the new law will 'preserve and strengthen' Medicare. And he pointed out that the Department of Health and Human Services lambasted private Medicare Advantage plans when they used similar communications to their members to raise concerns with the health reform law before it was passed" (Pecquet, 5/25).

27 May 2010

First Edition: May 26, 2010

Today's headlines detail the latest developments regarding legislation moving through Congress that would prevent scheduled cuts in Medicare physician payment and extend health insurance subsidies for unemployed people.

26 May 2010