Medicare News and Research

RSS

Medicaid news: Early expansion unlikely in Ohio, Florida disputes managed care

"A tight state budget will make an expansion of health care coverage for the poor and disabled unlikely in Ohio this year, an option given to states under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, the state's Medicaid chief said Thursday. ... it's unclear how many will use Medicaid to fill coverage gaps before 2014, when most of the health care provisions take effect. So far, only Connecticut and the District of Columbia submitted such proposals to the federal government."

21 May 2010

Overall proportion of hospital patients died after heart attack fell by 37%: AHRQ

The overall proportion of hospital patients who died in the hospital after a heart attack fell by 37 percent between 2000 and 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The rate fell from from 106 per 1,000 patients to 67 per 1,000 patients during the period

21 May 2010

Today's OpEds: Wyden on bipartisanship health reform; How to spend prevention funds; CLASS Act

I still think I had a pretty good idea for health reform — despite its rejection by significant Democratic and Republican leaders — but so did Bob Bennett. I was on the Senate floor three years ago when Bob walked across the center aisle to tell me he was willing to work with me on health reform (Sen. Ron Wyden, 5/21).

21 May 2010

Democrats push three-year Medicare 'doc fix' as part of larger tax bill

A proposal to stop planned payment cuts to Medicare doctors for three years is in a bill extending tax cuts and lengthening unemployment benefits.

21 May 2010

African-Americans, Hispanics less likely to meet MTM eligibility requirements: Study

Medicare's Part D prescription medication management program, also known as Medication Therapy Management, could be off limits to some of the patients who need it most — older African-Americans and Hispanics — a new study finds.

21 May 2010

First Edition: May 21, 2010

In today's headlines, legislation containing a Medicare pay 'fix' and an extension of the COBRA subsidy is moving toward House consideration.

21 May 2010

Universal American selects MedVentive's technology to enable increased collaboration among members, physicians

MedVentive announced today that Universal American Corp., a leading provider of Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D prescription drug plans, recently selected MedVentive's technology to enable increased collaboration among members, physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals as a way to improve member health and confidence - and reduce member cost.

21 May 2010

Aetna Foundation grants $331,133 for "Advancing Value-Based Purchasing in the U.S. Health System" project

As a nation we spend nearly $7,300 per person on health care each year - but are we getting the best possible value for our dollars? Exploring promising innovative approaches to getting high quality from health care purchases while ensuring that our annual $2.3 trillion in public and private health care spending is going as far as it should - in terms of top quality care, improved health outcomes and minimal waste - will be part of new work undertaken by the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform at Brookings and supported by the Aetna Foundation.

21 May 2010

Lawmakers agree to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare cuts and give states more money for Medicaid

Democratic committee leaders unveiled a tax extensions package today that would continue to allow laid-off employees "to get subsidies to buy health insurance through the COBRA program" and would also "spare doctors from a scheduled 21 percent cut in Medicare payments," The Associated Press reports. It would also give states money to cover Medicaid costs (Ohlemacher, 5/20).

21 May 2010

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Legal challenges to health reform; Medicare pay fix; California's budgetary 'Sophie's Choice'

We believe the reform law has been carefully framed to stay within constitutional bounds (5/19).

21 May 2010

Medicare to evaluate how beneficiaries used personal health records

The Department of Health and Human Services is preparing to evaluate a 17-month-old pilot program that has tested whether beneficiaries use personal health records (PHR) in Utah and Arizona, Modern Healthcare reports.

21 May 2010

AMGA calls for separate SGR pool for ACOs

Donald W. Fisher, PhD, CAE President and CEO of the American Medical Group Association (AMGA), today announced its policy stance on the pending Congressional action to address the Medicare sustainable growth rate formula (SGR) problem for physicians.

21 May 2010

Medicare 'doc fix' remains sticking point on tax legislation

CongressDaily: The Medicare reimbursement rate for doctors remains a point of contention on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers cautioned Wednesday that a five-year "fix," currently being bandied about in the House, is unlikely to survive Senate scrutiny, and Republicans, including Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, are demanding that any adjustment in doctor payments must be paid for.

21 May 2010

Ingenix TrendView solution helps companies better understand, manage employee medical costs

Ingenix is launching Ingenix TrendView, an affordable, easy-to-use desktop solution designed to help companies better understand and manage a critical expense category - employee medical costs. Ingenix TrendView provides graphical views of consolidated employee benefits usage, enables scenario modeling, and uncovers opportunities for reducing medical costs and improving employee health.

20 May 2010

Milliman's CareWebQI interactive software tools interfaced with TriZetto's CareAdvance Enterprise 4.6 application

Healthcare payors can now use Milliman's CareWebQI® interactive software tools within The TriZetto Group's CareAdvance Enterprise® 4.6 application. A newly developed interface embeds guideline-based decision-making in the CareAdvance™ application workflow.

20 May 2010

Employers must assess current and future retiree prescription benefit options: Medco Health Solutions

As the nation's healthcare system begins to understand and address the impact of the recently enacted healthcare reform legislation, employers must assess their current and future retiree prescription benefit options, according to executives from Medco Health Solutions, Inc. speaking to more than 700 clients at Medco's annual Drug Trend Symposium.

20 May 2010

First Edition: May 20, 2010

Today's news includes the lastest developments regarding the Medicare pay fix and continuing analysis regarding how health reform votes will play into the 2010 electoral landscape.

20 May 2010

Chronic kidney disease patients with depression have poorer health outcomes: Researchers

Patients with chronic kidney disease who have been diagnosed with depression are twice as likely to be hospitalized, progress to long-term dialysis treatments or die within a year as those who are not depressed, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

20 May 2010

CMS to spend $73 million over 5 years to improve public websites

Washington Business Journal: "The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has awarded Fairfax-based CGI Federal Inc. a five-year contract worth $73.2 million to continue its modernization, application management and maintenance efforts on three external websites that provide information to 44 million beneficiaries and millions more health care providers."

20 May 2010

KHN and WSJ reporters discuss health overhaul

Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey and The Wall Street Journal's Janet Adamy discussed the many ways the health overhaul law will affect health care consumers young and old, and especially people with Medicare coverage on NPR's Talk of the Nation yesterday.

20 May 2010

Medicare News and Research

Medicaid news: Early expansion unlikely in Ohio, Florida disputes managed care

Overall proportion of hospital patients died after heart attack fell by 37%: AHRQ

Today's OpEds: Wyden on bipartisanship health reform; How to spend prevention funds; CLASS Act

Democrats push three-year Medicare 'doc fix' as part of larger tax bill

African-Americans, Hispanics less likely to meet MTM eligibility requirements: Study

First Edition: May 21, 2010

Universal American selects MedVentive's technology to enable increased collaboration among members, physicians

Aetna Foundation grants $331,133 for "Advancing Value-Based Purchasing in the U.S. Health System" project

Lawmakers agree to extend COBRA benefits, delay Medicare cuts and give states more money for Medicaid

Today's Opinions and Editorials: Legal challenges to health reform; Medicare pay fix; California's budgetary 'Sophie's Choice'

Medicare to evaluate how beneficiaries used personal health records

AMGA calls for separate SGR pool for ACOs

Medicare 'doc fix' remains sticking point on tax legislation

Ingenix TrendView solution helps companies better understand, manage employee medical costs

Milliman's CareWebQI interactive software tools interfaced with TriZetto's CareAdvance Enterprise 4.6 application

Employers must assess current and future retiree prescription benefit options: Medco Health Solutions

First Edition: May 20, 2010

Chronic kidney disease patients with depression have poorer health outcomes: Researchers

CMS to spend $73 million over 5 years to improve public websites

KHN and WSJ reporters discuss health overhaul

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News