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Data from MiDAS I trial of mild for treatment of LSS to be released

Medical device company Vertos Medical, Inc. has announced the release of additional patient outcomes data from the MiDAS I trial, a prospective, 75-patient study of mild for the treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis. As presented at the Florida Society of Interventional Pain Physicians Annual Meeting in Orlando on May 23, investigators found that study participants reported statistically significant improvement in both their physical and mental well-being six weeks following the mild procedure.

24 May 2010

First Edition: May 24, 2010

Irene Wielawski writes for Kaiser Health News that electronic medical records may be as important as stethoscopes. "Dr. David Blumenthal was not happy to find a new computer installed on his desk when he showed up for work one morning eight years ago at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He knew the hospital had been hard at work on developing an electronic medical record system, but Blumenthal wasn't keen on changing practices that had served him and his patients just fine over the years.

24 May 2010

Research roundup: Lessons from Medicare Part D; Evaluating medical homes; Insuring young adults

Lessons Learned: Who Didn't Enroll In Medicare Drug Coverage In 2006, And Why? - With data from the 2005 and 2006 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, this study examines enrollment of those who were previously without either public or private sources of prescription drug coverage. The authors report "63 percent of all eligible seniors and 69 percent of low-income beneficiaries were enrolled in Part D in 2006.

24 May 2010

MediConnect Global renames PassportMD online portal to myMediConnect

MediConnect Global today announced that it has changed the name of its personal health record and consumer health portal, PassportMD, to myMediConnect.

24 May 2010

House poised to consider COBRA subsidy extension, Medicare payment 'fix'

Caught up in the congressional politics swirling around a pending tax bill are two proposals to extend — once again — subsidies for COBRA health insurance and a 'fix' of Medicare payments to doctors.

24 May 2010

Democrats moving to extend COBRA subsidy expansion through end of year

Tucked into a $190 billion jobs and tax bill the House plans to take up next week is an extension of the subsidy to help laid-off workers pay for COBRA health insurance benefits.

24 May 2010

Baucus: No guarantee of Berwick confirmation hearing by July 4

Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee "said Thursday he hopes to have a confirmation hearing on the nomination of Donald Berwick to become administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services before the Fourth of July recess.

24 May 2010

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

Medicare News and Research

Data from MiDAS I trial of mild for treatment of LSS to be released

First Edition: May 24, 2010

Research roundup: Lessons from Medicare Part D; Evaluating medical homes; Insuring young adults

MediConnect Global renames PassportMD online portal to myMediConnect

House poised to consider COBRA subsidy extension, Medicare payment 'fix'

Democrats moving to extend COBRA subsidy expansion through end of year

Baucus: No guarantee of Berwick confirmation hearing by July 4

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

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