Medicare News and Research

RSS

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week declared to honor work of PPMD

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a resolution declaring the week of May 24, 2010 as "Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week" to help honor the work of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, the largest non-profit organization in the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

15 May 2010

GOP launches new challenge to health law with coordinated messaging

Republicans are starting a new bid to undermine Democratic attempts at touting a new health law. The GOP effort includes attacks on both President Barack Obama's pick to run Medicare and on claims that implementation is going smoothly.

15 May 2010

FDA grants tentative approval for Teva's Cinacalcet HCl Tablets ANDA

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted tentative approval for the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Cinacalcet HCl Tablets 30, 60 & 90 mg.

15 May 2010

Democrats weary of health changes, mull new health bills, 'doc fix'

Democrats are feeling health care "fatigue" and are doubting that Congress will consider any more health-related legislation this year. "Measures in jeopardy include bills that would require more information on healthcare prices, empower federal regulators to sign off on premium increases and strip insurers of their exemption from anti-trust laws."

15 May 2010

Obama administration cracks down on health care fraud

Modern Healthcare: "The government's efforts to rein in Medicare fraud and abuse recovered $2.5 billion for the program in fiscal 2009, up 29% from $1.9 billion the previous year, according to a new annual report. ... The $2.5 billion collected in fiscal 2009 is attributed to judgments and settlements in previous years as well as 2009, according to the report of the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program.

14 May 2010

Convergent procedure promising for longstanding persistent atrial fibrillation

nContact Surgical, Inc. announced today the presentation of data collected from 43 patients as a result of a closed chest convergent atrial fibrillation (AF) procedure at the Heart Rhythm Society 2010 Conference in Denver, Colorado.

14 May 2010

First Edition: May 14, 2010

Today's headlines suggest that, even as congressional Democrats appear to be suffering from "health reform fatigue" and shying away from other health-related legislation, the G.O.P. is applying newfound vigor and skepticism to the White House's pick to head the agency that runs Medicare and to the administration's claims that the implementation phase of reform is going smoothly.

14 May 2010

Ambulance fees will deter emergency calls for help and risks lives: Study

Multiple data sources, including scientific survey data, medical studies and analyses of data in regions that have imposed ambulance fees, indicate that ambulance fees will discourage calls to emergency services for help, risking the health and safety of those experiencing medical emergencies.

14 May 2010

Off-label use of AAs among elderly associated with increased risk of diabetes: Study

A new study yields important new evidence that the use of atypical antipsychotics among the elderly for off-label purposes is associated with increased risk of developing diabetes.

14 May 2010

Guidelines for reducing risk of falling among older adults

Falling down is hazardous to a senior citizen's health, yet fewer than half of all seniors see a doctor after a fall. And those who don't seek medical attention are far less likely to engage in any of the six widely recommended activities - such as a review of their medications or getting a cane or walker - that might prevent repeated falls, according to a new policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

14 May 2010

Senate bill offered to allow young adults to stay on parents' FEHBP; Clock ticks on next round for Medicare physician pay fix

This week a senator followed House lawmakers' lead by introducing a bill that would let the children of federal employees remain on their parents' health insurance until age 26, starting this year. Under the health reform law President Obama signed in March, the cutoff age would have increased from 22 to 26 in January 2011 for Federal Employees Health Benefits Program participants, due to laws that prevent the Office of Personnel Management from making midyear changes.

14 May 2010

Increase in use of imaging scans underscores need for evidence-based protocols in cancer care

New research showing a more than 30 percent annual increase in the use of high-tech imaging scans in older cancer patients underscores the need for evidence-based protocols in cancer care, said MedSolutions, a leading provider of medical management services.

14 May 2010

Health reform implementation issues: Emergency room costs, consumer websites and small business questions

Kaiser Health News: The new health reform law guarantees insurance companies must cover emergency care for their beneficiaries at hospitals in- or out-of-network at the same rate. "The law also bars health plans from requiring prior authorization for emergency services. And it mandates that plans follow the 'prudent layperson' rule.

14 May 2010

Studies explore geography's influence on medical practice, spending

Reuters: "Doctors in some parts of the United States are more likely to tell Medicare patients they are sick than in other parts, researchers said on Wednesday in a finding that could explain regional differences in health spending. The study is the latest from the Dartmouth Atlas Project, which [has uncovered] wide differences in spending by region, a finding that became a touchstone in the debate about the need for healthcare reform in the United States."

14 May 2010

New England Journal offers perspectives on health law

The New England Journal of Medicine dedicates a significant amount of its current issue to research and perspectives on the new health reform law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is abbreviated as ACA (5/12).

14 May 2010

Insight Imaging third-quarter revenues decrease 12.9% to $46.4 million

InSight Health Services Holdings Corp. today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended March 31, 2010.

14 May 2010

Osteoporosis screening of women increased from 34% in 2001 to 64% in 2006: AHRQ

The proportion of women age 65 and over on Medicare who said that they had been screened for osteoporosis increased from 34 percent in 2001 to 64 percent in 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

14 May 2010

GOP launches attacks on CMS nominee Berwick

Republicans have begun attacking Donald Berwick, a doctor and Harvard professor nominated to head the Obama administration's Medicare and Medicaid agency, The Boston Globe reports. If confirmed, Berwick would run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an agency with 4,500 employees and an annual budget of $780 billion.

14 May 2010

Insight Imaging signs definitive agreement to acquire eight imaging centers for $8.5M

InSight Health Services Holdings Corp. today announced that it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire eight imaging centers in the Phoenix, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, and Las Cruces, New Mexico areas from subsidiaries of MedQuest, Inc. and Novant Health, Inc., for a total purchase price of approximately $8.5 million.

14 May 2010

Federal officials say crackdown on Medicare fraud recovers $2.5 billion

The Associated Press: "The government says it recovered $2.5 billion in overpayments for the Medicare trust fund last year as the Obama administration focused attention on fraud enforcement efforts in the health care industry. Investigators have new tools this year to help crack down on health care fraud, with the Justice Department and the Health and Human Services Department working cooperatively to police companies.

14 May 2010