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Ga. couple allegedly took Medicare, Medicaid payments while patients were shorted food, medicine

The Atlanta Journal Constitution: "George D. Houser, 62, and his wife, 46-year-old Rhonda Washington Houser, were arraigned Friday on charges of conspiring to defraud the Medicare and Georgia Medicaid programs. George Houser also faces charges for allegedly failing to pay payroll taxes to the IRS and file personal income tax returns."

20 Apr 2010

Free Rite Aid wellness+ customer rewards program

Rite Aid customers and patients nationwide now can sign up for Rite Aid's new wellness+ customer rewards program that provides members with free health and wellness benefits, as well as shopping discounts and special prices. The program will be supported by a national television, radio, circular and digital advertising campaign.

20 Apr 2010

Rudd offers more funding for health overhaul

With the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in talks with the state and territory leaders in Canberra at Parliament House the country waits to see the result of the discussions on the health reforms. The Premiers of Western Australia, Colin Barnett and Victoria, John Brumby, have both been fighting against the federal government’s desire to take away their GST money. At the same time the New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally has been asking for a sustainable health system plan that does not affect the tax payers.

20 Apr 2010

Atherotech to showcase VAP Cholesterol Test at Internal Medicine 2010

Atherotech Inc. announced it will exhibit its VAP® Cholesterol Test in booth #1305 at Internal Medicine 2010, the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP). The meeting takes place April 22-24, 2010, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Canada.

20 Apr 2010

Health law hits consumers, companies in complex ways

News outlets report on the new health law's impact on various segments of the population, including the self-employed, small business owners and seniors.

20 Apr 2010

Panel to save Medicare costs irks lawmakers

A Medicare panel meant to help lawmakers make tough choices about cutting costs in the program has drawn bipartisan ire, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports.

20 Apr 2010

Obama camp, industry shift from political battle to implementation focus

President Barack Obama's administration is shifting its focus from the politics of the health overhaul to the work of implementing it, which officials may pursue even more quickly than required by the law, The New York Times reports. Top health officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, White House adviser Pete Rouse, and Obama's health care lobbyist Nancy-Ann DeParle will all play central roles in implementing the law.

20 Apr 2010

White House officially names Berwick as pick to head CMS

"President Barack Obama has nominated Harvard medical professor Donald Berwick to oversee Medicare and Medicaid. Obama had signaled his plans in March and made them official Monday." The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate (4/19).

20 Apr 2010

Michigan medical equipment suppliers unhappy about Medicare competitive bidding

Crain's Detroit Business: A regulatory change by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "could put a crimp on hospital-based medical home product subsidiaries and hundreds of other Michigan-based vendors," an industry that has been growing.

19 Apr 2010

Ontario hospital representatives meet to set prices for hospital clinical services

200 representatives from 65 Ontario hospital corporations represented by CUPE meet in Thunder Bay from Monday through Wednesday. On their agenda is the plan announced in the Throne Speech to set prices for hospital clinical services and tender those services to the lowest bidder.

19 Apr 2010

End-of-life care documentation helps in emergency treatment decisions

When Heather Rubesch was a teenager, her aunt died in need of a kidney transplant. In later family discussions, Heather's mother, Linda, expressed some of her views about end-of-life care—for instance, her belief in organ donation.

19 Apr 2010

Organogenesis to showcase study results of Apligraf product at SAWC / WHS 2010

Organogenesis, Inc. will have a substantial presence at the 23rd Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society being held April 17-20 in Orlando, FL. Results from several clinical and scientific studies will be presented which will further the understanding of Organogenesis' bilayered living cellular construct technology.

19 Apr 2010

Health Net of Arizona to sponsor 2010 March for Babies event

Health Net of Arizona is proud to sponsor the 2010 Arizona March of Dimes - March for Babies. For over 25 years, Health Net has supported the March of Dimes in its mission.

19 Apr 2010

Health insurance roundup: N.Y.'s high costs, COBRA concerns, high-risk pools

News outlets are covering various aspects of the health insurance industry, especially in light of health reform.

19 Apr 2010

Access to NAbs testing important for MS therapy management

Teva Neuroscience today announced results at the 62nd American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting which demonstrated that eliminating barriers to neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) testing significantly impacted multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment choices in patients receiving interferon beta (IFNβ) therapies.

17 Apr 2010

HHS and CMS announce grants to improve enrollment of eligible AI/AN uninsured children in Medicaid and CHIP

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced grants to 41 health programs operated by the Indian Health Service; tribes and tribal organizations; and urban Indian organizations. The grants will help improve outreach and enrollment of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) uninsured children eligible for, but not enrolled in, their state's Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

17 Apr 2010

Miami resident pleads guilty to role in fraudulent medical testing scheme

Miami resident Hans Lobato pleaded guilty today to engaging in a fraudulent medical testing scheme, announced the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS).

17 Apr 2010

Open-heart surgery brings life back to 7-year-old boy

A 7-year-old boy who was brought to the United States to have his congenital heart defect repaired had successful open-heart surgery Thursday at the Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento by pediatric cardiothoracic surgeon Teimour Nasirov, M.D., and assisted by Mohan Reddy, M.D., an internationally renowned pediatric heart surgeon from Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

17 Apr 2010

State round-up: Penn. Medicare advantage; N.J. cuts immigrant care; Hospitals face hardships

Independence Blue Cross has lost 30 percent of its Medicare managed-care members in the region this year in the wake of federal government rate cuts as its major competitors saw enrollment gains. The cuts came after the Philadelphia insurer eliminated some product offerings for senior adults and raised rates for others.

17 Apr 2010

SNM continues to stress the need for Congress to implement long-term fix

On April 16, the President signed a bill granting temporary relief from looming cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates. Although a positive step, the medical community-along with millions of patients-continues to face significant threats to medical coverage for critical diagnostic imaging tests and therapeutics.

17 Apr 2010