Medicare News and Research

RSS

IHCIA made permanent as part of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Indian Health Care Improvement Act, the cornerstone legal authority for the provision of health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives, was made permanent when President Obama signed the bill on March 23, as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

27 Mar 2010

Health reform brings significant changes to Medicare, Medicare Advantage

As part of a series, "The Five Keys To Health Reform's Success Or Failure," Time writes: "Fiddling with Medicare is not for the faint of heart. ... But if there are to be far-reaching changes in the way medicine is practiced in this country, Medicare will have to drive them. ... 'Medicare has to go first,' says Len Nichols, director of the Center for Health Policy Research and Ethics at George Mason University.

27 Mar 2010

Pelosi signs final health bill, sends to President Obama

On her 70th birthday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed the health care reform reconciliation bill and sent it to President Obama for his signature.

27 Mar 2010

Young doctors shifting away from private practice, primary care shortage persists

News outlets report on changes in the practice of medicine and what health reform means for primary care doctors.

27 Mar 2010

Research Roundup: Middle class health cost burden, disparities and cancer, summary of new health law

The Growing Financial Burden Of Health Care: National And State Trends, 2001-2006 - This paper examines the ratio of total out-of-pocket spending for health care and insurance to total family income, using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys for 2001-2006.

26 Mar 2010

Proposed Medicaid, Medicare cuts threaten seniors' long term care needs in Texas

State and national long term care leaders warned today that the new round of cuts to Medicaid-funded nursing home care now being considered by Austin policymakers places seniors' care in direct jeopardy, puts key facility jobs at substantial risk, and undermines the economic stability facilities require to continue the provision of quality care to Texas' most vulnerable seniors and persons with disabilities.

26 Mar 2010

Ease of information capture and recordkeeping will help enable smoother transition to EHR systems

The proven ability of the medical transcription sector to deliver innovative, physician-friendly, and cost-effective solutions to the challenges of electronic health record (EHR) adoption will be the message taken to Capitol Hill by members of the Association for Healthcare Documentation Integrity (AHDI) and the Medical Transcription Industry Association (MTIA) for the organizations’ fifth-annual Advocacy Summit on March 24 in Washington, DC.

26 Mar 2010

AAPMedicine: Healthcare Reform legislation will benefit people with chronic and acute pain

In response to the healthcare reform legislation that was signed into law this week, the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in a statement released today, voiced its strong support of certain components of the reform legislation that will "improve the quality of life for people who suffer with chronic and acute pain."

26 Mar 2010

Final healthcare votes: Congressman Chaka Fattah releases statement

"However you keep time – almost a century since healthcare legislation was first proposed, 17 years since contentious debate began in the Congress, 16 months since President Obama won landslide election on the mandate of healthcare reform, and a climactic week of late-night votes -- we can finally say: the time is NOW for the reality of reform to begin.

26 Mar 2010

athenahealth, Sermo release results from Physician Sentiment Index

athenahealth, Inc., a leading provider of internet-based business services to physician practices, and Sermo, the world’s largest online community for physicians today, released results from a first-of-its-kind “Physician Sentiment Index SM”.

26 Mar 2010

Medical conditions put seniors at high risk of unsubsidized medical prescription expenses

If you're older, a woman, and suffering from either dementia or diabetes, you are the most likely to be exposed to unsubsidized medication costs in the US. This is known as the coverage gap for enrollees of Medicare Part D - the US federal program which subsidizes the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries.

26 Mar 2010

CWA's statement on Senate passage of Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act

With today’s votes by the Senate and House, the decades-long struggle to make health care accessible, affordable and available to all has been achieved. CWA commends House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and all members of Congress who supported this effort for their determination to move forward on real health care reform.

26 Mar 2010

Oculus Innovative Sciences introduces Microcyn Dermatology HydroGel in the U.S.

Oculus Innovative Sciences, Inc., a commercial medical technology company that designs, produces and markets safe and effective tissue care products based upon the Microcyn® Technology platform, today commercially introduced the Microcyn Dermatology HydroGel for the U.S. professional healthcare market.

26 Mar 2010

HealthWell applauds lawmakers for passing historic health care reform bill

The HealthWell Foundation, a national nonprofit that helps underinsured Americans afford their medical treatments, applauds lawmakers for passing the historic health care reform bill this week. While the bill extends coverage to millions of uninsured people, it does not adequately address the problem of the underinsured -- people who have health insurance but not enough coverage to afford the care they need. It may even increase the number of people in this underserved group.

26 Mar 2010

Overhaul will affect other economic sectors, not just health care

Health-overhaul legislation signed into law this week will affect not only America's health care industry, but the broader economy, too, The Christian Science Monitor reports. The overhaul could help create jobs. "But the legislation also means tax hikes, mainly on the highest-income Americans. And provisions designed to curb healthcare costs probably aren't strong enough to put a big dent in medical inflation - or federal budget deficits" (Trumbull, 3/24).

26 Mar 2010

GOP forces second house vote on health reconciliation bill

Senate Republicans found a way to force a second House vote on a health reform reconciliation bill after identifying parliamentary flaws, including one in the calculation of a student loan provision.

26 Mar 2010

It's over: House passes last piece of landmark health reform, 220-207

Politico: "Congress completed its work Thursday night on the broadest social legislation in almost a half-century, as the House capped the year-long legislative saga over health reform by signing off on a package of fixes to the newly minted law. In the end, the titanic battle over remaking the American health care system drew to a close on a pair of votes drained of suspense - after the Senate approved the clean-up bill earlier Thursday. The House approved the clean-up bill, 220 to 207" (Budoff Brown, 3/25).

26 Mar 2010

Palex Medical to distribute Genomic Health's Oncotype DX breast cancer test in Spain and Portugal

Genomic Health, Inc. today announced that the company has entered into an exclusive agreement with Palex Medical S.A., one of Europe's leading distributors of medical device and diagnostic services to hospitals, to distribute its Oncotype DX® breast cancer test in Spain and Portugal. The distribution agreement, announced in conjunction with positive data presented today at the 7th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC), further expands the global presence of Oncotype DX, providing for increased physician and patient access to this advanced diagnostic test in the European market.

26 Mar 2010

Medicare Roundup: Changes from health reform, payments for HIV patients

USA Today: "Perhaps the biggest factor in whether your Medicare costs will rise or fall depends on your Medicare plan. There are two: a traditional Medicare plan run by the federal government and Medicare Advantage, which is run by private insurance companies. Medicare Advantage costs more than the traditional plan, but provides more generous benefits.

26 Mar 2010

Medicare pay cut for doctors still looms at end of month

"A health care overhaul may now be in place, but a pay cut for Medicare reimbursements to physicians looms again at the end of the month, and the president-elect of the American Medical Association said Wednesday that doctors are continuing to pursue a permanent fix for the system," CQ Health Beat reports.

26 Mar 2010

Medicare News and Research

IHCIA made permanent as part of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Health reform brings significant changes to Medicare, Medicare Advantage

Pelosi signs final health bill, sends to President Obama

Young doctors shifting away from private practice, primary care shortage persists

Research Roundup: Middle class health cost burden, disparities and cancer, summary of new health law

Proposed Medicaid, Medicare cuts threaten seniors' long term care needs in Texas

Ease of information capture and recordkeeping will help enable smoother transition to EHR systems

AAPMedicine: Healthcare Reform legislation will benefit people with chronic and acute pain

Final healthcare votes: Congressman Chaka Fattah releases statement

athenahealth, Sermo release results from Physician Sentiment Index

Medical conditions put seniors at high risk of unsubsidized medical prescription expenses

CWA's statement on Senate passage of Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act

Oculus Innovative Sciences introduces Microcyn Dermatology HydroGel in the U.S.

HealthWell applauds lawmakers for passing historic health care reform bill

Overhaul will affect other economic sectors, not just health care

GOP forces second house vote on health reconciliation bill

It's over: House passes last piece of landmark health reform, 220-207

Palex Medical to distribute Genomic Health's Oncotype DX breast cancer test in Spain and Portugal

Medicare Roundup: Changes from health reform, payments for HIV patients

Medicare pay cut for doctors still looms at end of month

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd Edition) 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