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Access Scientific's PICC WAND receives FDA clearance

Access Scientific has received FDA clearance for The PICC WANDTM, which enables clinicians to insert a peelable sheath for PICC or Midline catheter placement using the new Accelerated Seldinger Technique (AST). The PICC WAND is an all-in-one safety introducer that addresses the over-wire vascular access market, valued at more than $1 billion, by providing faster, safer and simpler vascular access.

27 Jan 2010

Two former LA Medical Center owners to pay $10 million in Medicare fraud case

"The two former owners of City of Angels Medical Center will pay $10 million as part of a consent judgment over allegations that they performed unnecessary medical work on homeless people recruited from skid row shelters as part of a Medicare fraud scheme." Authorities alleged that the center would charge the government for the treatments (Grad, 1/26).

27 Jan 2010

Experts duel on plight of health reform and merits of specific provisions

NPR interviewed two leading health care experts - Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton professor, and Gail Wilensky, an economist who ran Medicare under the first President Bush - to shed light on the current plight of pending health care overhaul.

27 Jan 2010

CBO: Stimulus more expensive than expected, Medicare costs to double by 2020

A new Congressional Budget Office report "provides more ammunition for Republicans who say the stimulus has been long on spending and short on creating promised jobs," The Associated Press/ABC News reports. The report says the stimulus will cost $75 billion more than expected, because of increased unemployment, requirements for the food stamp program and the high popularity of an infrastructure bonds program. The report comes as Democrats consider a second stimulus bill that could include another extension of unemployment benefits, job creation tax credits and further help for jobless people to buy health coverage (Taylor, 1/26).

27 Jan 2010

Home health care fraud: Detroit-area physical therapist pleads guilty

Detroit-area resident Jessica Vigil pleaded guilty today for her role in a Detroit-area home health care fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara L. McQuade; Special Agent in Charge Andrew G. Arena of the FBI's Detroit Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Lamont Pugh III of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General's (HHS-OIG) Chicago Region.

27 Jan 2010

FedSources to host an InFocus Event on Healthcare Technology

FedSources, a Washington Management Group company, is hosting an InFocus Event on Healthcare Technology on Thursday, January 28, 2010.

27 Jan 2010

WellPoint announces net income of $2.7 billion for fourth-quarter fiscal 2009

WellPoint, Inc. today announced that fourth quarter 2009 net income was $2.7 billion, or $5.95 per share. The results included net after-tax income of approximately $2.2 billion, or $4.79 per share, resulting from a gain on the sale of the NextRx pharmacy benefit management subsidiaries ("NextRx"), partially offset by costs for restructuring activities and intangible asset impairments.

27 Jan 2010

Montana DPHHS approves Rethink Autism to provide services as part of Children's Autism Waiver

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has approved the use of Rethink Autism (http://www.rethinkautism.com), a web-based autism treatment platform, to provide services as part of the State's Children's Autism Waiver.

27 Jan 2010

Study finds regional hospitals often are better at preventing medical errors than academic centers

Some regional hospitals perform better than academic medical centers at preventing complications and infections that can lead to hospital deaths, Forbes reports. The article looks at the results of an annual study by HealthGrades, a hospital rating company, of Medicare data which found 269 hospitals around the country "with unusually low mortality and complications rates for 26 different procedures and diagnoses."

27 Jan 2010

White House mulling limits on scope of proposed health overhaul

The Wall Street Journal: "The White House, with its health-care initiative in doubt, on Sunday zeroed in on several elements it hoped would survive, including measures to extend the life of Medicare, lower prescription drug costs for seniors and cap consumers' out-of-pocket medical expenses."

27 Jan 2010

Study shows high-volume hospitals offer similar outcomes as high-quality hospitals

New research published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons finds that while popular hospital rating systems can help identify high-quality hospitals for cardiovascular operations, patients can achieve similar outcomes by seeking care at high-volume hospitals closer to home.

27 Jan 2010

CT colonography remains an effective colorectal cancer screening tool for older individual

Computed tomographic colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, remains effective in screening older patients for colorectal cancer (CRC), produces low referral for colonoscopy rates similar to other screening exams now covered by Medicare, and does not result in unreasonable levels of additional testing resulting from extracolonic findings, according to a study published in the February issue of Radiology.

27 Jan 2010

Lawmakers sound off on health bill: Pascrell, Mccain, Durbin, Hatch and Murphy

Rep. Bill Pascrell [D-N.J.] has called fellow Democrats 'arrogant' and referred to a key party talking point as 'BS.' He slammed deals cut by leadership and special interests and said, 'We're not going to accept that any longer.' Agitated and unfiltered, Pascrell has become the guy who's not afraid to go public with what many rank-and-file House Democrats have been saying behind closed doors.

27 Jan 2010

Budget realities are rippling through states' health institutions

The (Raleigh, N.C.) News-Observer: "The state's drug assistance program for HIV patients has been capped at its current enrollment, with budget cuts hitting at the same time more people need help, state officials said Monday." Because patients with HIV are more likely to spread the virus when not on medications, public health officials are worried about denying medications (Avery, 1/26).

27 Jan 2010

Doctors accepting medicare patients decline in rural Arizona

Doctors Accepting Medicare Patients Decline In Rural Arizona

27 Jan 2010

Care to Care granted license to manage outpatient diagnostic imaging services in Virginia

Care to Care, a radiology benefits management company, has been granted a license by the Virginia Department of Health to manage outpatient diagnostic imaging services in the State of Virginia as a Private Review Agent (PRA).

27 Jan 2010

APHA urges Congress to press ahead and send comprehensive health reform legislation to the president

The American Public Health Association today urged Congress to press ahead and send comprehensive health reform legislation to the president in the coming weeks.

27 Jan 2010

Democratic leaders still pondering reconciliation pros and cons for health bill

Congressional Democrats are facing a critical decision about whether to use the procedural maneuver known as budget reconciliation to pass a health care reform bill, The New York Times reports.

27 Jan 2010

Commissions to examine paring costs from Medicaid, Medicare

Medicaid payments are coming under review by a new commission, American Medical News reports. "MACPAC was created by a provision of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, signed by President Obama in February 2009. The act instructs the panel to examine the effect of Medicaid pay and other factors on the access and quality of care received by Medicaid and CHIP enrollees." Kaiser Family Foundation executive Diane Rowland will chair the panel. The panel has not yet gained federal funding (Trapp, 1/25).

27 Jan 2010

Doctors delay talking about end-of-life care

A study published this month finds doctors delay talking about end-of-life care, which often proves very costly. The Los Angeles Times reports: "Most doctors don't talk about end-of-life issues with their cancer patients when those patients are feeling well, a new survey has found." Physicians also tended to delay these conversations "until treatments have been exhausted. Those delays mean patients might not be able to make truly informed choices early in their treatment.

27 Jan 2010