Medicare News and Research

RSS

Studies suggest ways to prevent post-surgical infections in hospitals

Two new studies are suggesting relatively simple ways in which hospitals can prevent many post-surgical infections by killing bacteria the patients themselves bring in, according to Monday's New York Times.

13 Jan 2010

Health care bill not as positive for seniors as stated, says TSCL

Health care reform legislation could be worse for America’s seniors than the Administration and Congressional leaders are publicly stating, according to The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), one of the nation’s largest nonpartisan seniors advocacy organizations.

13 Jan 2010

Medicare pay irks physicians, leaves some patients stranded

Doctors' payments through the Medicare program are scheduled to be lowered by 21 percent in March, prompting some physicians to drop Medicare patients or refuse taking on new ones, The Columbus Dispatch reports.

13 Jan 2010

Budget and cost issues continue to plague states

The (San Luis Obispo) Tribune News: In California, local programs will be hit hard under Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed cuts to plug a $20 billion budget gap. "In-Home Supportive Services would be cut entirely. Medi-Cal would be limited and participants would be called upon to share more of the costs"

13 Jan 2010

Labor leaders confront Obama on 'Cadillac' tax proposal

Labor leaders were invited to the White House to discuss negotiations to merge the House- and Senate-passed health overhaul packages.

12 Jan 2010

Miami resident pleads guilty to conspiring in Medicare fraud program

Miami resident Ingrid Mazorra pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Terrence I. Berg of the Eastern District of Michigan; Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI's Detroit Field Office; and Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS).

12 Jan 2010

Skeptics question health overhaul savings, cost-controls

USA Today reports that independent analysts are increasingly questioning whether the long-term savings promised in the health care bills being considered by Congress are realistic.

12 Jan 2010

Health bill negotiators consider applying Medicare tax to investment income, WSJ reports

News outlets explore some of the unsettled and sticky policy questions - such as what taxes might pay for it, and whether mandates to buy coverage should be included - in the health overhaul legislation.

12 Jan 2010

First Edition: January 12, 2010

Today's news coverage details developments related to pending health reform plans with President Obama's meeting with organized labor regarding the 'Cadillac' tax claiming a lot of headlines.

12 Jan 2010

Quantros' application for fulfilling complex reporting requirements of MMSEA Section 111

Quantros announces the availability of MMSEA Manager, an application facilitating the online reporting of claims data required by CMS for Medicare clients who are part of a lawsuit and/or an ongoing medical payment or settlement. Testing and optional submission of MMSEA claim input files began January 1, 2010, with mandatory submission beginning April 1, 2010. The application is the latest addition to the Quantros Safety and Risk Management (SRM) product family.

12 Jan 2010

U.S. physicians can receive interest-free loan from Ingenix to license and implement CareTracker EHR

Ingenix today introduced a package that includes interest-free financing, health information technology (HIT) services and performance guarantees to help physicians integrate HIT into their practices.

12 Jan 2010

New GAO report shows price increase for brand-name drugs doubles from 2000 to 2008

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that finds “extraordinary price increases” for brand-name drug products from 2000 – 2008 was largely fueled by the “lack of therapeutically equivalent drugs” and “limited competition,” underscores the need for policymakers to promote policies in health reform which increase competition and lower costs, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) said today.

12 Jan 2010

Notice of Proposed Rule Making moves healthcare industry closer to securing ARRA stimulus payments

NextGen Healthcare Information Systems, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Quality Systems, Inc. and a leading provider of healthcare and connectivity solutions, today commented that the Notice of Proposed Rule Making issued last week on electronic health record (EHR) incentive programs moves the healthcare industry closer to securing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus payments for healthcare IT adoption.

12 Jan 2010

American Lung Association releases State of Tobacco Control 2009 report

The American Lung Association today released its State of Tobacco Control 2009 report, which grades the strength of federal and state laws to protect citizens from tobacco-caused illnesses.

12 Jan 2010

MEDecision to deliver Alineo and Nexalign to AFMC

MEDecision, Inc., a leading provider of collaborative health care management solutions, today announced that it will deliver its Alineo® collaborative health care management platform and Nexalign® collaborative health care information exchange service to the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC).

12 Jan 2010

Insurance mandates spark GOP fight while proposed insurance pools, abortion issues are examined

The Wall Street Journal: "As congressional Democrats try to iron out differences in the House and Senate health-care bills, Republicans are attacking the legal premise of the legislation, saying Congress has no power to make people carry health insurance or pay a penalty or tax." The article also notes that some experts say the provision — if passed — could become fodder for a constitutional challenge on congressional authority.

12 Jan 2010

U.S. changes HIV policy to allow foreigners with virus to enter

Los Angeles Times: "Last Monday, for the first time in 22 years, foreigners with HIV were legally allowed to enter the United States without their infection status being considered. Before that, even short-term visitors had to receive special permission — or lie on their visa application — to come here.

12 Jan 2010

AmerisourceBergen announces new programs for long term care and retail pharmacies

AmerisourceBergen, under its’ PRxO® Generics Solution, today announced a new program for long term care pharmacies and an expanded program for retail pharmacies. The new solutions are tailored to better meet customer needs as generic prescription demands continue to increase.

12 Jan 2010

Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger plans health cuts; news outlets report on Medicaid funding issues

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is planning cuts to health programs and has "warned more would come if the federal government does not increase program reimbursements," ModernHealthcare reports. "His $82.9 billion spending plan for fiscal 2010-11 includes $750 million in cuts to Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program. Prison medical care would be cut by $811 million under his plan." Schwarzenegger is seeking $1.8 billion more in Medicaid funds by raising California's match to the national average for the program — 57 percent (Vesely, 1/8).

12 Jan 2010

Lawmakers, public grapple with health care endgame

Many Democrats consider their health overhaul increasingly politically dicey now, but "are betting that the only thing worse than passing a bill many of them don't like is not passing one at all," the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

12 Jan 2010

Medicare News and Research

Studies suggest ways to prevent post-surgical infections in hospitals

Health care bill not as positive for seniors as stated, says TSCL

Medicare pay irks physicians, leaves some patients stranded

Budget and cost issues continue to plague states

Labor leaders confront Obama on 'Cadillac' tax proposal

Miami resident pleads guilty to conspiring in Medicare fraud program

Skeptics question health overhaul savings, cost-controls

Health bill negotiators consider applying Medicare tax to investment income, WSJ reports

First Edition: January 12, 2010

Quantros' application for fulfilling complex reporting requirements of MMSEA Section 111

U.S. physicians can receive interest-free loan from Ingenix to license and implement CareTracker EHR

New GAO report shows price increase for brand-name drugs doubles from 2000 to 2008

Notice of Proposed Rule Making moves healthcare industry closer to securing ARRA stimulus payments

American Lung Association releases State of Tobacco Control 2009 report

MEDecision to deliver Alineo and Nexalign to AFMC

Insurance mandates spark GOP fight while proposed insurance pools, abortion issues are examined

U.S. changes HIV policy to allow foreigners with virus to enter

AmerisourceBergen announces new programs for long term care and retail pharmacies

Calif. Gov. Schwarzenegger plans health cuts; news outlets report on Medicaid funding issues

Lawmakers, public grapple with health care endgame

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit 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