Medicaid News and Research

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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

Maine medical residents receive dental care training to address state dentist shortage

The New York Times on Tuesday examined how "[d]entists are in such short supply in Maine that primary care doctors who do their medical residency in the state are learning to lance abscesses, pull teeth and perform other basic dental skills through a program that began in 2005."

4 Mar 2009

Bill would limit Federal funding for Florida Medicaid pilot program

Florida Rep. Elaine Schwartz (D) has proposed a bill that seeks to limit the funding of a Medicaid pilot program that some say has led to delays in access to care, the AP/Miami Herald reports (AP/Miami Herald, 3/2).

4 Mar 2009

Sen. Baucus hopes to introduce comprehensive health reform legislation this summer

Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Tuesday said enacting comprehensive health reform this year is his "top priority," the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

4 Mar 2009

Rhode Island Governor drops Medicaid consultant plans

Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri (R) has canceled plans to hire a private consulting firm to lead the state's massive Medicaid overhaul under the so-called "global Medicaid waiver," and instead will use a team of state employees to provide oversight, the Providence Journal reports (Peoples, Providence Journal, 3/3).

4 Mar 2009

Federal health officials, prosecutors switch focus to physicians in illegal kickback cases

Federal health officials and prosecutors have begun to investigate physicians who receive money from drug and medical device makers for using their products, in an attempt to halt the illegal kickbacks, the New York Times reports.

4 Mar 2009

Impact of recession on hospitals

The median profit margin of U.S. hospitals has fallen to zero percent, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis of hospital finances published today.

2 Mar 2009

Regular screening for colorectal cancer remains effective in preventing and detecting disease early

As the nation marks National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the American Cancer Society is encouraging Americans to get lifesaving screening tests that have been proven to reduce the risk of the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women.

2 Mar 2009

Team-based diabetes care fetches more value for dollar

Diabetes patients undergoing team-based care do not save more in treatment costs under Medicare and Medicaid than other patients, but they are healthier, according to a recent study.

26 Feb 2009

United States files complaint against Forest Labs for allegedly violating the false claims act with Celexa and Lexapro

A Complaint was unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against a New York pharmaceutical company for alleged False Claims Act violations arising from the company's marketing the drugs Celexa and Lexapro for unapproved pediatric use and for paying kickbacks to induce physicians to prescribe the drugs.

25 Feb 2009

For psychiatric services, wait for the beep

Two-thirds of patients referred for psychiatric services following an emergency room visit are likely to reach only an answering machine when they call for help, compared to about 20 percent of patients calling medical clinics with physical symptoms.

25 Feb 2009

Women with diabetes before or during pregnancy at greater risk of depression

Low-income pregnant women and new mothers with diabetes have nearly twice the risk of experiencing depression during and after pregnancy than women without diabetes, according to a study in the February 25 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

24 Feb 2009

Having health insurance essential for people's health and well-being

The evidence shows more clearly than ever that having health insurance is essential for people's health and well-being, and safety-net services are not enough to prevent avoidable illness, worse health outcomes, and premature death, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine.

24 Feb 2009

Diabetes a risk factor for postpartum depression

Postpartum depression is a serious - and often undiagnosed - condition affecting about 10 to 12 percent of new mothers.

24 Feb 2009

34 percent of all Medicare Part D enrollees select Medicare Advantage plans for 2009

More than nine million people, or 34 percent of all Medicare Part D enrollees, currently receive their prescription drug benefit through Medicare Advantage plans with prescription drug coverage (MA-PD plans), says new analysis by Avalere Health.

24 Feb 2009

5-in-1 combo vaccine increases on-time immunization in children

A "5-in-1" combination vaccine increases the percentage of children receiving all recommended vaccinations at the scheduled time, reports a study in the February issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

11 Feb 2009

Most coordinated care programs for Medicare beneficiaries do not show benefit

Only 2 of 15 Medicare programs designed to improve care and costs for patients with chronic illnesses resulted in reduced hospital admissions, and none of the programs generated net savings, according to a study in the February 11 issue of JAMA.

10 Feb 2009

Minority health-care clinics separate but unequal

A study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine may shed new light on why minority Americans have poorer health outcomes from chronic conditions such as hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.

9 Feb 2009

Emergency physicians question antibiotic guidelines for pneumonia

A new study from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center that assessed emergency physicians understanding of time-based, antibiotic treatment guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) found that more than half believed they prescribed antibiotics needlessly in order to comply with guidelines.

8 Feb 2009

End-of-life care at hospitals varies for children with cancer

Though treatment of pain and attention to end-of-life care for pediatric cancer patients has improved over the last few decades, there is still work to be done.

5 Feb 2009

Study confirms persistence of diversity problems in academic medicine

A survey study believed to be one of the first efforts to put hard numbers around long-held beliefs about diversity in medical school faculties has affirmed that awareness and sensitivity to racial and ethnic diversity are believed by most faculty to be poor and even poorer among faculty who are members of underrepresented minorities.

2 Feb 2009