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Costs to government, consumers remain unclear in finance bill

The effect of a health overhaul on the country's finances is hard to predict. The Congressional Budget Office, the official scorekeeper for new legislation's price tag, tends to miss the mark on bigger bills, the office's director said, Bloomberg reports.

25 Sep 2009

GOP threatens to block health nominees over insurer "gag order"

"The Senate's top Republicans say they won't allow President Barack Obama to fill health posts until his administration stops barring insurers from telling seniors about Democrats' plans to overhaul the health care system," The Associated Press reports. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Republicans demanded that the "gag order" against insurers be lifted.

25 Sep 2009

Health policy research roundup

In this brief, researchers analyze the cost burden associated with excess rates of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke and renal disease among Hispanics and African Americans relative to non-Hispanic whites. The study predicts that in 2009, "Medicare alone will spend an extra $15.6 billion while private insurers will incur $5.1 billion in additional costs due to elevated rates of chronic illness among African Americans and Hispanics."

25 Sep 2009

Clinic owner and operator admit to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program

Clinic owners and operators Jose Martinez and Denisse Martinez pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Detroit to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Terrence Berg of the Eastern District of Michigan and Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced.

25 Sep 2009

Mayo Clinic survey physicians regarding health care reform measures

Results of a Mayo Clinic survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that while physicians are open to being involved in health care reform discussions, some opposition may exist.

25 Sep 2009

Procedural amendments take on political weight as Finance Committee debates health bill

Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee considered, and then rejected, a Republican amendment that would have required legislative language of a health reform bill be posted for three days before the panel could vote on the bill. Democrats will post conceptual language instead.

25 Sep 2009

Bederra Corporation to acquire Basic Solutions

Bederra Corporation, a Houston, TX-based diversified medical services provider, announced the company is in discussions to acquire Basic Solutions, Inc., a Houston, TX-based company specializing in mobile diagnostic services.

24 Sep 2009

Democrats woo AARP, seniors to support health reform bills

"Though AARP hasn't endorsed Obama's health care drive, many of its priorities are reflected in Democratic bills, including reducing gaps in Medicare prescription drug coverage and eliminating Medicare patients' costs for preventive care. This has led some Republicans to question AARP's true loyalties" (Fram, 9/23).

24 Sep 2009

An updated HIPAA Privacy series released by LearnSomething

Keeping pharmacy staff and healthcare industry staff current on evolving HIPAA guidelines can be time-consuming and costly. An efficient and economical solution is on schedule from LearnSomething, the leading provider of eLearning for retail pharmacy and health care industries.

24 Sep 2009

Doctor from Dallas files civil case in the U.S. Supreme Court against BCBS

Dr. Dralves Edwards, a board-certified family physician in Dallas, today filed a civil case in the U.S. Supreme Court against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, the contractor for Medicare.

24 Sep 2009

First Edition: September 24, 2009

Today's headlines shed light on developments during the second day of the Finance Committee's health bill mark up.

24 Sep 2009

RetireSafe calls for Senators to oppose the rationing of Medicare hospital benefits at physician hospitals

Today RetireSafe, representing 400,000 senior supporters across America, called on the U.S. Senate, starting with the Senate Finance Committee, to stop the proposed rationing of high-quality hospital care to Medicare patients.

24 Sep 2009

Flood-affected customers in Georgia can obtain early refills of their prescriptions

UnitedHealth Group and its family of companies are authorizing plan participants who are affected by the floods in Georgia and enrolled in its fully insured health plans and pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to obtain early refills of their prescription medications. In addition, a free help line is available for people who are coping with the emotional consequences of the floods.

24 Sep 2009

PCMA releases statement regarding the Senate Finance Committee’s ongoing deliberations on health-care reform

“As the Senate Finance Committee continues to craft legislation, the next 48 hours will be critical in determining whether health reform delivers on the promise of making prescription drugs more affordable for all Americans. With nearly $245 billion spent annually on prescription drugs, Americans want the peace of mind that comes from knowing that reform makes common-sense improvements that lower the cost of prescriptions for everyone.

24 Sep 2009

New report on seniors and health insurance reform released

Vice President Joe Biden and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today hosted a town hall meeting with seniors in Silver Spring, Md., and released a new report, Health Insurance Reform and Medicare: Making Medicare Stronger for America’s Seniors.

24 Sep 2009

Mountain Lakes to implement Netsmart's clinical and practice management behavioral health software solution

Netsmart Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of software and services for health and human services organizations, today announced an agreement to provide its CCHIT-certified clinical and practice management behavioral health software and related services to Mountain Lakes Behavioral Healthcare of Guntersville, Ala

24 Sep 2009

Palmetto GBA-TrailBlazer Health cover Renessa treatment of female SUI

Novasys Medical, Inc., a developer of innovative therapies in women's health, announced today that Palmetto GBA and TrailBlazer Health Enterprises, LLC -- two large regional Medicare carriers serving over 10.2 million beneficiaries in California, Nevada, Hawaii, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and Virginia -- have agreed to cover the Renessa(R) treatment for female SUI (stress urinary incontinence) in appropriately selected patients with documented medical necessity.

24 Sep 2009

TRUEresult store brand blood glucose monitoring system more accurate than name brand products: Study

Home Diagnostics, Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of diabetes testing supplies, today announced that a new study has shown that its TRUEresult® store brand blood glucose monitoring system is comparable to the performance of more expensive name brand systems.

24 Sep 2009

RFID asset management agreements offered by Premier Purchasing Partners

Premier Purchasing Partners, LP, today announced new agreements have taken effect in a new radio frequency identification (RFID) asset management and tracking solution category. The agreements have been awarded to AeroScout Inc. of Redwood City, Calif.; Dynamic Computer Corporation of Farmington Hills, Mich., a minority owned business enterprise; International Business Solutions Alliance, LLC of Dayton, Ohio; and Skytron of Grand Rapids, Mich.

24 Sep 2009

Guarding Hearts Alliance to protect quality care for patients suffering from heart disease

Organizations representing the vast majority of cardiologists around the country have joined forces today to preserve and protect the highest quality cardiac care available in America. Guarding Hearts Alliance is advocating to protect patient access to cardiac care in whatever Medicare changes or health care reform legislation is enacted.

24 Sep 2009

Medicare News and Research

Costs to government, consumers remain unclear in finance bill

GOP threatens to block health nominees over insurer "gag order"

Health policy research roundup

Clinic owner and operator admit to participating in a conspiracy to defraud the Medicare program

Mayo Clinic survey physicians regarding health care reform measures

Procedural amendments take on political weight as Finance Committee debates health bill

Bederra Corporation to acquire Basic Solutions

Democrats woo AARP, seniors to support health reform bills

An updated HIPAA Privacy series released by LearnSomething

Doctor from Dallas files civil case in the U.S. Supreme Court against BCBS

First Edition: September 24, 2009

RetireSafe calls for Senators to oppose the rationing of Medicare hospital benefits at physician hospitals

Flood-affected customers in Georgia can obtain early refills of their prescriptions

PCMA releases statement regarding the Senate Finance Committee’s ongoing deliberations on health-care reform

New report on seniors and health insurance reform released

Mountain Lakes to implement Netsmart's clinical and practice management behavioral health software solution

Palmetto GBA-TrailBlazer Health cover Renessa treatment of female SUI

TRUEresult store brand blood glucose monitoring system more accurate than name brand products: Study

RFID asset management agreements offered by Premier Purchasing Partners

Guarding Hearts Alliance to protect quality care for patients suffering from heart disease

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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