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Reform efforts focus attention on regional innovations in care delivery

As health reform efforts loom over Congress, news outlets find models of innovation in their own backyards. Geisinger Health System in rural Pennsylvania, a Florida satellite of the Mayo Clinic, Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Oregon and Washington state, and Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Va., all get some attention.

26 Aug 2009

Chicago physician segment likely to grow more consolidated in future

HealthLeaders-InterStudy, a leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that while the medical community in Chicago is more consolidated than most large cities, with multiple large physician groups affiliated with health systems, the physician segment is likely to grow even more consolidated in the future.

26 Aug 2009

White House increases deficit projection; CBO offers slightly better outlook

"The federal government faces exploding deficits and mounting debt over the next decade, White House and congressional budget officials projected Tuesday in competing but similar economic forecasts, " The Associated Press reports.

26 Aug 2009

Racial/ethnic disparities in clinically confirmed outcomes of heart and stroke surgeries

Minorities have poorer results and higher rates of unnecessary surgery from a common procedure used to remove plaque from inside the carotid artery, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center doctor who is lead author of the study in the journal Stroke.

26 Aug 2009

One-quarter of medicare beneficiaries will see premium hikes next year

While some in Medicare will not see premiums rise, Medicaid recipients, wealthy retirees and new enrollees will all have to pay more, U.S. News and World Report reports.

26 Aug 2009

Survey reveals that majority of middle-class Americans are worried about about health care costs in retirement

Amid growing protests from opponents of health care reform, the majority of middle-class Americans are expressing concern about paying for medical costs during retirement – and dramatically underestimating the financial burden they’ll be expected to bear.

26 Aug 2009

Medicare's Part D program subsidizes cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries

Medicare's Part D program, designed to subsidize the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries, has been the subject of much debate. Proponents have touted the plan's ability to expand access to prescription drugs to seniors; critics have long questioned its design and user-friendly appeal.

26 Aug 2009

Prescription assistance program helps Iowa residents to save money on drugs

Iowa residents have saved over $800,000 on prescription drugs through Iowa Drug Card since the launch of the free statewide prescription assistance program. The program, which offers free discount drug cards to Iowa residents, was launched in June, 2008. Every resident of Iowa is eligible to participate in the prescription assistance program.

26 Aug 2009

Aetna promotes patient safety measures through informative website

Aetna (NYSE:AET) is strengthening its efforts to promote patient safety with easy-to-find online information for members. New policies also require health care facilities, physicians and other health care professionals to take action to prevent medical errors and changes the way they are paid when medical errors do occur.

26 Aug 2009

GOP unveils latest salvo in health reform battle: seniors' bill of rights

Republicans unveiled what they've termed the "Health Care Bill of Right for Seniors" Monday in an attempt to tailor their messages to the elderly, The Washington Post reports.

26 Aug 2009

Healthcare information technology to enable clinicians spend more time on patient care

Healthcare reform, a current hot button headline, is not a new issue. In fact, the concept has been kicking around the Hill since Teddy Roosevelt, who started the discussion of a national health insurance program in the early 1900s.

25 Aug 2009

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy and Ohio Caresource collaborate to develop Chronic Kidney Disease treatment

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy announced today that its Diplomat Health Services Division is partnering with CareSource in Ohio to slow the progression of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), improve clinical outcomes and reduce healthcare costs associated with the disease. As the number of Americans with CKD continues to rise, CareSource is focused on the early identification and treatment of their patients with the illness.

25 Aug 2009

New RAND study finds that Prescription Benefit Program for Medicare recipients surpasses expectations

The program created to provide Medicare recipients with prescription drug benefits exceeded expectations during its first two years, extending pharmacy coverage to most seniors while reducing their overall spending on drugs, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

25 Aug 2009

Rising costs and patient loads push some primary care MDs to concierge practices

Some primary care doctors are changing their practices, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports: "Faced with rising costs and patient loads, a small but growing number of primary-care doctors are sharply reducing their practice sizes and charging each patient annual fees of about $2,000 in exchange for personalized care.

25 Aug 2009

Survey reveals that many Americans believe controversial statements about health care reform

Findings from a national survey of Americans by researchers from Indiana University Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research (CHPPR) and the Indiana University Center for Bioethics says that Americans do believe the "myths" about health care reform, confirming that the White House may indeed be losing this battle.

25 Aug 2009

GOP plan centers on seniors' bill of rights

"In their latest assault on President Obama's health care plans, Republicans are aiming for a vulnerable spot -- the fears of seniors that their care will get worse or more costly," the Boston Globe reports on its Political Intelligence blog.

25 Aug 2009

National dialysis treatment program under fire; criticized as too costly, risky

Kidney dialysis treatment in the U.S. is costly and has high death rates, but it doesn't have to be that way, USA Today reports: "The vast majority of the more than 350,000 Americans on dialysis are treated in centers, where three treatments a week, three or four hours each, is the norm — not because it's optimal but because that's the way it has been done for nearly four decades.

25 Aug 2009

Health Fair 11 to offer free or low-cost health screenings

Visitors attending the Minnesota State Fair will find some great health deals when they stop by Health Fair 11 at the Fair. More than a dozen organizations will offer free or low-cost health screenings. Among the screenings are: cholesterol testing (non-fasting), diabetes screening (glucose -- non-fasting), blood pressure checks, blood typing, hearing and vision assessments, bone density and body fat measurements, and weight readings.

24 Aug 2009

University of Southern California's gerontology students participate in an interactive senior sensitivity training program

Gerontology students at University of Southern California had an opportunity to "become senior citizens" on Friday thanks to Trading Ages(TM), an interactive senior sensitivity training program sponsored by SCAN Health Plan.

24 Aug 2009

Claims Auditor Solution from Compliance 360 provides total control of medical claims audits and appeals

Compliance 360, a leading provider of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions for enterprise governance, risk management and compliance (eGRC) announced today that the Compliance 360 Claims Auditor has been licensed for use in over 200 hospitals since it was launched just 8 months ago.

24 Aug 2009

Medicare News and Research

Reform efforts focus attention on regional innovations in care delivery

Chicago physician segment likely to grow more consolidated in future

White House increases deficit projection; CBO offers slightly better outlook

Racial/ethnic disparities in clinically confirmed outcomes of heart and stroke surgeries

One-quarter of medicare beneficiaries will see premium hikes next year

Survey reveals that majority of middle-class Americans are worried about about health care costs in retirement

Medicare's Part D program subsidizes cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries

Prescription assistance program helps Iowa residents to save money on drugs

Aetna promotes patient safety measures through informative website

GOP unveils latest salvo in health reform battle: seniors' bill of rights

Healthcare information technology to enable clinicians spend more time on patient care

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy and Ohio Caresource collaborate to develop Chronic Kidney Disease treatment

New RAND study finds that Prescription Benefit Program for Medicare recipients surpasses expectations

Rising costs and patient loads push some primary care MDs to concierge practices

Survey reveals that many Americans believe controversial statements about health care reform

GOP plan centers on seniors' bill of rights

National dialysis treatment program under fire; criticized as too costly, risky

Health Fair 11 to offer free or low-cost health screenings

University of Southern California's gerontology students participate in an interactive senior sensitivity training program

Claims Auditor Solution from Compliance 360 provides total control of medical claims audits and appeals

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