Medicare News and Research

RSS

When a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer, what determines whether he will receive early androgen ablation?

While the benefits of androgen ablation therapy have been well documented in patients with locally advanced and metastatic prostate cancer, there is a paucity of evidence its role in patients with low-grade, low-stage disease.

16 Aug 2006

Implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS

The Kaiser Family Foundation today released a report on the implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS.

3 Aug 2006

Researchers test possibility of growing kidneys for transplant

Bioengineers from the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University believe their research has the potential to save the lives of thousands of patients desperately waiting for a kidney while, at the same time, cutting costs associated with kidney disease.

2 Aug 2006

Computer-aided detection essential in preventing breast cancer

Computer-aided detection improves breast cancers in both screening and diagnostic patients according to a recent study done by a private practice radiologist in Santa Barbara, CA.

2 Aug 2006

Hospitals and physicians organize and market services targeted at specific diseases, organ systems and populations, raising cost and quality concerns

The proliferation of heart institutes, cancer centers, orthopedic hospitals and other niche specialty centers signals an escalation in a new medical arms race as hospitals and physicians develop and market profitable specialty-service lines.

26 Jul 2006

Burgess bill important step toward ensuring seniors get needed health care

Rep. Michael C. Burgess, MD. (R-TX) took an important step toward replacing the flawed Medicare physician payment formula with the introduction of the Medicare Physician Payment Reform Bill and Quality Improvement Act of 2006.

26 Jul 2006

Type 2 diabetes is associated with primary open angle glaucoma in women

A 20-year study of women in the Nurses' Health Study has shown that Type 2 diabetes is associated with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), the most common form of glaucoma, accounting for about 60 to 70% of all glaucomas.

12 Jul 2006

Focussing on performance measures may lead to inappropriate antibiotic use

Patients with suspected pneumonia may receive antibiotics unnecessarily as a result of hospital and physician efforts to meet certain performance measures.

10 Jul 2006

Women receive lower-quality heart attack care than men

A new study shows that a puzzling gap between the sexes persists in hospital care for heart attack patients, despite specific efforts by hospitals to improve the way they treat all patients immediately after a heart attack.

10 Jul 2006

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients, according to a study in the July 5 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

4 Jul 2006

Terminally ill cancer patients continue to receive aggressive treatment at end of life

The increasing use of chemotherapy and intensive hospital treatment for cancer patients in their last two weeks of life continued at least into the late 1990s despite the growth of the hospice movement that emphasizes comforting personal bonds and controlling pain and discomfort

9 Jun 2006

Factors influencing the route of administration for Epoetin treatment among hemodialysis patients in the U.S.

A forthcoming article to be published in the July 2006 issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases finds that physician decision-making for the delivery of epoetin therapy is primarily influenced by the type of ownership and financial incentives associated with dialysis centers.

6 Jun 2006

MRI cost-effective for some women at high-risk of breast cancer

A computer model simulation suggests that adding breast MRI screening may be cost-effective for women of certain ages who carry BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations.

23 May 2006

Benefits of screening colonoscopy in very elderly

Even though the prevalence of colon tumors increases with age, screening colonoscopy in patients over 80 years of age results in smaller gains in life expectancy, compared to younger patients.

23 May 2006

Study identified characteristics of caregivers that may increase symptoms in dementia patients

Troublesome symptoms that accompany dementia - including wandering, hallucinations and restlessness - may increase if the patients' caregivers are young, less educated, over-burdened or depressed.

23 May 2006

A review of percutaneous kyphoplasty

A procedure that fills in fractured vertebrae with injected cement has not been shown to improve a person's back pain or quality of life, according to a new analysis of studies.

16 May 2006

Lilly to extend patient assistance programs for Medicare patients

Eli Lilly and Company has announced that it will be extending its existing patient assistance program, LillyAnswers, through the end of this year to qualifying patients currently participating in the program, to help bridge the gap in coverage for people who need Lilly medicines, but are not yet enrolled in Medicare Part D.

11 May 2006

Impact of optional regulations on heart attack treatment

People who have heart attacks are about 15 percent less likely to be treated with bypass surgery or angioplasty within the first few days of the incident in states with certificate of need (CON) regulatory programs.

10 May 2006

Completion of therapy by Medicare patients with stage III colon cance

Physical frailty, treatment complications, and lack of social and psychological support may explain why elderly stage III colon cancer patients do not complete a course of chemotherapy after surgery

3 May 2006

Breast cancer survivors turning their backs on recommended mammograms

A new study finds use of annual mammography among breast cancer survivors, who are at increased risk of a recurrence or a new malignancy in the other breast, dropped off after a few years. During the five year study period, only one in three women in this high-risk population had received regular annual mammograms.

24 Apr 2006

Medicare News and Research

When a patient is diagnosed with prostate cancer, what determines whether he will receive early androgen ablation?

Implications of the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit for people with HIV/AIDS

Researchers test possibility of growing kidneys for transplant

Computer-aided detection essential in preventing breast cancer

Hospitals and physicians organize and market services targeted at specific diseases, organ systems and populations, raising cost and quality concerns

Burgess bill important step toward ensuring seniors get needed health care

Type 2 diabetes is associated with primary open angle glaucoma in women

Focussing on performance measures may lead to inappropriate antibiotic use

Women receive lower-quality heart attack care than men

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients

Terminally ill cancer patients continue to receive aggressive treatment at end of life

Factors influencing the route of administration for Epoetin treatment among hemodialysis patients in the U.S.

MRI cost-effective for some women at high-risk of breast cancer

Benefits of screening colonoscopy in very elderly

Study identified characteristics of caregivers that may increase symptoms in dementia patients

A review of percutaneous kyphoplasty

Lilly to extend patient assistance programs for Medicare patients

Impact of optional regulations on heart attack treatment

Completion of therapy by Medicare patients with stage III colon cance

Breast cancer survivors turning their backs on recommended mammograms

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

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

Latest News