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Fewer doctors treating Medicare patients, CMS says

Amid payment rates and rules they dislike, more doctors are opting to not treat Medicare patients, say the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. In the meantime, health care providers ready different models to change how Medicare pays doctors.

30 Jul 2013

First Edition: July 29, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about the White House's strategy for building support for the health law.

29 Jul 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Reporters Peter Whoriskey and Dan Keating have opened Post readers' eyes to the fact that Medicare pays for physician services - a $69.6 billion item in 2012 - according to an arcane and little-known price list, over which doctors themselves exercise considerable and less-than-totally-transparent influence (7/24).

26 Jul 2013

Study examines how socio-economic diversity affects racial interaction in colleges

The benefits of race-conscious college admissions are only fully realized under certain conditions, concludes new University of Maryland-led research. To stimulate meaningful cross-racial engagement, incoming freshman classes should reflect both racial and socio-economic diversity, the researchers report.

23 Jul 2013

Study upends common perception that urban areas are more dangerous than small towns

Large cities in the U.S. are significantly safer than their rural counterparts, with the risk of injury death more than 20 percent higher in the country. A study to be published online tomorrow in Annals of Emergency Medicine upends a common perception that urban areas are more dangerous than small towns ("Safety in Numbers: Are Major Cities the Safest Places in the U.S.?").

23 Jul 2013

IT issues pose challenges for health law

News outlets also report on how other changes are affecting small business owners, hospitals and students.

23 Jul 2013

Primer provides physicians with current approaches to diagnose and manage concussions in patients

Concussions, the most common traumatic brain injury, can have serious long-term health effects; therefore, diagnosis and management of these injuries are important. A primer published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) provides physicians with current approaches to diagnosing and managing concussions in patients.

23 Jul 2013

Study calls for more small and compassionate leadership teams to meet NHS challenges

The findings of a three-year study of the National Health Service supports the Francis Report in calling for more small and compassionate leadership teams of doctors, nurses and managers to meet the huge challenges the NHS faces.

22 Jul 2013

Research roundup: Eye care disparities; more complications for Medicaid patients after spine surgery; the cost to states opting against Medicaid expansion

After analyzing 2003-2004 data of patients who underwent spinal surgery at two medical institutions, they found that Medicaid beneficiaries were at much higher risk of experiencing any type of complication than patients who are privately insured. "The results of our study further support the growing body of literature that Medicaid patients have higher rates of complications," the authors write. When evaluating patients and considering the likelihood of complications, "Medicaid status should be considered as well," they concluded (Hacquebord et al., 7/15).

20 Jul 2013

Vitamin D-deficient older individuals are more likely to struggle with everyday tasks

Chevy Chase, MD-Vitamin D-deficient older individuals are more likely to struggle with everyday tasks such as dressing or climbing stairs, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

18 Jul 2013

Roundup: Ore. seniors get special medical deduction, but less generous than hoped; Six fired at Calif. hospital after patient data breaches

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and Democrats wanted to do away with it. Oregonian columnist Susan Nielsen opined against it. Even AARP was OK with its demise. But when the smoke cleared this week, the Oregon Legislature merely curtailed it. Beginning this tax year, only seniors age 62 or older can deduct out-of-pocket medical expenses, not their entire households (Hunsberger, 7/12).

16 Jul 2013

Reid defends Obamacare as McConnell goes on attack

On "Meet the Press," the leaders of the Senate disagreed sharply on the future of the president's signature legislation. Other news outlets covered the appearances.

15 Jul 2013

Three DACA-eligible students to participate in Summer Enrichment Program at SSOM

Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine has welcomed three Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals eligible students into its Summer Enrichment Program.

15 Jul 2013

Study shows that people who reach their nineties have improved mental performance

People who reach their nineties today show improved mental performance compared to people in the same age group born a decade earlier, according to the results of a study conducted in Denmark and published in The Lancet.

12 Jul 2013

Restaurant owner welcomes delay on law’s insurance requirement

The New York Times profiles the challenges that one business owner faced with the health law. Other outlets offer news on the law, including the problems the administration faces in setting up the online marketplaces, concerns about scams targeting consumers and help for Medicare beneficiaries.

11 Jul 2013

Music can provide tangible health advantages to older adults

Music - as poets have noted - has the power to wash away the dust of everyday life, and medical experts believe it may also imbue physical and social benefits. Now a new UC San Francisco research project is exploring whether singing in a community choir can provide tangible health advantages to older adults.

10 Jul 2013

State highlights: Ore. nonprofit hospitals see increased revenue, but lower charity care; Calif. shift means lost autism treatment

A new state report shows the average Oregon hospital more than doubled its margin, or profit, between 2009 and 2011, even as its provision of charity care went down. The findings trace the hospital sector rebound from recessionary lows in 2008, and how expanded Medicaid enrollment in Oregon has helped boost hospitals' bottom line even as many continue to expand to some assessors' dismay (Budnick, 7/5).

9 Jul 2013

Viewpoints on Medicare: Advantage program offers roadmap to improving the program; Rare bipartisan support for doctor pay fix

Concern about the size and cost of Medicare is understandable. With 10,000 or so baby boomers due to reach age 65 every day for the next 18 years, Medicare enrollment is exploding, and based on our projections, by 2023 -- 10 years from now -- should reach 66 million, up from 50.3. The need to find better ways to deliver quality health care to seniors at a reasonable cost is obvious. What's interesting is that an effective way to do this already exists: the Medicare Advantage program, which some in Washington are seeking to curtail (Daniel Gorlin and John Kaplan, 7/2).

4 Jul 2013

States consider new mental health care services, parity for seniors, prisoners

State leaders in Oregon, North Carolina and California consider new legislation or studies on what better mental health care for their residents could mean for quality of life and health care costs.

3 Jul 2013

LCS, CareSouth announce joint venture partnership in Health at Home

LCS, a national leader in senior lifestyle services and senior living community development and management, and CareSouth®, a leading regional provider of home health services, are pleased to announce a joint venture partnership in Health at Home, An LCS Company.

3 Jul 2013

Seniors News and Research

Fewer doctors treating Medicare patients, CMS says

First Edition: July 29, 2013

Viewpoints: Doctors' sway over Medicare pay; hospital rankings not all they seem; legal immigrants' health needs overlooked

Study examines how socio-economic diversity affects racial interaction in colleges

Study upends common perception that urban areas are more dangerous than small towns

IT issues pose challenges for health law

Primer provides physicians with current approaches to diagnose and manage concussions in patients

Study calls for more small and compassionate leadership teams to meet NHS challenges

Research roundup: Eye care disparities; more complications for Medicaid patients after spine surgery; the cost to states opting against Medicaid expansion

Vitamin D-deficient older individuals are more likely to struggle with everyday tasks

Roundup: Ore. seniors get special medical deduction, but less generous than hoped; Six fired at Calif. hospital after patient data breaches

Reid defends Obamacare as McConnell goes on attack

Three DACA-eligible students to participate in Summer Enrichment Program at SSOM

Study shows that people who reach their nineties have improved mental performance

Restaurant owner welcomes delay on law’s insurance requirement

Music can provide tangible health advantages to older adults

State highlights: Ore. nonprofit hospitals see increased revenue, but lower charity care; Calif. shift means lost autism treatment

Viewpoints on Medicare: Advantage program offers roadmap to improving the program; Rare bipartisan support for doctor pay fix

States consider new mental health care services, parity for seniors, prisoners

LCS, CareSouth announce joint venture partnership in Health at Home

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