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Hundreds of experts including Nobel laureates say Medicare's bidding system for durable medical equipment will fail

Medicare's bidding program for durable medical equipment will fail, say 166 leading experts on auctions and competitive bidding systems.

1 Oct 2010

Medicare now required check for fraud before paying claims

The Miami Herald: "The behemoth Medicare bureaucracy will have to act more like a credit card company in flagging suspicious bills under a new federal law that could save taxpayers billions of dollars a year in wasteful government healthcare spending.

1 Oct 2010

Grants seek to bolster, expand primary care workforce

CQ HealthBeat: "Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Tuesday announced $320 million in grants to bolster and expand the nation's primary care workforce as part of the health care overhaul law. … Of the $320 million, $253 million will go to six programs administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration The money will be used by states to deal with current and expected labor shortages.

30 Sep 2010

HHS Secretary announces $320M ACA grants to strengthen health care workforce

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced $320 million in grants under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to strengthen the health care workforce. Of those grants, $253 million will go to improve and expand the primary care workforce under the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act.

29 Sep 2010

HHS announces grants to help seniors, people with disabilities and caregivers navigate long term care options

Modern Healthcare: As part of the new health law, HHS is distributing $68 million in grants "to help people navigate their health and long-term-care options. The grants will be going to states, territories, tribal and community-based organizations to help seniors, individuals with disabilities and caregivers make more-informed decisions about their health and long-term care.

29 Sep 2010

HealthWyse secures patent for Remote Personnel Tracking program to prevent Medicare fraud

HealthWyse, a leading provider of home health and hospice agency automation software, announced today that it has secured a patent for its Remote Personnel Tracking program to help homecare agencies keep track of their employees and prevent Medicare fraud. HealthWyse will showcase its Remote Personnel Tracking Program at the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) 29th Annual Meeting & Exposition, held October 2 - 6 in Dallas, Texas.

28 Sep 2010

Maine receives federal grants to upgrade electronic public health systems, scores of criminals provide home health care in Cal.

The Boston Globe: "Caritas Christi Health Care executives have told union negotiators they will shutter St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton and Carney Hospital in Dorchester if they can't close a deal for the six-hospital chain to be bought by a New York private equity firm. The warning was made during contract talks last week with the Massachusetts Nurses Association, according to two people who attended the meeting.

24 Sep 2010

Team to identify safety risks with care in homes

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing professor, Dr. Diane Doran, was awarded more than $1 million for research that will help protect the safety of over 900,000 Canadians who receive health care services in their homes every day.

24 Sep 2010

Negative childhood experiences impacting in the brains of Indigenous kids

Australia will not Close the Gap on Aboriginal health unless more is done to reverse the early life stress and trauma experienced by Indigenous children, new research suggests.

23 Sep 2010

Surefil emerges from Chapter 11 protection with Federal Court approval

Surefil, a contract manufacturer of liquid-fill products for the personal care, home care, oral care, medical industries, and energy drinks, emerged from Chapter 11 protection with Federal Court approval on September 15, 2010.

23 Sep 2010

Today's Opinions: Coloradans' insurance concerns, contraception and New York's Medicaid burden

For years, Coloradans have lived with uncertainty about their health insurance: lifetime caps, recisions, coverage for life-saving screenings. New provisions that begin Thursday, the six-month anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act, address some of the biggest concerns consumers had about the failing health system (Dede de Percin, 9/22).

23 Sep 2010

'Village' movement allows seniors who need care to stay in their homes longer

The Fiscal Times reports that, as the population ages, more communities are trying to find ways to allow older Americans to remain in their homes, even when they need health care. "The small but fast-growing 'village' movement — where seniors help seniors to coordinate and deliver services within their communities — is a grass-roots response to the well-documented preference of older people to remain in their homes as they age.

21 Sep 2010

Caregiver Expo2010 to be held in November in conjunction with National Family Caregiver Month

The Caregiver Expo2010, presented by Alternatives for Seniors, will be held 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel, in Oak Brook, Illinois. The free event is being held in conjunction with the National Family Caregiver Month observed every November. National Family Caregiver Month is a nationally recognized time to focus attention on the more than 65 million family caregivers who provide 80% of our nation's long term care services.

18 Sep 2010

Ways and Means leaders introduce fraud prevention efforts

The Hill: Leaders of the House Ways and Means Committee have offered a bipartisan bill to allow the Department of Health and Human Services to exclude corporate executives from Medicare if their companies were convicted of fraud. "The bill, introduced by Reps. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) and Wally Herger (R-Calif.), would also give the HHS Office of the Inspector General the ability to exclude parent companies that may be committing fraud through shell companies."

17 Sep 2010

Californians lead national trend to reassess seniors' economic needs

Data and research on what it really takes for seniors to make ends meet in each of California's 58 counties will be released today at the state Capitol in Sacramento.

15 Sep 2010

HealthWyse, Cardiocom partner to integrate patient information into clinical software

HealthWyse, a leading provider of home health and hospice software and services, announced today that it has partnered with Cardiocom, a leader in home telehealth solutions, to seamlessly integrate patient information into HealthWyse's clinical software.

13 Sep 2010

Sometimes a hospital stay does not mean you’re admitted

This Kaiser Health News story by Susan Jaffe, produced in partnership with The Washington Post, looks at an increasing use of hospital observation care for Medicare beneficiaries rather than admission as an inpatient.

7 Sep 2010

Public and private expenditure in long-term elderly care

The September Policy Brief by Ricardo Rodrigues and Andrea Schmidt aims to present information on the current picture of public and private expenditure on long-term care for older people and to discuss the challenges of financing care. Moreover it provides preliminary results on potential redistribution effects of home care benefits (based on SHARE data).

7 Sep 2010

Omnicare, Walgreen announce closing of transaction

Omnicare, Inc. and Walgreen Co. today announced a transaction in which Omnicare will acquire substantially all of the assets of Walgreens long-term care pharmacy business. In exchange, Walgreens will acquire substantially all of the assets of Omnicare's home infusion business.

3 Sep 2010

Walgreens August sales increase 8.6% to $5.66 billion

Walgreens had August sales of $5.66 billion, an increase of 8.6 percent from $5.22 billion for the same month in 2009. Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, contributed 2.8 percentage points to the total sales increase for the month.

3 Sep 2010