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Ten changes medical oncologists can do to flatten costs, improve care

The cost of cancer care is threatening to bankrupt our healthcare system. New drugs are prolonging life, but at staggering costs. This coupled with aging baby boomers and an increasing population mean the U.S. will spend $173 billion annually on cancer care by the year 2020. This trend is not sustainable; however, there are evidence-based ways to maintain or improve the quality of care while saving money for the new therapies being discovered every day.

27 May 2011

Terminally ill missing out on palliative care: Survey reports

According to two new surveys, increased hospital admissions in the last three months of life could be of little benefit to dying people and are in contrast to the wishes of many.

23 May 2011

Research roundup: Medicare costs in nursing homes; Docs reluctant to adopt EHRs; Health law to improve access to care

Medicare Expenditures Among Nursing Home Residents With Advanced Dementia -- Researchers followed 323 dementia patients in 22 nursing homes for up to 18 months and found that over an 18-month period, "total mean Medicare expenditures were $2303 per 90 days but were highly skewed; expenditures were less than $500 for 77.1% of the 90-day assessment periods and more than $12 000 for 5.5% of these periods.

13 May 2011

Wealth, population size, race and age associate with local availability of hospice programs

Wealth, population size, race and age associate with the supply of hospice care available in a county, according to a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management this month.

10 May 2011

HFA develops free 'Alzheimer's Disease and Hospice Care' online webinar

The Hospice Foundation of America has developed "Alzheimer's Disease and Hospice Care," a free online webinar that examines how hospice care can support patients and families coping with end-stage Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

10 May 2011

New rules regarding hospice stays respond to patients with unpredictable illnesses like Alzheimer's and heart failure

New government rules — enforcement kicked in last month — require hospices to send doctors or nurse practitioners for face-to-face visits with Medicare patients who have been on hospice more than six months to certify that the patients are really sick enough to need the program.

6 May 2011

VITAS acquires operating assets of Alabama-based Family Comfort Hospice

Chemed Corporation today announced that its VITAS Healthcare Corporation subsidiary has acquired the operating assets of Family Comfort Hospice based in Alabama, effective April 29, 2011.

3 May 2011

VA develops FATE survey to access treatment quality at the end of patients' lives

Though there have been significant improvements in the treatment of head and neck cancer, there is still a lack of data on the experience of end of life care for head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study published in the May 2011 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

2 May 2011

Amedisys elected to Health Information Trust Alliance Executive Council

Amedisys, one of the nation's leading home health care and hospice companies, announced today that it has been elected to the Health Information Trust Alliance Executive Council. Information Security Officer Sanjeev Sah will serve a two-year term on the council as the Amedisys representative.

30 Apr 2011

UTHealth's education program helps nurses to gain extra skills in geriatric care

Houston nurse Sandra Thornton has 20 years of experience as a registered nurse. However, much of those years have not included learning about the special needs of geriatric patients.

28 Apr 2011

Baby doll can serve as effective therapy for geriatric patients

What parent hasn't watched their young child in amazement as they pick up a baby doll, tenderly cradling and stroking it as though the child were mimicking the way their own parent held them? As quintessential as these toys are for young children, research has found that baby dolls are also effective tools in soothing geriatric patients.

28 Apr 2011

State roundup: Conn. Gov. says no 'public option' this year

Gov. Bobby Jindal's chief budget adviser defended the administration's plan to sell a state-run health insurance plan to a private company, rebutting a chorus of critics Tuesday who said the move would result in higher premiums and lower benefits for state workers and retirees.

28 Apr 2011

Amedisys net service revenue decreases 11.8% to $364.3 million

Amedisys, Inc., a leading home health and hospice company, today reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011 and reaffirms 2011 guidance.

26 Apr 2011

Some Iowa health care institutions have little oversight

The Des Moines Register looked at state regulation of health care institutions.

25 Apr 2011

State roundup: Michigan tries new strategy on high risk pools

Michigan today announced a new effort to sign up the chronically uninsured onto health plans after the state's first attempt did not attract enough customers.

20 Apr 2011

Amedisys enters agreement to acquire Beacon Hospice

Amedisys, Inc., one of America's leading home health and hospice companies, today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Beacon Hospice, Inc.

18 Apr 2011

Research roundup: Oral health; details of Medicare's IPAB

Trends And Variation In End-Of-Life Care For Medicare Beneficiaries With Severe Chronic Illness - This report explores the shifts in the use of medical resources to treat Medicare beneficiaries at the end of life between 2003 and 2007.

16 Apr 2011

Obama's deficit plan earns raves, pans from editorial boards; more views on abortion and planned parenthood

I've proposed a balanced approach that looks at the entire budget for savings. The third step is to reduce the growth in health care spending in order to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid for future generations. We will get rid of wasteful subsidies and fraud that cost Medicare billions of dollars each year. We'll cut spending on prescription drugs by helping to get generic brands of medicine to market faster.

15 Apr 2011

Improving ‘home care’ critical to addressing chronic disease and reducing health care costs nationwide

Val J. Halamandaris, president of The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC), issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s decision to exclude proposals that would impact seniors’ access to critical home care services:

13 Apr 2011

State News: N.Y. billing for disabled patients questioned

While the nation's attention has been focused on state worker battles in union strongholds such as Ohio and Wisconsin, quiet but consequential labor battles are breaking out in Kansas, Texas and other states where collective bargaining rights for public workers were weak or non-existent to begin with. The outcome of these confrontations will have a big impact.

8 Apr 2011