Medicare News and Research

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66,000 elderly California residents or people with disabilities will continue their home and community-based services

The Independence Plus program, created by President Bush, helps states to achieve the goals established in President Bush’s New Freedom Initiative.

13 Aug 2004

Concern over media coverage surrounding the Tronado microwave treatment of cancer

The Australian Medical Association (WA) today expressed concern over media coverage surrounding the Tronado microwave treatment of cancer.

13 Aug 2004

John Kerry outlines plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs

Armed with the endorsement of the Alliance for Retired Americans, Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry Wednesday outlined his plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs as part of his overall plan to make health care more affordable for all Americans.

11 Aug 2004

New survey shows that more people on Medicare dislike a new drug benefit law

A new survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health shows that more people on Medicare dislike a new law that adds a drug benefit to the Medicare program.

11 Aug 2004

Many U.S. surgeons are not doing adequate numbers of operations for primary breast cancer to optimize patient survival

The study, published August 9, 2004 in the online edition of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, demonstrates that fewer surgeries per year negatively impacted patient standard of care. A free abstract of the study is available at CANCER Online.

9 Aug 2004

Physicians treating blacks more often reported that they lacked sufficient access to major health care resources

If you are a black Medicare patient in the United States, you are more likely than a white Medicare patient to be treated by a primary care physician who reports being unable to provide consistently high-quality medical care to all patients.

5 Aug 2004

Public meeting to discuss development of standards for drug classes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will host a public meeting to discuss development of standards for drug classes and categories under the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

3 Aug 2004

Michigan settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced today a settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough over its underpayment of Medicaid Drug Rebates on the antihistamine drug Claritin, netting more than $2.6 million for Michigan’s Medicaid program.

3 Aug 2004

Third of heart failure patients face increased risk of death because they do not receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor

Overwhelming evidence accumulated during almost 20 years of clinical experience has established the benefits of this drug, which blocks the harmful effects of angiotensin, a substance that causes blood vessels to narrow, said the study authors.

3 Aug 2004

Schering-Ploug will return more than $9 million to the Texas Medicaid program for the company’s fraudulent reporting of prices for drug Claritin

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has announced a settlement among Texas and other states with pharmaceutical giant Schering-Plough Inc. that will return more than $9 million to the Texas Medicaid program for the company’s fraudulent reporting of prices for the antihistamine drug Claritin.

2 Aug 2004

Different types of cataracts produced identifiable and repeatable results using wavefront diagnostic equipment

A study published today in the August edition of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery reports that wavefront technology, a new way of measuring how vision is distorted by irregularities in the eye, offers a widely accepted means for corroborating cataract patients' vision complaints, which may lead to earlier treatment with attendant enhanced patient safety and less loss of quality of life.

2 Aug 2004

Schering Plough to reimburse Washington's Medicaid program $3.57 million in Claritin case

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough will reimburse Washington's Medicaid program $3.57 million in a nationwide settlement of allegations the drug maker failed to offer state Medicaid programs its best price for the popular antihistamine drug Claritin.

31 Jul 2004

There are about 200 million eligible voters. All of them have a stake in the U.S. health care system

The AMA has released a new ad during the Democratic National Convention in Boston urging Democratic Party leaders to work with the AMA to address critical issues facing U.S. health care.

29 Jul 2004

Medicare prescription drug plan for seniors and the disabled is providing substantial discounts on drugs

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the Medicare prescription drug plan for seniors and the disabled is providing substantial discounts on drugs. In its report, the organization finds that prices have not been fluctuating as much as had been feared.

29 Jul 2004

Pharmacy Care Alliance provides $2.9 million in savings to Medicare beneficiaries

The Pharmacy Care Alliance has announced that for the first seven weeks of its discount card program, Medicare beneficiaries saved an average of 40 percent on generic drugs and 23 percent on brand drugs when compared to retail pharmacy cash prices. Medicare beneficiaries in all U.S. states have used the Pharmacy Care Alliance card since June 1.

29 Jul 2004

Launch of new Australian Medicare smartcard

The new Australian Medicare smartcard was launched in Launceston, Tasmania this week.

29 Jul 2004

New publication looks at the immediate effects of the Medicare Modernization Act

Before the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), private plan options for beneficiaries had eroded substantially, with severely limited or no choice in most communities.

27 Jul 2004

New plan of action aims to reduce prescription drug costs by more than 50 percent

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new plan of action and regulatory mechanisms to deliver greater benefits. These benefits aim to reduce prescription costs by more than 50 percent for the average senior without coverage.

26 Jul 2004

One of the world’s most sophisticated systems for keeping electronic health records

The system, called VistA-Office Electronic Health Record, was developed by VA. A version of VistA is used at more than 1,300 VA facilities throughout the United States to maintain records on 5 million veterans who receive their health care from VA.

23 Jul 2004

Lower drug prices could eliminate coverage gap in Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

Medicare could eliminate the coverage gap in its prescription drug benefit if it paid pharmaceutical prices comparable to those paid by citizens of Canada, the United Kingdom and France, according to a report by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Pennsylvania State University

21 Jul 2004

Medicare News and Research

66,000 elderly California residents or people with disabilities will continue their home and community-based services

Concern over media coverage surrounding the Tronado microwave treatment of cancer

John Kerry outlines plan to bring down the costs of prescription drugs

New survey shows that more people on Medicare dislike a new drug benefit law

Many U.S. surgeons are not doing adequate numbers of operations for primary breast cancer to optimize patient survival

Physicians treating blacks more often reported that they lacked sufficient access to major health care resources

Public meeting to discuss development of standards for drug classes

Michigan settlement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Schering Plough

Third of heart failure patients face increased risk of death because they do not receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor

Schering-Ploug will return more than $9 million to the Texas Medicaid program for the company’s fraudulent reporting of prices for drug Claritin

Different types of cataracts produced identifiable and repeatable results using wavefront diagnostic equipment

Schering Plough to reimburse Washington's Medicaid program $3.57 million in Claritin case

There are about 200 million eligible voters. All of them have a stake in the U.S. health care system

Medicare prescription drug plan for seniors and the disabled is providing substantial discounts on drugs

Pharmacy Care Alliance provides $2.9 million in savings to Medicare beneficiaries

Launch of new Australian Medicare smartcard

New publication looks at the immediate effects of the Medicare Modernization Act

New plan of action aims to reduce prescription drug costs by more than 50 percent

One of the world’s most sophisticated systems for keeping electronic health records

Lower drug prices could eliminate coverage gap in Medicare Prescription Drug Plan

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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