Medicine & Health articles

Recent articles from Medicine & Health

State health plans: a starting point for national system overhaul? Pros and cons of Massachusetts, Tennessee plans could get a closer look.(Healthcare Reform)
June 12, 2009... Lawmakers looking to revamp the U.S. healthcare system might be wise to see what's working--and what's not--on the state level. But attempting to implement universal healthcare can take many forms, so finding the best answer is no easy task. "The belief that we should all have health...

New false claims rules could sneak up on healthcare providers; government crackdown could snag providers for keeping overpayments.(Fraud & Abuse)
June 12, 2009... Healthcare providers shouldn't overlook a new law that makes identifying overpayments from the government a priority. President Barack Obama recently signed the Federal Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 to focus on mortgage and banking fraud. But what many may not have known is that also...

Competitive bidding steamrolls over supplier protests; suppliers must have accreditation, surety bonds to bid.(DME)
June 12, 2009... Medical suppliers are in for the fight of their lives as the second coming of competitive bidding gets underway. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a general timeline for durable medical equipment competitive bidding's re-launch this year. CMS will conduct "pre-bidding...

Meditate on this: mindfulness finds its way into the hospital; the mantra for 21st century healthcare may be 'eat right, exercise, and say "om.'".(Trends)
June 12, 2009... When you go to a doctor, you expect good old, American medicine: examination, surgery, pills, advice, that sort of thing. But, nowadays, doctors may prescribe a dose of meditation along with the medication. Studies suggest meditation can ease pain, improve concentration and immune...

Study: soaring medical costs at the root of most bankruptcies: 62.1 percent of 2007 bankruptcies were provoked by healthcare costs, researchers say.(Economics)
June 12, 2009... If it was bad eight years ago, it's even worse now: Illness and medical bills contribute to a growing share of U.S. bankruptcies, a study says. Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses, according to a nationwide study released by the American...