Medicine & Health articles from August 2007

Medicine & Health archives from August 2007

LTC facilities make restorative nursing a quality-of-life journey: the right programming can make a big difference to residents.(Long-Term Care)
August 6, 2007... For long-term care facilities that are looking to maintain or restore a resident's psychosocial health and quality of life, a restorative program may be just the ticket. "Restorative programs can go a long way toward decreasing citations...

Physicians shouldn't wait until year's end to push for a pay hike: why doctors need to call their Congress member now.(Legislation)
August 6, 2007... With a 10-percent Medicare cut slated for January, Congress isn't waiting until the last moment to work on rescuing physicians' payments. The Children's Health And Medicare Preservation (CHAMP) Act would eliminate next year's cut as well...

Legislation proposes to separate physician-spending growth targets: CHAMP Act could K.O. imaging reimbursement.(Physicians)
August 6, 2007... The proposed Children's Health And Medicare Preservation (CHAMP) Act wouldn't just eliminate two years of physician-spending cuts; it would get rid of the current system of payment updates, which has spelled steep cuts every year. Instead...

Are 'no sue' agreements enforceable? Also, new IL bill would allow mental suffering damages in wrongful death cases.(Tort Reform)
August 6, 2007... A group of New Jersey Ob-Gyns are betting that 'no sue' agreements are indeed enforceable. Prospective patients must sign agreements waiving their right to a jury trial, limiting the pursuit of any subsequent disputes to binding arbitration,...

DOJ cracks down on elder abuse: feds outline their approach to policing neglect and abuse of seniors.(Nursing Homes)
August 6, 2007... The Department of Justice has stepped up its prosecution of crimes against the elderly. Senior Counsel Deputy Attorney General Daniel Fridman testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging on July 18, giving a "bird's eye view" of...

ADA celebrates 17th anniversary, but more work remains: Department of Labor promotes hiring workers with disabilities.(Disability)
August 6, 2007... Now that 17 years have passed since lawmakers enacted the Americans with Disabilities Act, some influential organizations are calling for reform. They claim that the ADA today looks nothing like the original law from 1990, after a series of...

Providers on guard for added fraud audits: plus: physician pleads guilty to creating fake records of car accident victims.(Industry News)
August 6, 2007... Medicare contractors may be turning up the heat on providers' claims soon. The HHS Office of Inspector General complained that the Program Safeguard Contractors aren't turning the screws hard enough on Medicare Part B providers. Some PSCs...

Rafael Razuri.(In Other News ...)
August 6, 2007... Savannah, GA physician Rafael Razuri pied guilty to conspiracy to commit health-care fraud, along with his co-defendant, a chiropractor. Prosecutors charged that Razuri conspired to bill more than $5 million in fraudulent physical therapy...

CMS reopened its Clinical Trial Policy for more public comment.(In Other News ...)
August 6, 2007... CMS reopened its Clinical Trial Policy for more public comment. The proposed new policy includes a new process for Coverage with Evidence Development and also clarifies that some items are considered routine costs, which Medicare would cover...

Opinion leaders support payment reform, national health agenda: survey of health-care experts finds broad support for provider integration.(Reform)
August 13, 2007... Payment reform and the implementation of a national agenda are crucial steps in improving health-care quality in America, opinion leaders agree. The 11th Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders Survey found that most health-care...

Churning between Medicaid and SCHIP linked to fluctuations in eligibility: how SCHIP authorization aids young adults.(SCHIP)
August 13, 2007... Fluctuations in income and family dynamics are a major cause of churning in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, a new study by the Urban Institute's Health Policy Center finds. The study, led by research associate...

Once again, Congress opts for a short-term fix to physician-pay crisis: doctors urge their senators to support House version of health bill.(Reimbursement)
August 13, 2007... When it comes to Medicare legislation, physicians had better hope the House always wins. The House of Representatives passed a bill, late on Aug. 1, which would scrap the 10-percent cut doctors are facing in 2008, as well as the 5-percent...

Health industry must overcome barriers to in-home health monitoring: home health telemedicine wages an uphill battle with seniors.(Health IT)
August 13, 2007... Health-care providers may want to make the most of technology to improve clinical outcomes (and reap financial benefits), but seniors' objections are standing in their way. Approximately 45 million Americans aged 60 or older may not be able...

OIG wants to squeeze drug payments further: doxorubic and Interferon are at the top of the hit list.(Compliance)
August 13, 2007... Physicians' already low payments for Medicare Part B drugs could wind up slashed even further, if the HHS Office of Inspector General gets its way. The OIG has been beating a drum on Part B drug payments for years, even after Medicare...

If benes can't get healthy, they'll have to pay: bonus: some universities require students to have health insurance.(Health Insurers)
August 13, 2007... Clarion Health, an Indianapolis-based health system, is taking a new approach to employee wellness; it's going to start charging its employees for their unhealthy habits. Beginning in 2009, Clarion will start deducting money from...

The key to a productive doctor visit: Q & A, says NIH: and ethnic disparities are prevalent in arthritis sufferers' care.(Elderly)
August 13, 2007... Seniors should be asking more questions during their visits to health-care providers. And a new online resource seeks to show them how to break the ice. "Being able to communicate openly, comfortably and assertively with your doctor can...

Rural counties could reap more cash from geographic payment fix: plus: providers shouldn't hold their breath for NPI database.(Industry Notes)
August 13, 2007... Physicians who are getting shortchanged by the current geographic payment system have a new ally in the Government Accountability Office. Medicare has 89 physician-payment localities and adjusts payment levels depending on which locality a...

CMS once again delayed the long-awaited release of the National Provider Identifier database, which it was supposed to be available months ago.(In Other News ...)
August 13, 2007... CMS once again delayed the long-awaited release of the National Provider Identifier database, which it was supposed to be available months ago. CMS had promised to allow providers by June to look up the NPIs of doctors they do business with and...

Reauthorization of SCHIP a chance to improve the program, researchers say: child-health policy experts suggest ways to measure and improve the quality of SCHIP.(SCHIP)
August 20, 2007... With the deadline for Congressional reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program last approaching, the Commonwealth Fund has released a report suggesting ways lawmakers could improve the program. SCHIP has been very...

Pharmacists protest changes to Medicaid drug reimbursements: many fear that new legislation could put independent pharmacies out of business.(Medicaid)
August 20, 2007... A new law that reduces reimbursements for Medicaid prescription drugs could force many independent pharmacies out of business, pharmacists fear. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 would allow the government to reimburse retail pharmacies at the...

How employers are taking control Of their health-care costs: find out why a Wisconsin insurer's plan seems to be working.(Case Study)
August 20, 2007... This July, the Business Health Care Group announced that its sell-funded member companies saw a 13.7-percent drop in their medical costs per plan member in 2006--an annual savings of $24 million. How did they do it.'? Read on to find out. ...

Lawmakers seek fix for jams in Part D cash flow: insiders encouraged by bipartisan support.(Medicare Part D)
August 20, 2007... A new bill in the Senate could lead to speedier payments from Part D prescription drug plans--a development that could save pharmacies from borrowing to cover expenses. The Senate bill, the Pharmacy Access Improvement Act of 2007 (S....

Health agencies put their heads together on AD: topic of roundtable discussion: federal response to the epidemic.(Elderly)
August 20, 2007... Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD) rounded up the heads of the government agencies that oversee Alzheimer's Disease issues for a brainstorm session July 17. The hearing, a third in a series, sought to examine current federal AD initiatives and...

Sniff out cognitive impairment.(In other AD news)
August 20, 2007... A new study funded by the NIA and the Illinois Department of Public Health indicates that a declining sense of smell may be a precursor to AD. The study asked 600 individuals ages 54 to 100 to identify common smells (e.g., onion, lemon...

Toys offer solace.(In other Alzheimer's disease news)(Brief article)
August 20, 2007... Caregivers seeking to offer comfort to AD sufferers may want to consider children's games, dolls and picture books, reports GreatReporter.com. "Dolls can calm patients and reduce agitation," noted Miriam Josef, a social worker with Cabrini...

Insurers cut costs by going green: and lack of employee education could be biggest problem with CDHPs.(Health Insurers)
August 20, 2007... For the major health insurer in Massachusetts, saving money doesn't always mean watching health-care costs. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has gone green, and as a result, the insurer may be seeing more "green"--money, that is. ...

Caregiver training gets $300k worth of attention: contest champions 12 community colleges for their part in fixing workplace woes.(Caregivers)
August 20, 2007... The shrinking caregiver workforce could get a boost from top-notch training programs. That's the idea behind the Community College Caregiver Training Initiative, which seeks to highlight community colleges' role in creating excellent home-care...

Off-label coverage war heats up: pharmacists'role: know when exceptions and appeals could help.(Prescription Drugs)
August 20, 2007... A new report slamming the feds for allowing Part D denials for "off-label" prescriptions could be just what pharmacists need--new fuel in the fight to get clients the drugs that they require. The study, released Aug. 2 by the Medicare...

Value-driven health care model refunds $20 million in Minnesota: 3 different models for value-based purchasing seek to introduce 'premium holidays' across America.(Health Plans)
August 27, 2007... Most Americans can expect their health insurance premiums to rise each year; in fact, the average worker paying for family coverage shelled out $971 more for premiums in 2005 than in 2000, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and...

Geriatric culture change generates rave reviews: Green Houses beat nursing homes in 7 of 11 categories.(Nursing Homes)
August 27, 2007... Residents in Green Houses, alternative living communities for senior citizens who need nursing-home level care, enjoy lower rates of depression, bed rest and functional limitations than residents of nursing homes, according to a new article...

Fair pay for pharmacies at stake in new legislation: Medicaid rate proposal could come back to haunt Part D.(Pharmacies)
August 27, 2007... A new Senate bill could help guard pharmacies from next year's planned slashes in what the feds will pay for generics. The bill, the Fair Medicaid Drug Payment Act of 2007 (S. 1951), would alter a new federal role affecting Medicaid drug...

OIG to oncologists: tighten your belts: electronic records may prevent fraud, but they don't improve care.(OIG)
August 27, 2007... Cancer practices are doing fine, insists the HHS Office of Inspector General in the latest of a long line of reports on oncology drugs. The OIG surveyed a dozen oncology practices and found that nine of them could buy 15 cancer drugs at...

6 Part D proposals to watch: provisions in child-focused bill could have big impact on seniors.(Part D)
August 27, 2007... Big changes could be headed Part D's way if provisions from a new House bill survive a date with a Congressional reconciliation committee in September. In the first days of August, the House and the Senate approved companion bills aimed at...

New research: patients need MTM now: group's call to action includes pharmacists.(Pharmacists)
August 27, 2007... Add this study to the pile of evidence supporting a greater role for community pharmacists in medication therapy management, or "MTM." New research from the National Council on Patient Information and Education suggests that millions of...

Arthritis disability differs by race, access to care to blame: and HHA honeymoon is over.(Industry Notes)(Clinical report)
August 27, 2007... Arthritis isn't just a nuisance; it can seriously disrupt sufferers' daily lives--and unfortunately, that's especially true for many Hispanic and African American seniors. The 1998-2004 Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal study...

'Professional courtesy' could cost physician practices tens of thousands: a bribe is still a bribe, attorneys warn.(Compliance)
August 27, 2007... A doctor who shows "professional courtesy" to physicians who are tied to Medicare recipients could have a chance to show off those good manners--in prison. "Professional courtesy" means that the physician's office provides free or...