Medicine & Health articles from December 2007

Medicine & Health archives from December 2007

High medical costs continue to burden U.S. families: rural communities top list of uninsured.(Insurance)
December 7, 2007... The nation's working poor are shouldering the heaviest medical costs, a recent Commonwealth Fund study shows. The report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, uses data from the 2003 Community Tracking Study Household Survey, which...

Hospitals' quality performance on a high improvement curve: Charleston Area Medical Center comes out on top, study shows.(Quality)
December 7, 2007... Hospitals nationwide have made effective strides in improving outcomes, a recent Quality Matters report reveals. Health Quality Alliance (HQA) data from July 2005 to June 2006 indicates dramatic improvements in the treatment of patients...

Round two nearly upon bidding suppliers: fraud demo agencies should receive their re-enrollment letters by end of January.(Competitive Bidding)
December 7, 2007... Durable medical equipment suppliers who recently bid should know their status in a month or two. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to conclude its bid evaluations for competitive bidding in December or January, then...

WellCare dogged by $35m fraud allegations: despite raid, benefits plan earns award.(Fraud)
December 7, 2007... An Oct. 24 raid on managed care provider WellCare Health Plans was prompted by allegations that the company inflated mental health care spending and kept over $35 million it should have refunded to Florida's Medicaid program, says "a person...

All systems go for PPS transition, CMS says: hospice coding change still taking effect Jan. 1, CMS says in forum.(Prospective Payment System)
December 7, 2007... The feds are expecting smooth sailing for home health agencies billing under prospective payment system refinements Jan. 1. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been extensively testing the claims system changes with its...

Home care agencies should take a fresh look at beneficiary gift-giving: regulators could construe goodwill as influence.(Compliance)
December 7, 2007... Home care agencies may feel compelled to help disadvantaged patients or their families during the holiday season, but going about it in the wrong way could cost them up to $10,000 in fines. "Agencies need to be cautious about what they give...

OTC medications may combat Parkinson's disease: aspirin proves especially beneficial for women.(Health)
December 7, 2007... Aspirin might be good for preventing heart attacks, but other over-the-counter pain medications may also be good to have in the medicine chest, researchers say. Pain medications known as non-steroidal anti-inflamatory drugs (NSA1Ds) may reduce...

Study hints at run-up in drug prices: 95 percent of plans raised costs.(Part D)
December 7, 2007... Prescription drug plans may be downplaying drug price increases, but consumers may soon be on to one of PDPs" best kept secrets. Many Medicare Part D plans raised drug prices during the current plan year, according to a study by Consumer...

Mixed meds improves rheumatoid arthritis, study shows: more research still needed.(Studies & Reports)
December 7, 2007... The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has unveiled strategies to mitigate rheumatoid arthritis in its recent report, "Comparative Effectiveness of Drug Therapy for...

Location, location, location may apply to hospitalization rates: Vermont among healthiest states.(Hospitalization)
December 7, 2007... Mississippi has almost twice as many preventable hospitalizations (110 per 1,000 Medicare enrollees) as Vermont (58 per 1,000), the latest American Health Rankings 2007 shows. Hawaii had the fewest preventable hospitalizations (32.2 per 1,000...

Title VIII funding increase for nurse education blocked: H.R. 3043 included amendment to support immigrant nurse program.(Legislation Update)
December 21, 2007... A bill that would have given nurse education programs a hefty financial increase in fiscal year 2008 was struck a death blow when a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives failed to override President Bush's veto of the measure. Bush...

Haste can make waste with 'minute clinics,' experts say: 6 tips help seniors make the best choices about these convenient checkpoints.(Consumer Protection)
December 21, 2007... They're sprouting up all around the country and quite popular for people who don't want to deal with the hassles of a doctors' office. Small health clinics, better known as "walk-in" or "minute clinics," found in pharmacies and grocery stores,...

Provider errors cost insurers $10.8 billion, CMS finds: study CERT results to find overpayments in high-level E/M claims.(Consumer Protection)(Report)
December 21, 2007... Physicians' whose favorite code is 99205 had better watch out. A new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reveals that nearly 25 percent of claims submitted to Part B carriers for level-five new-patient evaluation and...

Better macular degeneration treatment on the horizon: experimental drug, endostatin shows promise in study.(Health)
December 21, 2007... Researchers have discovered the body's natural inhibitor of new blood vessel growth, and it may be the answer to treating macular degeneration in the elderly. Researchers from Harvard University and Japan discovered that the experimental...

New treatment tackles menopause symptoms--without hormone therapy: Russian medical breakthrough results in compound known as Amberen.(Medical Research)
December 21, 2007... Older women looking to reduce the not-so-nice effects of menopause are often stuck between a rock and a hard place when faced with the choice of hormone therapy. Minimizing hot flashes, mood swings and sexual problems sounds enticing, but is it...

CIGNA snags Great-West Healthcare in $1.5 billion deal: benefits and products set to expand in Cigna's western regions.(Insurance)(Brief article)
December 21, 2007... CIGNA will pay approximately $1.5 billion in cash to acquire Great-West Healthcare, the Healthcare Division of Great-West Life & Annuity, Inc., CIGNA announced Nov. 26. Under the agreement, CIGNA will also fund approximately $400 million of...

Midwifery care bill garners support: Sen. Hilary Clinton among cosponsors.(Medicare Legislation)
December 21, 2007... Nurse midwives are cheering the progress of a Medicare bill that could put long-overdue federal dollars in their pockets. The American College of Nurse Midwives, (ACNM) with the aid of midwives across the nation, is making progress with the...

'Tis the season to seek accreditation: feds set to grant suppliers gift of firm deadline.(Accreditation)
December 21, 2007... Home medical equipment suppliers will soon learn more about what the New Year holds for the industry. On Dec. 11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a special Open Door Forum that will bring long-awaited news to...

CMS unveils new E-prescribing proposal: physicians benefit from fewer problematic interactions.(E-Prescriptions)
December 21, 2007... You may be seeing more new electronics around if CMS has its way. On Nov. 13, Mike Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), revealed a new proposal for adopting e-prescribing standards. According to the...