Medicine & Health articles from September 2007

Medicine & Health archives from September 2007

Medicare payments to hospitals cut by $20 billion: inpatient prospective payment systems changes lauded by Leapfrog.(Hospitals)
September 10, 2007... Starting Oct. 1, 2007 Medicare and Medicaid patients who acquire a medical condition while checked in at a hospital may not have to foot the bill, and hospitals across America are wondering exactly who will. The Centers for Medicare &...

Will SCHIP bills sink budget? House offers duplicate coverage for 2 million privately insured children.(SCHIP)
September 10, 2007... As leaders from the House and Senate search for a consensus on how to extend State Children's Health Insurance Program coverage into the future, the Congressional Budget Office is questioning the long-term sustainability of health care spending...

Medicare Part D aids 80 percent of seniors without drug benefits: low-income prescription subsidies well-kept secret.(Medicare Part D)
September 10, 2007... In 2005, 33 percent of all seniors did not have any prescription drug coverage. Today, thanks to Medicare Part D, 80 percent of that group now receives coverage, leaving only eight percent of all seniors in the United States without...

Number of uninsured American children surges in 2006: but children also receive vaccines at record rates.(Child Health)
September 10, 2007... The Census Bureau announced that the ranks of the uninsured grew by 2.2 million in 2006, but this growth in the uninsured population may not have affected the quality of health care received by children; the vaccination records from the Centers...

How group purchasing cuts prescription drug costs: one organization has saved millions for its members.(Prescription Drugs)
September 10, 2007... Prescription drug costs rose 14 percent in 2006 for employers across the country. Well, costs rose 14 percent for employers who aren't members of the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health; its prescription drug costs rose only 3.7 percent in...

Will the CHAMP Act cut Medicare advantage payments? Bill also includes changes to quality reporting requirements.(Health Insurers)
September 10, 2007... The Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act, passed by the House on August 1, would expand the government's child health insurance program. The caveat is that the government plans to fund this Act by cutting payments to Medicare...

Bill could clip wings of drug plan marketers: the states should be the watchdogs, lawmakers say.(Pharmacists)
September 10, 2007... Proposed limits on how Part D prescription drugs plans can market their wares to seniors could mean fewer denied claims for pharmacists next year. Provisions in the Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 (H.R. 3162) address...

Physicians prepare for the return of PRO auditors: charging routine surcharges for Medicare patients a risky practice.(Physicians)
September 10, 2007... A new bill to reform the Quality Improvement Organization system also could bring back the Peer Review Organizations, which used to investigate complaints against physicians and examine doctors' claims data. The bill, by Senate Finance...

Covering the uninsured benefits those already covered: uninsured individuals lower the quality of care for the insured.(Health Insurance)
September 17, 2007... Advocates of universal coverage plans and expansions of government-sponsored programs such as SCHIP have failed thus far to persuade policy makers that providing health insurance for the masses is a part of the social contract. New research...

CMS closes another loophole for joint ventures: rural hospitals can pay some of doctor office's expenses when they recruit.(Stark Law)
September 17, 2007... Doctors may not have to rush to renew their medical director contracts when they lapse, thanks to a new regulation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its "Phase III" regulations on the Stark self-referral law on Aug....

Comments on Stark rules split between pro and con: doctors brace themselves for a world of legal muddles if proposals go through.(Physicians)
September 17, 2007... A controversial plan to slash physicians' deals with hospitals and other doctors' offices could become a reality in January. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services wants to make sweeping changes to the Stark rules that govern doctor's...

Pharmacists could soon be looking at a cash-flow fix: legislation to speed payments gets new life.(Part D)
September 17, 2007... Community pharmacists are now closer than ever to relief from slow payments under Part D, but should keep their eyes on the prize, experts advise. Both the U.S. House and Senate are considering companion bills aimed at forcing Part D...

Americans live longer than ever before: but colon screenings could extend lifetimes even further and reduce medical spending.(Research & Studies)
September 17, 2007... The average American died at an age of 78 in 2005, raising life expectancies in the United States to an all-time high, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a new report. Americans could expect to live until age 70 in 1955...

HHS heads up health initiative for Hispanic elders: pilot project to focus heavily on diabetes.(Elderly)
September 17, 2007... The Department of Health and Human Services has its eye on the well-being of this country's elderly Hispanic population. The HHS Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Director Carolyn...

GAO comes down on anesthesiologists' side: they could get a 32-percent pay hike.(Anesthesiologists)
September 17, 2007... The Government Accountability Office feels anesthesiologists' pain. The GAO, usually one of the first agencies to suggest slashing reimbursement, actually came out with a report (GAO-07-463) that says that Medicare underpays for anesthesia...

Researchers target problems on both the outside and inside of brain cells: 2 studies show promise in slowing Alzheimer's effects.(Research & Studies)
September 17, 2007... The latest Alzheimer's studies have aggressively targeted some of the direct causes for Alzheimer's symptoms--and researchers are already talking about conducting follow-up studies. Study #1: The Answer Lies In The Nose The first...

Elderly need more education on available immunizations and screenings: many seniors miss out on preventive care deals.(Industry Notes)
September 17, 2007... Medicare launched a 120-city bus tour this summer to publicize available screenings and immunizations, reports The Wall Street Journal. Fewer than one in 10 Medicare recipients is getting all the screenings and immunizations recommended by...

President Bush has named Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator nominee Kerry Weems as CMS Acting Administrator, according to press reports.(In other news ...)
September 17, 2007... President Bush has named Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator nominee Kerry Weems as CMS Acting Administrator, according to press reports. The position has been vacant since CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk stepped...

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.(In other news ...)
September 17, 2007... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a guide that they are calling a comprehensive summary of the Part D-related mailings the agency is set to send out this year to Medicare beneficiaries. The resource, "Guide to CMS,...