The Industry's Dirty Secret: The Data Are Inaccurate
November 3rd 2014Patient satisfaction may be increasingly important in healthcare, but the industry hasn't made the appropriate changes yet, 2 employees from Prime Therapeutics said in back-to-back sessions at the 64th Annual Roy A. Bowers Pharmaceutical Conference.
Read More
In the Literature: microRNA Biomarkers For Early Detection of Childhood Cancers
November 3rd 2014Research to be presented this week at the National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference has identified the expression of specific serum microRNAs in pediatric solid tumors, which could prove useful for early diagnosis.
Read More
Supreme Court Passes on ACA Subsidy Case-For Now
November 3rd 2014At this time, the Supreme Court of the United States has declined to hear an appeal of one of the cases challenging the legality of making subsidies under the Affordable Care Act available to consumers on the federally run health insurance exchanges.
Read More
Some Telehealth Visits, Care Coordination Win CMS Reimbursement, Published Reports Say
November 3rd 2014Starting in January, primary care physicians will be paid to coordinate care for Medicare patients and can be reimbursed for telehealth visits for wellness and behavioral health, according to a published report.
Read More
Limited Literacy, Numeracy Hurts Those the ACA Is Meant to Help
November 2nd 2014The Affordable Care Act expanded healthcare coverage to many low-income Americans, but this same demographic has a low health literacy that makes it difficult for them to navigate program eligibility systems, according to a study from The Urban Institute.
Read More
Test Predicts Benefit of Extended Endocrine Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients
November 2nd 2014bioTheranostics, Inc's Breast Cancer Index, a genomic test quantifying the risk of breast cancer recurrence and predicting which patients will likely benefit from extended endocrine therapy, will be covered by Medicare.
Read More
Diagnostic Lung Biopsies a Big Drain on Medicare, Study Finds
October 31st 2014The retrospective study, results of which were presented at the 2014 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology, showed that the total diagnostic workup cost for the study sample of Medicare beneficiaries was $38.3 million.
Read More
Author Finds High Degree of Variation Among States to Accommodate Accountable Care
October 31st 2014From Medicaid providers that are regulated as insurers alongside managed care organizations, as happens in Mississippi, to "enhanced medical homes," which are found in Colorado, the variety that exists in healthcare delivery across the states has adapted to reflect the shift to accountable care, according to an author writing for the American Journal of Public Health.
Read More
Extending Hospital Stays by One Day Reduces Readmission, Mortality Rates
October 31st 2014In 2015, hospital readmissions will be a growing concern as the maximum penalty increases to 3% of Medicare payments. Researcher from Columbia Business School found that one extra day in the hospital can make all the difference to readmission and mortality rates.
Read More
Healthcare Transformation and the Price of Pharmaceuticals
October 30th 2014Panelists discussed the price of pharmaceuticals and controlling the cost of care at the 64th Annual Roy A. Bowers Pharmaceutical Conference: A Measured Approach-Health Care Delivery and Transformation in a Metric Driven World, held by Rutgers University.
Read More
If You Thought Managed Care Wars Were Ugly, Meet "Narrow Networks"
October 30th 2014From the youngest patients to the oldest, the Affordable Care Act's promise that care will be provided despite pre-existing conditions is bumping against the challenge of keeping costs in check. From around the country come reports of pushback, which evoke the 1990s stories of managed care's debut: limited choice.
Read More
Privately Insured Consumers Spending More on Fewer Medical Services
October 29th 2014Despite using fewer medical services, privately insured Americans spent more money on these services in 2013, according to a report from the Health Care Cost Institute. The average enrollee in an employer health plan increased spending by 3.9% last year.
Read More
CMS Vows New Medicaid Managed Care Rules in 2015
October 29th 2014A crackdown to ensure that Medicaid beneficiaries get accurate information about provider networks is coming in January, CMS officials vowed yesterday, according to published reports. New regulations for Medicaid managed care to be unveiled in early 2015 will ensure that consumers get timely access to care and better integration of services.
Read More
Dr Karen B. DeSalvo Not Leaving ONC Just Yet
October 29th 2014The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) seemed to be in dire straits as its leadership slowly left for other jobs. However, despite Dr DeSalvo's new position within HHS, she will maintain her leadership position in ONC, according to a new report.
Read More