Senators Question Use of Psych Drugs in Nursing Homes
Posted on 15. Aug, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — Two high-ranking senators have urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to examine potential over-prescribing of atypical antipsychotics to nursing home residents.
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Washington Week: Another Court Upholds ACA
Posted on 09. Jul, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — Another court gave the White House a health reform victory, a Congressional committee sought information on Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s ACA-related activities, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled its proposal to cut physician fees.
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Medicare Unveils Plan to Cut Doctor Pay by 30%
Posted on 06. Jul, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued its proposed changes to the 2012 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, including a long anticipated — and long-feared — plan to cut Medicare pay to physicians by 30%.
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Medicare to Keep Paying for Avastin
Posted on 30. Jun, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — Medicare will continue to pay for bevacizumab (Avastin) when it’s used to treat metastatic breast cancer, even if the FDA decides to remove that indication from the drug, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said.
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HHS Sets Deadline for ‘Mini-Med’ Waivers
Posted on 17. Jun, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
(MedPage Today) — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has set a Sept. 22 deadline for ‘mini-med,’ or limited-benefit, health plans to apply for a waiver from the annual benefit limit prohibition included in the Affordable Care Act.
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Publicly Traded Medicaid Plans Cost More to Run
Posted on 16. Jun, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
(MedPage Today) — Medicaid plans that are publicly traded have higher administrative costs and perform worse on quality measures than their counterparts that are not listed on a stock exchange, according to a report released Wednesday by the Commonwealth Fund.
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Medicaid to Quit Paying for Preventable Events
Posted on 01. Jun, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that hospitals and healthcare providers will no longer be reimbursed for treating Medicaid patients for illnesses, injuries, or readmissions that should have been prevented.
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CMS Eases E-Prescribing Rule
Posted on 28. May, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would be more flexible in allowing doctors to phase in electronic prescribing technology.
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CMS Announces Plan to Speed Up ACO Formation
Posted on 18. May, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — Doctor and hospital groups eager to become Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) could get started sooner than expected under a “pioneer model,” the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced this week.
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Hospitals to Be Paid for Quality, Not Quantity, CMS Says
Posted on 29. Apr, 2011 by Dr. Ellis in News and Updates
WASHINGTON (MedPage Today) — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will begin paying hospitals bonuses based on adherence to quality measures and based on patient satisfaction under a final Medicare rule published Friday.
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