Latest Welfare state Stories
Congressional and Administration leaders discuss solutions consistent with program integrity and payment reforms proposed by home healthcare community WASHINGTON, April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare - a national coalition representing more than 1,500 community- and hospital-based home health agencies nationwide - today commended Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) for calling attention to the need for Medicare program...
- Program Integrity and Payment Reforms Key to Strengthening Medicare, Preventing Abuse and Achieving Savings - WASHINGTON, April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the occasion of the Senate Finance Committee's important hearing on Medicare fraud and abuse, the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare reiterated its call for tough action targeting fraud and abuse. The home healthcare community has developed targeted program and payment integrity reforms specifically designed to...
NEW YORK, April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthPlanOne, a leading senior general agency, has established itself as the premier partner for agents seeking the best possible customer leads for their money. HealthPlanOne goes beyond providing high converting leads and health quoting technology. Now HealthPlanOne provides Medicare insurance agents with a mobile interface offering the most competitive products in the Medicare marketplace. MedicareOnTheGo, HealthPlanOne's proprietary...
Thomson Reuters released its annual study this week identifying the 100 top U.S. hospitals based on their overall organizational performance. Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD, was the only Maryland hospital to be included in the top 100 list. Baltimore, MD (PRWEB) April 20, 2012 Thomson Reuters released its annual study this week identifying the 100 top U.S. hospitals based on their overall organizational performance. Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD, was the only Maryland...
NEW YORK, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The S&P Healthcare Economic Composite Index indicates that the average per capita cost of healthcare services covered by commercial insurance and Medicare programs increased by 5.75% over the 12-months ending February 2012. This is an acceleration from the +5.23% annual growth rate posted for January 2012. Healthcare costs covered by commercial insurance plans, as measured by the S&P Healthcare Economic Commercial Index, increased by...
Health care law expands second round, program will save up to $42.8 billion People with Medicare are already saving money on durable medical equipment (DME) through the Medicare competitive bidding program, according to a report released today by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. According to the report, the program saved $202 million in its first year in nine metropolitan statistical areas – a reduction of 42 percent in costs and, as the program expands under the...
Myths about the Bidding Program Persist WASHINGTON, April 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While myths about Medicare's deeply flawed bidding program for durable medical equipment (DME) persist, the American Association for Homecare is urging Congress to adopt the alternative Market Pricing Program (MPP) to replace the controversial bidding program. The current, badly designed bid program is opposed by hundreds of economists and dozens of consumer groups. The Centers for...
Patients who paid for heart medications solely through Medicare were 57 percent more likely to not take them during coverage gaps compared to those who had a Part D low-income subsidy or additional insurance, according to research published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal. Neither group was more likely to switch to other drugs during coverage gaps. "Rather than prompting patients to switch to lower-cost alternatives, we found...
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing a clinical template for physicians to use to evaluate a Medicare beneficiary for power mobility. The move, which has long-standing support from home medical equipment providers, physicians, and other stakeholders, is desperately needed to address the unreliable, subjective and ambiguous current system for documenting medical necessity for power wheelchairs and...
NEW YORK, April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United Spinal Association's membership division, National Spinal Cord Injury Association (NSCIA) and Allsup will host, What You Need to Know About SSDI and Medicare, a webinar designed for people who have questions about filing for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and subsequent Medicare eligibility on Wednesday, April 18, 3-4 p.m. EDT (2-3 p.m. CDT). (Logo:...
