Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Lung Cancer Surgery May Be Safest at High-Volume Hospitals, Study Finds

Lung Cancer Surgery May Be Safest at High-Volume Hospitals, Study Finds

Deal vetoes private-probation, teacher benefits bills | Online Athens

Deal vetoes private-probation, teacher benefits bills | Online Athens

Sylvia Mathews Burwell: The Obamacare war that wasn't - Jennifer Haberkorn and Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com

Sylvia Mathews Burwell: The Obamacare war that wasn't - Jennifer Haberkorn and Burgess Everett - POLITICO.com

Who Really Pays For Health Care Might Surprise You - Kaiser Health News

Who Really Pays For Health Care Might Surprise You - Kaiser Health News

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Type 2 Diabetes May Shrink the Brain, Study Suggests

Type 2 Diabetes May Shrink the Brain, Study Suggests

FDA Moves Female Incontinence Device to 'High Risk' Status

FDA Moves Female Incontinence Device to 'High Risk' Status

Small hospitals struggle to adapt to new healthcare models - FierceHealthcare

Small hospitals struggle to adapt to new healthcare models - FierceHealthcare

If You Don’t Take Your Meds, Should Your MD Be Punished? | The Fiscal Times

If You Don’t Take Your Meds, Should Your MD Be Punished? | The Fiscal Times

Post-ABC News poll shows Democrats at risk in November as Obama’s approval rating falls - The Washington Post

Post-ABC News poll shows Democrats at risk in November as Obama’s approval rating falls - The Washington Post

Deal’s signature all but kills Medicaid expansion | www.myajc.com

Deal’s signature all but kills Medicaid expansion | www.myajc.com

Monday, April 28, 2014

Controversial California law would set charity care requirements - FierceHealthcare

Controversial California law would set charity care requirements - FierceHealthcare

South behind other regions in health, report says | Georgia Health News

South behind other regions in health, report says | Georgia Health News

In Poorest States, Political Stigma Is Depressing Participation in Health Law - NYTimes.com

In Poorest States, Political Stigma Is Depressing Participation in Health Law - NYTimes.com

Study: Costly Breast Cancer Treatment More Common At For-Profit Hospitals – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Study: Costly Breast Cancer Treatment More Common At For-Profit Hospitals – Capsules - The KHN Blog

Health Plans Scramble To Calculate 2015 Rates - Kaiser Health News

Health Plans Scramble To Calculate 2015 Rates - Kaiser Health News

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Lawsuit: Docs mocked anesthetized patient - FierceHealthcare

Lawsuit: Docs mocked anesthetized patient - FierceHealthcare

Gov. Deal signs 'medical amnesty' bill - 41 NBC News

Gov. Deal signs 'medical amnesty' bill - 41 NBC News

Rural health care surging as a major issue | Georgia Health News

Rural health care surging as a major issue | Georgia Health News

Rural Hospitals Face Tough Choices On Computerized Records - Kaiser Health News

Rural Hospitals Face Tough Choices On Computerized Records - Kaiser Health News

With Medical Debts Rising, Doctors Are More Aggressive About Payments - Kaiser Health News

With Medical Debts Rising, Doctors Are More Aggressive About Payments - Kaiser Health News

Former Ga. technician falsified mammogram reports | www.ajc.com

Former Ga. technician falsified mammogram reports | www.ajc.com

Thursday, April 24, 2014

2014 Clinical Congress Highlights | American College of Surgeons

2014 Clinical Congress Highlights | American College of Surgeons

States debate docs' physician assistant supervision limit - FierceHealthcare

States debate docs' physician assistant supervision limit - FierceHealthcare

Ham radio: An ‘old’ technology is a lifesaver in the emergency field | Georgia Health News

Ham radio: An ‘old’ technology is a lifesaver in the emergency field | Georgia Health News

Georgia Tech to host health care partnership forum - Washington Times

Georgia Tech to host health care partnership forum - Washington Times

Know what they say about Piedmont doctors? | Georgia Health News

Know what they say about Piedmont doctors? | Georgia Health News

Forecast Cut on Spending for Health - NYTimes.com

Forecast Cut on Spending for Health - NYTimes.com

Southerners Don’t Like Obamacare. They Also Don’t Want to Repeal It. - NYTimes.com

Southerners Don’t Like Obamacare. They Also Don’t Want to Repeal It. - NYTimes.com

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Female doctors get smaller share of Medicare money - FierceHealthcare

Female doctors get smaller share of Medicare money - FierceHealthcare

Polk pushing Blue Cross, Floyd Medical Center for solution - Rome News-Tribune: Local

Polk pushing Blue Cross, Floyd Medical Center for solution - Rome News-Tribune: Local

The Marietta Daily Journal - Several residents still unwell with possible WellStar expansion plans

The Marietta Daily Journal - Several residents still unwell with possible WellStar expansion plans

FTC wins appeal in ProMedica case | Modern Healthcare

FTC wins appeal in ProMedica case | Modern Healthcare

FDA Advisers Vote Against Approving New Opioid Painkiller : Shots - Health News : NPR

FDA Advisers Vote Against Approving New Opioid Painkiller : Shots - Health News : NPR

Audit Contractors Unlikely to Duplicate 2013 Medicare Recovery Haul Amid Dispute

Audit Contractors Unlikely to Duplicate 2013 Medicare Recovery Haul Amid Dispute
By Kerry Young, CQ HealthBeat Associate Editor

Recovery audit contractors successfully challenged about $3.7 billion in questionable Medicare payments in fiscal 2013, a success rate they’re unlikely to duplicate any time soon due to constraints Congress imposed on the industry.

The fiscal 2013 results marked a gain of about 60 percent, compared to the $2.3 billion recovered for Medicare in the previous year, according to an April Department of Health and Human Services inspector general’s report.
“At the end of fiscal year 2013, the Recovery Audit Contractor program was returning over $1 billion per quarter to the Medicare Trust Fund,” said Rebecca Reeves, a spokeswoman for the American Coalition for Healthcare Claims Integrity, which represents these auditing firms, in a statement. “The recent constraints place on the RAC program will dramatically reduce this pace.”

Hospitals, the main target of the contractors, have since succeeded in getting Congress to at least temporarily rein in these firms. A “doc fix” bill (PL 113-93) largely sidelined the contractors through March 2015. Intended primarily to stop a mandated cut in doctors’ pay, the measure also would delay some enforcement of a controversial two-midnight rule on hospital stays used to assess whether Medicare admissions were legitimate.

Hospitals have been fighting the policy, saying they could absorb significant losses if auditors successfully challenge decisions to admit patients for stays lasting less than two days (See CQ HealthBeat, Feb. 7, 2014 ). The American Hospital Association last week said that it filed two related lawsuits against HHS challenging the two-midnight rule. The actions contend that provisions in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ final inpatient prospective payment rule for 2014 “burden hospitals with unlawful arbitrary standards and documentation requirements and deprive hospitals of proper Medicare reimbursement for caring for patients.”

Seeking to address disputes between the contractors and the hospitals on what constitutes an appropriate inpatient stay, CMS last year put forward a new test for deciding this question. To be considered an inpatient stay, the admitting physician must expect that the patient will need care in the hospital for a period spanning at least two midnights.

The hospital trade group contends that CMS’s own data show that many conditions, including heart attacks, concussions and even “comas without complications” and surgeries such as appendectomies and mastectomies routinely involve short stays that don’t span two midnights. The hospital group said that the two-midnight standard “defies common sense.”

“The word ‘inpatient’ simply doesn’t mean ‘a person who stays in the hospital until Day 3,’ and CMS is not at liberty to change the meaning of words to save money,” the association said in its legal filing.
Hospitals have much to lose. Medicare generally pays them more if a patient is considered admitted and thus qualifies for the federal health program’s Part A payments. Part B is in general intended for payment for outpatient care.

“(T)ypically, years later— a RAC will overrule the physician’s decision to admit the patient on the ground that, in the RAC’s opinion, the patient could have been treated in the outpatient setting, and as a result, CMS will take back the entire Part A payment amount,” the hospital association said in its legal brief, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

While Congress may not address the rule or other health policy in the months ahead, lawmakers have shown interest in the issue. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., has at least 111 Republican and 93 Democratic backers for a bill (HR 1250) that would add new requirements on the contractors. The bill, first introduced in March 2013, has been attracting support at a steady pace since, gaining eight new cosponsors last month. The measure also would also provide the hospitals with potential aid, such as a provision requiring that a physician review each claim denial of a claim for medical necessity made by an employee of the contractor who is not a physician.

But the recovery audit contractors do have support from groups such as Citizens Against Government Waste, which has blasted Graves’ bill.

“Perhaps unsurprisingly, the success of recovery auditors in particular has raised hackles among providers, particularly hospitals, whose claims constituted the vast majority (88 percent) of the overpayments identified by the RACs. Even though the hospitals were not entitled to the money in the first place, they have called RACs `bounty hunters,’ complaining that their contingency fee compensation model pushes them to be exceedingly aggressive in challenging claims,” the group said in its statement about the Graves bill.

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Change in Tennessee law lets hospitals drop patients

Change in Tennessee law lets hospitals drop patients

Chief medical officer at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital resigns | Albany Herald

Chief medical officer at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital resigns | Albany Herald

Powerful Narcotic Painkiller Up For FDA Approval : Shots - Health News : NPR

Powerful Narcotic Painkiller Up For FDA Approval : Shots - Health News : NPR

Glaxo, Novartis, Eli Lilly in 'major 3-part' deal

Glaxo, Novartis, Eli Lilly in 'major 3-part' deal

Is Bigger Better? Idaho Hospital Battle A Microcosm Of Debate Over Industry Consolidation - Kaiser Health News

Is Bigger Better? Idaho Hospital Battle A Microcosm Of Debate Over Industry Consolidation - Kaiser Health News

Monday, April 21, 2014

Nurse stabbings raise questions on hospital violence - FierceHealthcare

Nurse stabbings raise questions on hospital violence - FierceHealthcare

Educators Pleased About Potential Changes to the State Health Benefit Plan | WABE 90.1 FM

Educators Pleased About Potential Changes to the State Health Benefit Plan | WABE 90.1 FM

Give ACOs a break, AHA tells CMS Innovation Center | Modern Healthcare

Give ACOs a break, AHA tells CMS Innovation Center | Modern Healthcare

Scribes Are Back, Helping Doctors Tackle Electronic Medical Records : Shots - Health News : NPR

Scribes Are Back, Helping Doctors Tackle Electronic Medical Records : Shots - Health News : NPR

Health Law Fund-Raising Is Detailed - NYTimes.com

Health Law Fund-Raising Is Detailed - NYTimes.com

Health Law Fund-Raising Is Detailed - NYTimes.com

Health Law Fund-Raising Is Detailed - NYTimes.com

How Are Insurers Responding To New Health Law Enrollees? – Capsules - The KHN Blog

How Are Insurers Responding To New Health Law Enrollees? – Capsules - The KHN Blog

FTC Requests Extension to Finalize Phoebe Putney Antitrust Settlement

FTC Requests Extension to Finalize Phoebe Putney Antitrust Settlement

Governor Nathan Deal Set To Sign Bill Expanding Gun Rights In Georgia

Governor Nathan Deal Set To Sign Bill Expanding Gun Rights In Georgia

2 insurers picked for university health plan | Georgia Health News

2 insurers picked for university health plan | Georgia Health News

Cost of Treatment May Influence Doctors - NYTimes.com

Cost of Treatment May Influence Doctors - NYTimes.com

Enrollments Exceed Obama’s Target for Health Care Act - NYTimes.com

Enrollments Exceed Obama’s Target for Health Care Act - NYTimes.com

15-Minute Visits Take A Toll On The Doctor-Patient Relationship - Kaiser Health News

15-Minute Visits Take A Toll On The Doctor-Patient Relationship - Kaiser Health News

Monday, April 14, 2014

Register Today for 2014 Rural Surgery Symposium, May 9-10

Register Today for 2014 Rural Surgery Symposium, May 9-10


Attendance space is limited for the 2014 Rural Surgery Symposium, May 9–10, at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) headquarters in Chicago, IL. The symposium will address issues that affect rural surgery, trends in rural surgery practice, and ACS resources for rural surgeons. Tyler G. Hughes, MD, FACS, an ACS Governor from McPherson, KS, and Chair of the ACS Advisory Council for Rural Surgery, McPherson, KS; and David C. Borgstrom, MD, FACS, a Member of the Advisory Council for Rural Surgery, from Cooperstown, NY, are the Symposium Directors. 

Symposium topics will include the following:
• Rural Health Care Systems—Surgical Perspective
• Benign Liver Lesions—Practical Surgical Management
• Rural Cancer Care
• The Economic Impact of a General Surgeon to a Rural Community
• Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, Stark Law, Critical Access Hospitals—What You Need to Know
• Unusual Cases from the Frontier—“Stump the Chumps” (Symposium participants should bring a case study to share for a panel discussion.) 

To register online, go to the ACS website. 

Experienced nurses shorten length of stay, improve patient outcomes - FierceHealthcare

Experienced nurses shorten length of stay, improve patient outcomes - FierceHealthcare

Engaged care delivery team key to 'branding' hospitals - FierceHealthcare

Engaged care delivery team key to 'branding' hospitals - FierceHealthcare

Report projects health care costs to dip slightly - The Washington Post

Report projects health care costs to dip slightly - The Washington Post

Doctors Overlook Lucrative Procedures When Naming Unwise Treatments - Kaiser Health News

Doctors Overlook Lucrative Procedures When Naming Unwise Treatments - Kaiser Health News

'Obamacare' under attack as conservatives eye 2016 | www.ajc.com

'Obamacare' under attack as conservatives eye 2016 | www.ajc.com

Sunday, April 13, 2014

State Lawmaker Says Medical Marijuana Legislation Still Needed | WABE 90.1 FM

State Lawmaker Says Medical Marijuana Legislation Still Needed | WABE 90.1 FM

Medicaire pays nearly $124 million to Augusta providers | The Augusta Chronicle

Medicaire pays nearly $124 million to Augusta providers | The Augusta Chronicle

Drop in federal funds squeezes public health | Georgia Health News

Drop in federal funds squeezes public health | Georgia Health News

When rural hospitals close, towns struggle to stay open | Marketplace.org

When rural hospitals close, towns struggle to stay open | Marketplace.org

House-Passed Budget Shows Parties’ Divergence - NYTimes.com

House-Passed Budget Shows Parties’ Divergence - NYTimes.com

New 'face,' but some old problems for 'Obamacare' | www.ajc.com

New 'face,' but some old problems for 'Obamacare' | www.ajc.com

Medicaid expansion: dollar waster or moral imperative? | www.myajc.com

Medicaid expansion: dollar waster or moral imperative? | www.myajc.com

Thursday, April 10, 2014

A Doctor's 'People Skills' Affects Patients' Health

A Doctor's 'People Skills' Affects Patients' Health

Do differences in physician and NP training impact patient care? - FierceHealthcare

Do differences in physician and NP training impact patient care? - FierceHealthcare

What we don’t know on medical marijuana (a lot) | Georgia Health News

What we don’t know on medical marijuana (a lot) | Georgia Health News

Medicare Records Provide Tantalizing New Details Of Payments To Doctors - Kaiser Health News

Medicare Records Provide Tantalizing New Details Of Payments To Doctors - Kaiser Health News

Doctors' Billing System Stays Stuck In the ’70s For Now - Kaiser Health News

Doctors' Billing System Stays Stuck In the ’70s For Now - Kaiser Health News

House passes Ryan budget with big cuts | www.ajc.com

House passes Ryan budget with big cuts | www.ajc.com

HHS Secretary Sebelius Resigns

HHS Secretary Sebelius Resigns

Monday, April 7, 2014

CMS to Disclose Individual Physician Payment Data

CMS to Disclose Individual Physician Payment Data  


On April 2, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its plans to release data on or after April 9 to the public on Medicare payments to physicians.  The data will list procedures performed by 880,000 individual physicians, along with how much they charged and how much Medicare reimbursed the physicians in 2012.  Although CMS will not release personally identifiable information about patients, the data will be organized by physicians’ National Provider Identifier, Health Care Common Procedure Coding System code, and place of service.  CMS indicated in a letter that it weighed the privacy interest of physicians against the public’s interest in shedding light on government activity and operations, and determined that the public’s interest outweighs the physicians’ privacy interests. CMS also indicated in a blog post that these data will allow a wide range of analyses that compare 6,000 different types of services and procedures provided and will allow consumers to compare the services provided and payments received by individual health care providers.  The American College of Surgeons will monitor the impact of this data release and will analyze any consequences for surgeons.  

Treatment helps reduce risk of esophagus disorder progressing to cancer - Medical News Today

Treatment helps reduce risk of esophagus disorder progressing to cancer - Medical News Today

Breast cancer origins study paves way for personalized treatment - Medical News Today

Breast cancer origins study paves way for personalized treatment - Medical News Today

Recall and biopsy rates reduced by digital mammography - Medical News Today

Recall and biopsy rates reduced by digital mammography - Medical News Today

Nurse mindfulness can decrease patient pain, stress during procedures - FierceHealthcare

Nurse mindfulness can decrease patient pain, stress during procedures - FierceHealthcare

Denying Access to Big Cancers Could Become Obamacare Controversy

Denying Access to Big Cancer Centers Could Become Obamacare Controversy

2014 Clinical Congress Highlights | American College of Surgeons

2014 Clinical Congress Highlights | American College of Surgeons

CMS has delayed the full implementation of the two-midnight policy

Two-Midnight Inpatient Admission Policy| American College of Surgeons Division of Advocacy and Health Policy

Scientists identify protein that spurs spread of colon cancer - Medical News Today

Scientists identify protein that spurs spread of colon cancer - Medical News Today

Surprise Medical Bills Lead to Protection Laws: Health - Bloomberg

Surprise Medical Bills Lead to Protection Laws: Health - Bloomberg

Friday, April 4, 2014

Annual Meeting | GSACS

Annual Meeting | GSACS

2014 Clinical Congress Highlights | American College of Surgeons

2014 Clinical Congress Highlights | American College of Surgeons

Hernia Repair Recovery Often Longer Than Expected

Hernia Repair Recovery Often Longer Than Expected

Is anyone happy about the SGR fix and ICD-10 delay? - FierceHealthcare

Is anyone happy about the SGR fix and ICD-10 delay? - FierceHealthcare

Emory, Grady join Georgia Health Information Network - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Emory, Grady join Georgia Health Information Network - Atlanta Business Chronicle

Key part of hospital provider fee still unresolved | Georgia Health News

Key part of hospital provider fee still unresolved | Georgia Health News

Survey finds 5.4 million Americans gained insurance under new health law | The Rundown | PBS NewsHour

Survey finds 5.4 million Americans gained insurance under new health law | The Rundown | PBS NewsHour

State Exchange Executives Face Tough Questions From House Subcommittee - Kaiser Health News

State Exchange Executives Face Tough Questions From House Subcommittee - Kaiser Health News

GOP fight for coastal seat not strictly a race to the right | www.myajc.com

GOP fight for coastal seat not strictly a race to the right | www.myajc.com

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

NY to expand nurse practitioners' scope of practice - FierceHealthcare

NY to expand nurse practitioners' scope of practice - FierceHealthcare

Update: St. Francis Hospital partners with Columbus Clinic | Business | Columbus Ledger Enquirer

Update: St. Francis Hospital partners with Columbus Clinic | Business | Columbus Ledger Enquirer

Georgia highway fatalities down for 2013 | Gwinnett Daily Post

Georgia highway fatalities down for 2013 | Gwinnett Daily Post

Break urged for medical marijuana families | Georgia Health News

Break urged for medical marijuana families | Georgia Health News

Paul Ryan’s final budget plan would slash $5 trillion in next decade - The Washington Post

Paul Ryan’s final budget plan would slash $5 trillion in next decade - The Washington Post

Docs unhappy with yet another SGR patch - FierceHealthcare

Docs unhappy with yet another SGR patch - FierceHealthcare

More Evidence Weight-Loss Surgery Helps People With Diabetes

More Evidence Weight-Loss Surgery Helps People With Diabetes

ICD-10 delay puts pressure on CMS for answers | Modern Healthcare

ICD-10 delay puts pressure on CMS for answers | Modern Healthcare

FTC may revive Phoebe fight, seeks state guidance | Georgia Health News

FTC may revive Phoebe fight, seeks state guidance | Georgia Health News

Obama celebrates 7.1 million health care sign-ups | www.ajc.com

Obama celebrates 7.1 million health care sign-ups | www.ajc.com

House GOP plan seeks health cuts to balance budget | www.ajc.com

House GOP plan seeks health cuts to balance budget | www.ajc.com