Archive for February 2012
WHAT WE’RE READING: A Celebration of Curves
- “Black Women Heavier and Happier With Their Bodies Than White Women, Poll Finds,” Washington Post: Black women have a handle on their love handles.
- “Study Questions Religion-Depression Link,” Reuters: A higher power won’t protect from the blues. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Texas Doctor, Others Charged in $375M Medicare, Medicaid Scam
The Obama administration yesterday announced that a Texas physician and the owners of five home health agencies were arrested for allegedly defrauding Medicare and Medicaid of nearly $375 million, the Washington Post reports. According to administration officials, it is the largest case of home health care fraud ever committed and the biggest case to be brought against a single physician. Read the rest of this entry »
WHAT WE’RE READING: A Blast From DNA Past
- “DNA, 1947,” New York Times: A Times article published July 15, 1947, began, “The isolation from the nuclei of living cells of a chemical believed to be the substance transmitting heredity was reported today.” Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Insurers Likely To Focus on Patients With Costly Chronic Conditions After Overhaul Implementation
Health insurers are expected to begin more closely monitoring beneficiaries with costly chronic conditions after the federal health reform law is fully implemented in 2014, the New York Times reports. Read the rest of this entry »
BETWEEN THE LINES: Putting the Pieces of the Cancer Drug Shortage Together
Earlier this week, Fox News and ABC News both reported on the FDA’s efforts to correct the drug shortage that threatened the treatment plans of many cancer patients. However, the coverage wasn’t equal.
Both outlets reported the facts:
- FDA ordered an increase in production of the injectable drug methotrexate; and
- FDA temporarily allowed foreign imports of Lipodux, an alternative to the cancer drug doxorubicin.
However, the articles cast the drug shortage in a different light.
WHAT WE’RE READING: Traditional Exercise Still Beats Video Games
- “Active Video Games Don’t Mean Kids Exercise More,” Reuters: Wii can’t believe this shocking study. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: HHS Finds Disparities Among Medicare Advantage Plans in Fraud Detection
The HHS Office of Inspector General has found wide differences in how Medicare Advantage plans “defined and detected potential fraud,” which could affect their ability to mitigate such problems, Modern Healthcare reports. HHS OIG found that in 2009, three of 170 MA plans identified 95% of the 1.4 million reported incidents of suspected fraud and abuse.
CMS requires MA plans to launch “inquiries and corrective actions” in some cases, but OIG investigators found that not all plans took such actions when they detected potential fraudulent activity. Read the rest of this entry »
THE FRIDAY RUNDOWN: A Full Week on the Front
It was an exciting week on the health policy front. Doctors can breathe easier — at least until the end of the year — after President Obama signed a 10-month “doc fix.” Meanwhile, the Supreme Court was active in regard to health this week, both adding 30 minutes to the oral arguments in the case against the federal health reform law and sending a case that will determine whether beneficiaries and providers can sue to block Medicaid provider cuts back to a lower court.
That’s not all, though. Everything you need to know about health policy in the last week is after the jump.
WHAT WE’RE READING: Pinterest Gains Popularity Among Providers
- “Hospitals Show Interest in Pinterest Marketing,” Fierce Healthcare: Don’t worry… it doesn’t involve your doctor’s favorite decorating tips.
- “Five Myths About Medicare,” Washington Post: For people who Medicare about the truth. Read the rest of this entry »
AHL’s TOP STORY: Per-Person Cost of High-Risk Health Plan Twice as High as Estimates; 50K Now Enrolled
Health care costs for enrollees in the temporary high-risk insurance pools established by the federal health reform law are expected to be more than double initial predictions, according to a report released by the Obama administration, the Washington Post reports (Kliff, Washington Post, 2/23).
The report also found that between November 2010 and November 2011, enrollment in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan increased by about 400% — helped by about 8,000 new applicants monthly in the second half of 2011 — to about 50,000 U.S. residents. That figure is well short of initial estimates by the CMS actuary, who predicted that 375,000 U.S. residents would enroll by the end of 2010 (Pecquet, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 2/23). Read the rest of this entry »
