Rene Letourneau
President Barack Obama rejected the idea of delaying the implementation of a 2.3 percent medical device tax slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013 as part of the Affordable Care Act. The president said medical device companies would make up for the lost revenue because the ACA will bring more healthcare consumers into the marketplace.
The use of retail clinics for medical services is on the rise, according to a new survey from healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information, which reports 21.3 percent of U.S. adults have visited a retail clinic, up from about 10 percent six years ago.
In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid last week, 18 Democratic senators and senators-elect requested a delay in the medical device tax, a 2.3 percent tax that is slated to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013 as part of the Affordable Care Act.
Jeffrey Brenner, MD, is on a mission to improve the quality and cost of healthcare delivery in his community. He is particularly focused on "super-utilizers," the segment of the population that uses a disproportionately high amount of hospital and ER services. Brenner spoke recently with Healthcare Finance News Editor Rene Letourneau about his research and his views on the nation's failing healthcare systems.
The healthcare industry added 20,000 jobs to the nation's economy in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The biggest gain was in the hospital sector, which added 8,300 jobs.
An organization that has a leader focused on striving for excellence is capable of obtaining any goal, said Paul O’Neill, former U.S. Secretary of Treasury and former CEO of ALCOA, to an audience Thursday at a Maine Health Management Coalition conference in Portland, Maine.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday that it is part of the first public-private partnership to promote medical device regulatory science. The partnership will focus on speeding up the review and approval processes of new medical devices.
The costs associated with treating morbidly obese patients continue to rise, according to a report released Monday by healthcare supply contracting firm Novation.
Physicians in all care settings will see a slight pay hike in 2013, with salaries expected to rise by an average of 2.6 percent, according to a recent survey conducted by global consulting firm Hay Group.
The hernia repair device market has grown at a steady pace of 4.8 percent per year since 2008, reaching $3.5 billion in 2012, said a recent report from healthcare market research publisher Kalorama Information.