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Many vendors give short shrift to the usability of their electronic medical records, says Jiajie Zhang, who is devoting the next three-plus years to addressing this usability factor.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule that would increase Medicare payment rates under the IRF Prospective Payment System (PPS) by a projected 1.5 percent in fiscal year 2012 - an estimated $120 million nationwide.

Highmark Inc. recently announced it would launch a two-year, patient-centered medical home pilot project.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s controversial plan to privatize Florida’s Medicaid and CHIP programs covering 2.9 million people continued to move through the Florida legislature last month, though a May 6 end to the current session will leave the House and Senate a short window to reconcile the two versions of the bill.

The California Department of Managed Health Care has asked Blue Shield of California to justify a 37.5 percent increase for approximately 70,000 members who are in managed care plans.

The Department of Labor has released a competency model for the long-term care industry that officials hope will solve long-standing issues of low wages and a high staff turnover rate.

Consumer Watchdog, a non-partisan consumer advocacy group, has called on the administration of President Barack Obama to make health reform waivers "the exception, not the rule."

In what Wall Street analysts are calling one of most contentious hostile takeover bids in recent memory, Tenet Healthcare filed a lawsuit in early April against Community Health Systems, charging CHS with admissions procedures that overbill Medicare.

The Department of Health and Human Services has announced a new program, developed under the Affordable Care Act, that's aimed at eliminating medical errors and reducing healthcare costs on a national scale.

Participatory medicine has become a trend with the potential to transform the healthcare industry, say its supporters.