Policy and Legislation
Possible cuts in Medicare funding for graduate medical education (GME) that could start as soon as next month come at a critical time when the industry is trying to find solutions to a physician shortage that promises to accelerate through 2020.
When Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said in the Republican response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address that "the biggest obstacles to balancing the budget are programs where spending is already locked in," he pulled no punches and pointed directly at Medicare.
It should be no surprise that President Barack Obama launched into the intertwined matters of sequestration and deficit reduction -- with a focus on how they impact healthcare -- before addressing other sectors of the U.S. economy during his State of the Union address Tuesday night.
Rural hospitals are girding for harsh impacts from a 2 percent decrease in Medicare reimbursements under federal spending sequestration, set to take effect in March, by taking advantage of how they already operate, a new report suggests.
Last year, through healthcare fraud judgments, settlements and other proceedings, the federal government recovered $4.2 billion the Justice and Health and Human Services departments announced on Monday.
States that continue to resist the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are finding themselves in a tougher and tougher spot. The Medicaid expansion is an even tougher issue. From where I sit, states that refuse to accept the expansion of federally funded Medicaid are essentially putting through an increase in their state minimum wage.
Peoria, Ill.-based Methodist Health Services Corp. has filed a lawsuit accusing the region's largest provider of breaking antitrust laws with "exclusionary" contracts that limit commercial insurers' ability to contract with other hospitals.
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a significant decline in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), but Consumers Union says more needs to be done, since the report also suggests most hospitals have not made significant overall infection improvements in five years.
Communication and teamwork across healthcare systems appears to be a nearly universal challenge, according to a survey of nearly 9,800 primary care physicians representing 11 nations. The Commonwealth Fund released findings of the survey in November 2012, and expanded on several drill-down topics during a webinar presented on Feb. 5.
A new report by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) comes as a warning to Medicaid providers who don't keep careful watch over their books.