medicare reimbursement
ALSO NOTED: GE Healthcare buys Biacore; Effort to block physician reimbursement cuts gains steam; and much more...
> GE Healthcare will pay $390 million to buy Sweden's Biacore, a maker of machines for the life sciences industry, extending GE's move into that business after the purchase of Amersham International. Article (WSJ sub. req.)
> Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) talked up EMRs at a conference on Long Island attended by hundreds of healthcare execs. …
... Read more...ALSO NOTED: HIT legislation planned; Jury rules against Kaiser in retaliation case; and much more...
> The New York Times looks at the case of Bernard Vogel, a real estate mortgage broker from Northern New Jersey who is said to have played a secret role in shareholder class action specialist Milberg Weiss' effort to pursue a case against Oxford Health plans. Article
> A jury has found that Kaiser Permanente retaliated against …
... Read more...Defibrillator market faces problems
The Guidant deal has transformed the market for cardiac defibrillators, yet the future is far from certain for the sector. New powerhouse Boston Scientific must cope with a cooling market for defibrillators in the wake of last year's recalls and the threat of Medicare reimbursement cuts. There is evidence that the problems at Medtronic and Guidant have led many doctors to hold off on recommending the potentially lifesaving technology for patients, or at least adopt a more conservative …
... Read more...Editor's Corner
This week things are starting to get a little serious regarding physicians' Medicare reimbursement. The AMA is gearing up for a fight, trying to avoid a scheduled 4.3 percent cut in Medicare reimbursement, and a survey of California doctors suggested that they would stop taking new patients at the lowered rates. Much of this is just bargaining rhetoric, but CMS is determined to start …
Medicare reimbursement policies examined
In the first of a three part series, The Washington Post takes a long, hard look at the Medicare reimbursement system, noting economic incentives which can work to reward hospitals and doctors who provide poor care. The paper concludes that the system, in the words of one critic, is often "the exact opposite of what you would expect." The report focuses on the controversial practice of awarding incentive payments to a facility when a patient returns -- even if the cause is …
... Read more...AMA pushes its issues in Chicago
The American Medical Association held its annual meeting in Chicago over the weekend. Key issues on the table this year for include the task of improving the organization's image, dealing with the specialty hospital issues, and responding to changes in Medicare reimbursement levels. The group also faces potentially divisive controversies involving end-of-life issues and pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions. The AMA's Board of Delegates said it will vote on a proposal to throw the …
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