Medicare news and information

Aetna, one of the largest U.S. insurers, continued its push into accountable care contracts, with five new deals in Maine.
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The healthcare world is populated by scores of legal experts who strive to keep up with the sprawling compendium of statutes, regulations and legal advisories known collectively as the “Stark law.” But the law's father, Fortney “Pete” Stark, is not one of them.
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Increasing enrollment in health insurance is one of the primary goals of the health reform law. The CMS took a major step to achieve that by signing agreements with five online insurance brokers.
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The nation's skilled-nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities will see their Medicare payments increase in 2014 under two final rules from the CMS this week.
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A lawsuit says Tenet and Health Management Associates paid clinics to direct expectant mothers living in the U.S. illegally to their hospitals and filed fraudulent Medicaid claims on those patients.
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It's Christmas in July for Medicare-participating physicians—though the gift is far from being delivered. On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed bipartisan legislation to repeal Medicare's sustainable growth-rate formula and replace it with a stable system of...
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Humana said Wednesday its second-quarter profit rose by 18%, beating Wall Street forecasts, as the health insurer reported broad performance gains led by climbing enrollment in its Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans.
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Physicians could do far more to use prescription drugs more cost-effectively—in some cases, by recommending exercise or better nutrition before prescribing them in the first place, say a team of Dartmouth University researchers. The researchers are calling for more nuanced measures of...
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HHS' office of the inspector general is urging the CMS to ensure Medicare beneficiaries have the same access to skilled-nursing care after leaving the hospital, regardless of how their stay is coded.
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Three leading public health organizations have announced plans to partner in a project aimed at helping the nation's healthcare providers prepare for the 2014 expansion of Medicaid coverage.
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