Medicare news and information

Nearly 100 people, including 14 doctors and nurses, were charged for their roles in separate Medicare scams that collectively billed the taxpayer-funded program for roughly $223 million in bogus charges in a massive bust spanning eight cities, federal authorities said Tuesday.
FULL STORY »

The Obama administration issued the rules Monday to carry out a major hospital Medicaid cut, even as it is trying to delay the reduction scheduled to begin in five months.
FULL STORY »

The Indian generic drugmaker Ranbaxy, which already operates under an unprecedented consent decree banning sales of many of its products in the U.S., agreed to plead guilty in federal court and pay $500 million to resolve allegations of shoddy factory inspections and poor quality control.
FULL STORY »

Physician advocates see signs of progress in the Senate Finance Committee's hearing Tuesday—the panel's first in six years on replacing Medicare's physician payment system.
FULL STORY »

An eight-year initiative aimed at improving healthcare quality and lowering costs has entered its final phase, and its director says the project's lessons could serve as best practices for healthcare providers across the nation.
FULL STORY »

Last week's public unveiling of CMS' charges and reimbursements data for about 3,000 hospitals across the country painted an unflattering portrait of the dramatic and sometimes mystifying variation between hospitals treating similar patients in similar markets.
FULL STORY »

An analysis of four years of Medicare prescription records shows that some doctors and other health professionals across the country prescribe large quantities of drugs that are potentially harmful.
FULL STORY »

The next time whistle-blower attorney Joel Androphy sits down for a settlement conference with hospital lawyers, he'll have a potent new tool in his arsenal: last week's $39 million Stark law jury verdict against Tuomey Healthcare System in Sumter, S.C.
FULL STORY »

The controversy surrounding hospital pricing resurfaced last week after the CMS released hospital charges and payments for the top 100 diagnosis-related groups.
FULL STORY »

A for-profit company that owns three hospitals in New Jersey unveiled a new identity as an integrated health system with plans to offer a Medicaid plan and sell insurance on the state exchange about to launch under the healthcare reform law.
FULL STORY »