South Dakota defends itself from federal Medicaid fraud report | (Sioux Falls, S.D.) Argus-Leader
The South Dakota Department of Social Services has issued a lengthy statement defending itself from a federal report that criticized the department for not devoting enough resources to combating Medicaid fraud.
VA warned repeatedly about cost overruns of $1.7 billion Aurora hospital | Denver Post
Cost overruns of more than $1 billion at the Veterans Affairs hospital under construction in Aurora were the fault of agency officials who ignored repeated warnings about its price and went ahead with plans to build a medical campus that one consultant compared to a shopping mall, according to an investigation made public Wednesday.
UPMC-backed company to offer telemedicine in nursing homes | Pittsburgh Business Times
A UPMC doctor has helped launch a company, backed by UPMC Enterprises, that will bring comprehensive telemedicine services to a crucial population — nursing home patients. Curavi Health, a Pittsburgh-based company, plans to offer customers specialized telemedicine equipment and software, as well as access to doctors who can assess elderly patients at night and on the weekends, when staffing at nursing homes is sparse.
Theranos lab still open in Scottsdale despite violations posing 'immediate jeopardy' | Arizona Republic
When federal regulators moved in July to shut down blood-testing startup Theranos' labs, they cited violations that officials said posed immediate jeopardy to patients' health. But more than two weeks after a Sept. 5 shutdown date passed, the company continues to draw blood from metro Phoenix customers and process those blood samples at its Scottsdale lab.
Texas lags behind on adoption of telemedicine, report says | Austin (Texas) Business Journal
Texas has some work to do if it's going to get serious about telemedicine. That's the conclusion of a new report from the Texas Association of Business, which highlights why telemedicine must be part of the solution to Texas' health care challenges.
Duchenne drugmaker plans stock sale to further research | Boston Globe
All eyes are on Sarepta Therapeutics this week after it won accelerated approval for a Duchenne drug. The Cambridge, Mass.-based company is hoping to raise $225 million, which will fund more research on their treatment for the rare form of muscular dystrophy that affects young boys.
1 in 3 patients who arrive at U.S. hospitals are malnourished, study finds | Reuters
The U.S. could save at least $15.5 billion in annual healthcare spending if malnutrition caused by chronic diseases were alleviated, according to research from drugmaker Abbott Laboratories and the University of Illinois.
Democratic liberals, moderates feud over public option | Politico
A liberal attempt to revive the so-called public option — a government-run insurance plan to shore up gaps in the Affordable Care Act — is opening old wounds between the Democratic Party's liberal and moderate wings.
UnitedHealth trims drug coverage, including Sanofi insulin | Reuters
UnitedHealth Group, the largest U.S. health insurer, will stop covering several brand-name drugs as of next year, reinforcing a trend of payers steering prescriptions to lower-priced options.
