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Lawmakers are close again to delaying a 25 percent cut in reimbursement to doctors who serve Medicare patients. It's the fifth time this year Congress has faced down the cuts, which could have dire consequences for the program if enacted.
Maryland hospitals and regulators are teaming up in an experimental payment plan to reduce unnecessary admissions while improving patient care.
A new study shows that the emergency department use of computerized tomography scans has increased nearly six-fold since 1995 and shows no sign of tapering off.
A new study finds that U.S. consumers report greater access to specialty health care but also have a tougher time seeing a doctor on the day they need help than consumers in many of other Western countries.
An analysis of Medicare data finds many cancer patients are getting aggressive end-of-life care. The intensive approach might not be best for them and adds to the drain on Medicare's budget.
Though lots of different approaches to controlling health care costs have been discussed, it's hard to know which of them will really work.
No matter what the outcome of the midterm elections, the American Medical Association is hard at work on a new proposal to fix the Medicare physician payment system. The AMA wants to stave off cuts of up to 30 percent, slated to begin taking effect Dec. 1. AMA chief Cecil B. Wilson talks with Kaiser Health News to talk about the looming cuts, why it's increasingly difficult for doctors to see Medicare patients in America and how the AMA will soon try to lobby lawmakers for a permanent fix to the system.
After five years, 10 Medicare pilot projects showed mixed results. Leading group physician practices were measured on quality, patient satisfaction, and cost savings. They all scored well on quality, but only half made the cut on savings.
Nationwide, new physician-owned hospitals are scrambling to open by the end of the year. Beginning Jan. 1, the health law bans them from taking part in Medicare, making it hard for the facilities to survive.
The real problem facing our emergency care system is not overuse, it's the lack of a financial and administrative infrastructure to properly support it.
One of the nation's largest health insurers said today it is testing a new way to pay for some cancer treatments, aiming to identify the best medicines
Drug companies say they hire the most-respected doctors in their fields to teach about the benefits and risks of their drugs. But ProPublica uncovered hundreds of doctors on company payrolls who had been accused of professional misconduct, were disciplined by state boards or lacked credentials.
Prominent hospitals and networks, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area, can keep raising prices beyond inflation because their sizes or reputations give them clout in negotiating rates with insurers, researchers say. Yet high prices don't always equate with superior care.
Hospitals play an enormous role in the health care system; they're a crucial part of the public health safety net and an important community resource. But they are expensive. Hospital costs make up the largest portion of the health spending in this country.
Come with me to the land of happy health reform. It is a place where Republicans and Democrats find common ground, a place where physicians, hospitals and health insurers sit together as partners, a place where criticism is respectful, not rancorous. It is the world of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs).
One in six doctors works for a hospital, and the number is quickly growing. Both sides benefit: hospitals get a steady stream of patients and doctors say they can practice medicine without worrying about the hassles of running a private practice.
People who live in long-term care are much more likely to be sent to the hospital, sometimes unnecessarily, which can harm patients and drive up Medicare costs.
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services' baseline budget request eliminates financing for some disabled people who are waiting to receive services in private homes, group homes or other community settings.
From medical device makers to pharmacists to labor unions, a host of organizations want to ensure that accountable care organizations expand their business and influence.
The Obama administration has touted ACOs as a key way that the new health law will help providers work more closely together to lower health costs and improve patient care. But doctors and hospitals are worried about inadvertently violating antitrust and anti-fraud laws. Insurers fear the new doctor-hospital entities could boost health care prices. Industry and government officials are meeting Tuesday to deal with the concerns.
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