Latest KFF Health News Stories
Hospital-Acquired Condition Penalties By State
Medicare is reducing payments to 721 hospitals with high rates of infections or other medical complications. About 1,400 hospitals, including all in Maryland, are excluded from the program and Medicare did not assess their rates of patient harm.
Medicare Cuts Payments To 721 Hospitals With Highest Rates Of Infections, Injuries
The 1 percent penalty, mandated by the health law, will hit one of every seven hospitals in the country and fall particularly hard on academic medical centers.
Patients At Seven Miami-Dade Hospitals Are More Likely To Develop Infections
The data comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks six types of frequently occurring infections in hospitals as part of an effort to reduce them.
Consumers Will Pay More Out Of Pocket Next Year For Specialty Drugs
More insurers selling Affordable Care Act plans will charge consumers higher rates for medicines that treat multiple sclerosis, hepatitis C and other serious illnesses, Avalere studies say.
New ACO Rules Would Delay Penalties An Extra Three Years
The government’s proposed rule addresses many concerns of accountable care organizations.
Medicare Tightens Non-Emergency Use Of Ambulances To Combat Fraud
Advocates say many poor seniors who need dialysis and cancer treatments will have few transportation options.
Former HHS Official Calls For ‘Smarter’ Networks That Deliver Cost-Effective Care
Gary Cohen, a former deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, says the challenge for regulators and insurers is to create networks that not only save money but also deliver better patient outcomes.
Seniors’ Obesity-Counseling Benefit Goes Largely Unused
Experts say low reimbursements and restrictions on providers have hampered the Medicare program.
Study: American Seniors Face Health Care Gaps, Despite Medicare
The Commonwealth Fund finds cost barriers and limits on care for Medicare beneficiaries consistently places the U.S. low on the list of an 11-nation ranking of how older people fare in industrialized nations.
California’s Managed Care Project For Poor Seniors Faces Backlash
Nearly half of those eligible for a combined Medi-Cal and Medicare program are opting out.
How The Health Law Is Using Medicare To Improve Hospital Quality
Among the tools: penalties for admitting patients too soon after they were discharged and a focus on reducing hospital-acquired infections.
What To Know About Medicare’s Enrollment Period
Though not a part of the health law’s open enrollment period, Medicare’s enrollment period runs during some of the same time period. Changes to Medicare advantage and the so-called Medicare prescription drug “doughnut hole” are taking center stage.
Medicare Proposes Coverage Of Low-Dose CT Scans To Detect Lung Cancer
Beneficiaries who have a 30-year, pack-a-day smoking history would be eligible for this screening test.
ALS Patients Win Fight Over Medicare Reimbursement For Speech Devices
Medicare announced Thursday it would continue covering devices that patients themselves can upgrade.
More Scrutiny Coming For Medicare Advantage, Obamacare
Federal officials are planning a wide range of audits into billing and government spending on managed health care in the new fiscal year, ranging from private Medicare Advantage groups that treat millions of elderly to health plans rapidly expanding under the Affordable Care Act.
Disabled Vt. Senior Wins Medicare Coverage After 2nd Lawsuit
On Wednesday, Medicare officials agreed to pay for Glenda Jimmo’s home health care, reversing an earlier denial that said she didn’t qualify for coverage because she was not improving.
L.A. County Officials Demand Details On Reduced Nursing Home Penalties
The order follows a Kaiser Health News report detailing three fatal cases in which sources say recommended nursing home citations were downgraded.
Medicare Changes Could Limit Patient Access To ALS Communication Tools
Patient advocates say that, because of an official coverage reminder “the door is closing” for ALS patients who depend on Medicare to get speech-generation devices.
The Lowdown On Open Enrollment For Medicare Advantage And Part D
Kaiser Health News’ Julie Rovner hosted a webinar Tuesday to provide background to reporters covering Medicare Advantage and Part D issues through open enrollment and beyond.
Disabled Vt. Senior Who Led Class Action Suit Sues Medicare — Again
The landmark settlement was supposed to be a victory for Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions and disabilities who had been denied coverage for skilled care because they didn’t meet “the improvement standard” — meaning they were unlikely to improve. But when Glenda Jimmo was denied coverage this spring for that same reason, her lawyers filed a second lawsuit.
