Tag Archives: Medicare

Aduhelm and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Potential Medicare Budget-Buster Puts A Blazing Light on Health Care Costs and Innovation

The FDA’s approval of the first therapy to treat Alzheimer’s Disease in over twenty years brought attention to a not-yet-convened debate of U.S. health care costs and spending, innovation, and return-on-the-investment (as well as “for whom” do the returns accrue). In my latest post for Medecision, I explore different angles on the Aduhelm and Alzheimer’s… Read More »

Support for telehealth Medicare reimbursement gains steam in Congress

Dive Brief: Congressional support for permanently expanding access to telehealth seems to be rising, though thorny questions persist around payment, timing and which flexibilities should be retained after the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. In a House subcommittee panel on telehealth Tuesday, lawmakers on both side of the aisle were supportive of the modality, especially… Read More »

Half of Medicare patients do not receive recommended healthcare after hospitalization

In the period from October 2015 to September 2016, before the Affordable Care Act, a substantial portion of Medicare patients referred to home healthcare after hospitalization did not receive that care, new findings show. Using national data, the researchers detailed how often Medicare patients referred to home healthcare services after a hospital discharge received one… Read More »

OIG says hospitals overbilled Medicare $267M by improperly coding post-discharge services

Dive Brief: The Medicare program overpaid providers more than $ 267 million due to inadequate oversight of patients discharged from an acute care hospital within three days of their admission, according to a new report by the HHS Office of the Inspector General. OIG inspectors combed over more than 89,000 claims filed in fiscal 2016… Read More »

After a year on Medicare, advice for journalists on stories that need to be told

The annual Medicare open enrollment period ends soon.  America’s seniors have faced a blizzard of dismaying news about the program. Here are some excerpts from newsworthy stories that you should be aware of. Excerpt: “The federal government recently redesigned a digital tool that helps seniors navigate complicated Medicare choices, but consumer advocates say it’s malfunctioning… Read More »