Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

Department Of Justice, HHS Boosts Number Of Investigators, Prosecutors Looking At Medicare, Medicaid Fraud
HHS and the Department of Justice on Wednesday launched the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team to detect and prevent fraud in Medicare and Medicaid, the Washington Post reports (Johnson, Washington Post, 5/21). DOJ also plans to establish teams to address fraud in the Medicare Part D program and CHIP (Kennedy, AP/Houston Chronicle, 5/20). Wednesday"s announcement also included a recommendation by President Obama"s administration to include $311 million in the fiscal year 2010 budget to address health care fraud, which is a 50% increase from FY 2009. According to Attorney General Eric Holder, efforts to combat health care fraud will contribute to the administration"s health care overhaul plans (Clark/Weaver, McClatchy/Kansas City Star, 5/20). The task force, which will include HHS and DOJ staff members, law enforcement agents and prosecutors, will meet biweekly, CQ HealthBeat reports (Norman, CQ HealthBeat, 5/20). Under the plan, existing enforcement teams in Miami and Los Angeles will be expanded and new teams will be established in Houston and Detroit, where officials say suspicious billing patterns have emerged. In addition, the plan will set up task forces in 10 other major cities, which were not named (AP/Houston Chronicle, 5/20). The enforcement teams will increase site visits to durable medical equipment suppliers upon their enrollment. In addition, officials will expand training to help providers identify and prevent fraud or other mistakes (CQ HealthBeat, 5/20). The task force will use electronic claims data to detect "unusual billing problems," according to the Post (Washington Post, 5/21). HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the task force also intends to simplify billing systems and assist state officials in conducting Medicaid audits (CQ HealthBeat, 5/20). According to Holder, the joint task force will allow officials to share real-time intelligence data on health care fraud by monitoring claims payments, billing patterns and targeted surveillance (AP/Houston Chronicle, 5/20). Money
generic viagra online
Minnesota Clinics Serving Many More Thanks To Stimulus Dollars
As Minnesota braces for some cuts to public health programs, the state"s network of community health centers is being buoyed by money from the federal stimulus that will expand coverage to the un- and underinsured in that state, The Minnesota Post reports.
News of the day
Alkermes Initiates Two New Clinical Trials Of ALKS 33
Alkermes, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALKS) announced the initiation of two new clinical trials of ALKS 33, an oral opioid modulator for the potential treatment of addiction and other nervous system disorders. Study ALK33-004 is a phase 1 clinical trial designed to examine the ability of ALKS 33 to block the effects of an opioid following a single oral dose of ALKS 33 in healthy, non-dependent, opioid-experienced subjects. Study ALK33-003 is a phase 1 clinical trial designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics, safety and tolerability of multiple doses of ALKS 33 in healthy volunteers.
Cardiovascular

California Advocates, Lawmakers Raise Concern Over Governor's Cuts To HIV/AIDS, Health Care Services

There is growing concern among California HIV/AIDS advocates "that the Golden State will reverse course and see spikes in new HIV cases after Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this week further slashed the state Office of AIDS budget in order to deal" with a more than $20 billion deficit, the Bay Area Reporter reports (Bajko, 7/30). David Brinkman, executive director of the Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs, which provides services to people living with HIV in the area, said, "This is the worst-case scenario cut. It"s going to cut, possibly eliminate [HIV] education" (Brambilla, Desert Sun, 7/29). Schwarzenegger made the cuts by line-item veto, which, according to the California Constitution, "allows a governor to reduce or eliminate "items of appropriation" without vetoing an entire bill," the San Francisco Chronicle reports. "Democratic leaders now question whether their reductions in such services as in-home care and AIDS prevention were "items of appropriation" that the Republican governor could legally cut further," according to the Chronicle. State Assembly member John Pç©rez (D), who chairs the Democratic caucus, said he has sought legal counsel on the matter (Egelko, 7/30). Other lawmakers said they will fight to restore some of the cuts to health care services ("L.A. Now," Los Angeles Times, 7/28). This information was reprinted from dailyreports.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily U.S. HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at dailyreports.kff.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009