Government & Medicine

Senate gets early start on health reform plan
Sens. Baucus and Kennedy are working with a bipartisan group on the goal of moving a consensus bill through the Senate next year. - Dec. 8

Medicaid pay delays found to squeeze access
Bureaucratic hassles can discourage physicians from seeing new Medicaid patients. - Dec. 8

Health care fraud still a key target of federal False Claims Act
Physicians are seldom named in false claims cases but are often in a position to blow the whistle on fraud they observe. - Dec. 8

Obama taps former Senate chief Daschle to head HHS
The nominee has proposed creating a federal health board to increase the transparency and value of health care spending. - Dec. 8

News briefs: Rep. Waxman to chair key House panel Few HIPAA complaints lead to reforms, report shows Briefs this year

The typical bariatric surgery costs more than $10,000. Read more

 LAST WEEK: 

• Pushing past the placebo: Legislating for a new kind of clinical trials
  Comparative-effectiveness advocates want a national entity to evaluate medical treatments against each other. Whether to compare costs is a key question. - Dec. 1
• Court rejects Medicare limits on Part B drug pay
  Some doctors said the decision could discourage Medicare contractors from using the cost-control measure. CMS did not say whether it would appeal. - Dec. 1
• Quick View: Cost seen as biggest obstacle to employer-offered insurance - Dec. 1

 PREVIOUSLY: 

• Obama win accelerates drive for health system reform - Nov. 24
• Medicare finalizes 1.1% pay raise, bonus criteria - Nov. 24
• CMS criticized for lax enforcement of HIPAA security rules - Nov. 24
• AMA survey results: Medicare rated as poor performer during debut of pay-for-reporting - Nov. 17
• Rhode Island seeks Medicaid overhaul, cap on spending - Nov. 17
• Uninsured patients not driving ED overcrowding, study says - Nov. 17
• Lack of interest derails Medicare B drug program - Nov. 10
• Hospital can share P4P bonus with physicians, OIG says - Nov. 10
• Pennsylvania health system reform hits snag over coverage, liability help - Nov. 10
• Caught unaware, doctors get delay in FTC enforcement of ID theft rules - Nov. 3
• Slow adoption of e-prescribing forces Medicare to try hard sell - Nov. 3
• When incentives lack appeal: Medicaid reform meets confusion, skepticism - Nov. 3