Headlines
« Previous EntriesSteris System 1 Processor: FDA Notice and Recommendations
Sunday, December 13th, 2009FDA notified healthcare facility administrators and infection control healthcare professionals of important information regarding the regulatory status of the STERIS System 1 Processor (SS1) used in surgical and endoscopy suites for reprocessing, i.e., sterilizing or disinfecting, medical devices.
Click here to read more…
Injecting Value into Medical Decisions
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009It’s widely estimated that 30% of U.S. health-care spending—some $700 billion a year—is spent on tests, treatments and procedures that provide no value. But one man’s waste may be another’s life-saving treatment. And there are hundreds of medical quandaries with no clear answers…
To read more click here
Medicare Releases Proposed 2010 ASC Payments
Monday, July 6th, 2009Medicare has released its proposed 2010 ASC payment rates and policies. The proposed rule is available here: www.ascassociation.org/2010rule.pdf. CMS is proposing an inflation update of 0.6% (Medicare’s estimate of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers) and is not proposing to require ASC quality reporting in 2010. The ASC Association will provide further details…
MedPAC Releases June Report to Congress
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) is an independent congressional agency established by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (P.L. 105–33) to advise the U.S. Congress on issues affecting the Medicare program.
To read to the rest of the report click the link below:
http://www.medpac.gov/documents/Jun09_EntireReport.pdf
Obamas Letter to the Senate
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009On June 3rd President Obama wrote a letter to Senators Kennedy and Baucus about what he wants to get passed in Health Care.
To read the letter click the link below:
Kennedy Releases Draft Health Reform Legislation, Begins Mark-up
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009A new bill has been released to the senate. This bill is to make quality, affordable health care available to all Americans, reduce costs, improve health care quality, enhance disease prevention, and strengthen the health care work-force.
To read this bill click the link below:
http://help.senate.gov/BAI09A84_xml.pdf
Insurance Headlines 2009
Monday, May 11th, 2009Single-Payer Health-Care Advocates Disrupt Senate Hearing (Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2009) Eight advocates of government-run health care disrupted a Senate hearing Tuesday on health-care coverage, complaining that their viewpoint was shut out of Senate debate on the issue.
Health Insurers Agree to End Higher Premiums for Women (New York…
Medicare National 2009 ASC Rates and HOPD Rates
Friday, May 8th, 2009Here is a Excel file that shows the ASC Rates and HOPD Rates for 2009.
( Can also be found on Advocacy and Policy page under Medicare)…
ASC Legislation Introduced
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009US Representatives Kendrick Meek (D-FL) and Wally Herger (R-CA) introduced legislation to expand the access that Medicare beneficiaries have to services performed in ASCs. If adopted, the Ambulatory Surgical Center Access Act of 2009 (H.R. 2049) would resolve the increasing discrepancy between hospital outpatient department (HOPD) and ASC payment rates
require comparable quality reporting standards…
Drug Makers, Hospitals Raise Prices
Monday, May 4th, 2009Hospitals and pharmaceutical companies have been pushing through hefty price increases aimed at bolstering earnings…
To read the rest of the article click here.