WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 20, 2018)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking recommendations and input from the public on how to address any undue impact and burden of the physician self-referral law (also known as the Stark Law), focusing in part on how the law may impede care coordination, a key aspect of systems that deliver value.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. and DEERFIELD, Ill. (June 19, 2018)—Health and well-being company Humana Inc. and Walgreens, a provider of pharmacy services and care in communities since 1901, are teaming up to provide easier access to primary care and other services for seniors, as part of the companies’ ongoing and shared commitment to the health and well-being of the Kansas City community.
WATERLOO, Iowa (June 19, 2018)—Organizers of Essentially Women’s annual conference, FOCUS: The EW Conference, are accepting presentation submissions from interested speakers.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (June 19, 2018)—The 2018 Virtual Conference, Turning Points: Mastering Transitions in Care, hosted by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association will be offered live via the Internet on July 18–19, 2018.
The virtual conference will feature:
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 18, 2018)—The June 15 release of MedPAC’s report to Congress on Medicare and the health care delivery system represents another missed opportunity by the Commission to address the serious problems with Medicare’s competitive bidding program for durable medical equipment (DME) as well as the disastrous application of bidding-derived pricing to rural and other less-populous communities, stated the American Association for Homecare (AAHomecare).
NEW YORK (June 18, 2018)—The Trustees of The John A. Hartford Foundation have selected John R. Burton, MD, as the recipient of the inaugural 2018 John A. Hartford Foundation Trustees Award for his decades of dedication to improving the care of older adults through his role as a geriatrics educator, researcher and clinician.
HARTFORD, Conn. (June 18, 2018)—Aetna released the results of its inaugural Health Ambitions Study, which explores consumers’ health goals and the relationship between consumers and providers in the evolving health care system. The study finds that people, particularly women, are paying attention to their holistic health, as they seek resources that better support both health and wellbeing.
WATERLOO, Iowa (June 18, 2018)—The nomination period for the 2018 HME Woman of the Year is officially open.
Now in its third year, the award, sponsored by VGM, recognizes one woman in the industry who has made increasingly significant contributions throughout her career to her company, community and the home medical equipment industry.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 17, 2018)—On June 15, 2018, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its annual report to Congress.
MedPAC is recommending that more products be included in the Medicare competitive bid program. There are three categories of products MedPAC believes should be included:
(1) Items that Congress has already authorized to be included (e.g., chest wall oscillation devices, ventilators and off-the shelf orthotics)