| June 25, 2015
|
In This Issue |
|
National News
|
|
|
What PATIENTS Are Reading
|
|
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court saved the controversial health care law that will define President Barack Obama's administration for generations to come.
|
Fueled by an influx of expensive prescription drugs, group health insurance premiums are expected to increase an average of 5 percent to 8 percent in 2016.
|
Fraud and abuse continue to dog Medicare's popular prescription drug program, despite a bevy of initiatives launched to prevent them, according to two new reports by the inspector general of Health and Human Services.
|
Following in the footsteps of fashionistas like Kate Moss and Jennifer Aniston and wearing sheepskin boots all day could be harming your feet.
|
Sandal weather has us excited to break out bright nail polish, anklets and sexy shoes, but the dark side of all of those hot days and nights can be swollen feet, a common complaint once temperatures start soaring.
Learn more...
Editor’s
Note: Share our summer edition of Footprints,
APMA’s customizable patient newsletter, with your patients.
|
The 35-year-old woman arrived at the hospital in bad shape. As she was walking home through a park, she noticed she was having trouble lifting the front part of her feet. Then she tripped, fell to the ground and collapsed.
|
Researchers
in North Carolina are developing a "smart" insulin patch that can
automatically detect and manage blood sugar levels, an effort they hope might
one day make painful, persistent insulin injections obsolete for millions of
people with diabetes.
Learn more...
Editor’s
Note: Remember, APMA’s diabetes resources are available year-round on apma.org.
|
For type 2 diabetics with neuropathy, a low-fat vegan diet may help reduce physical pain related to the condition, a small study suggests.
|
Technological advances are making some medical devices like hearing aids more affordable.
|
Doctors who treat children with rare conditions sometimes seek guidance from online chat groups where families relate their experiences with the disorders.
|
The New York State Legislature is considering a bill that, at first glance, represents a positive outcome for the state’s citizens when it comes to their rights regarding medical malpractice, but, in reality, opens the door to higher costs, fewer physicians and an overburdened legal system.
|
President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act more than five years ago. At the time, members of the health care industry — hospitals, doctors and insurers — were anxious about what it would do to the business. Everyone had an opinion, but nobody knew for sure. We’re now beginning to see the answer: consolidation on a huge scale.
|
A
proposal to include routine foot care by podiatrists for adult Medicaid
recipients failed to gain the Nevada Legislature’s approval this year.
Learn more...
Editor’s
Note: Visit APMA’s eAdvocacy site today to urge your legislator to support our federal legislation to
include access for Medicaid recipients to care by a podiatrist.
|
For the second year in a row this month, the federal government made available a detailed list of all Medicare payments to physicians. The total in Alabama was $1.6 billion, up from about $1.5 billion in 2012.
|
Last week, four state medical societies sent a letter to CMS criticizing the upcoming ICD-10 transition and outlining a relief plan for its implementation, Modern Healthcare's "Vital Signs" reports.
Learn more...
Editor’s
Note: Visit APMA’s ICD-10 resource page
for everything you need to prepare your practice for the transition.
|
Two years ago, Anita Silingo accused health insurance companies of brazenly ripping off the government. Silingo, who worked at a company called MedXM that consulted for health insurance companies, filed a sealed whistleblower lawsuit claiming that MedXM exaggerated or outright fabricated illnesses to get its clients higher fees from Medicare.
|
|
| |
|
