APMA News Brief

CMS has reopened the registration system for its Open Payments transparency program and is extending until Sept. 8, the time frame during which physicians and teaching hospitals can review and, if needed, dispute financial information reported about them by manufacturers.

Visit http://www.aafp.org/news/government-medicine/20140815openpayreopens.html to view the full article online.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace began sending follow-up notices to consumers with citizenship or immigration data inconsistencies who have not responded to previous notices.

Visit http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/federal-health-insurance-marketplace-sen-47569 to view the full article online.

Citing lingering flaws in the Open Payments system brought back online last week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the American Medical Association is calling on the federal agency to give providers more time for registering and using the system in order to review and identify the need for corrections to claims.

Visit http://ehrintelligence.com/2014/08/18/ama-seeks-further-delays-for-open-payments-system to view the full article online.

A government watchdog agency is calling for more oversight from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which may "create an unnecessary burden" on some senior housing providers, a report finds.

Visit http://seniorhousingnews.com/2014/08/17/cms-oversight-creates-unnecessary-burden-for-providers to view the full article online.

In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that one in four Americans don’t know they have diabetes. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Make use of APMA’s diabetes-related public education materials during Diabetes Awareness Month in November — and all year!

With a proliferation of nail salons, how do you know if one upholds quality standards (both in look and safety). Lorraine Kane, nail technician, offers these tips.

Visit http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/2014/08/18/nail-salon-safe/14060813 to view the full article online.

Sciatica is a real pain in the butt — and, sometimes, in the leg and foot.

Visit http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/19/health/sciatica-pain-relief-yoga to view the full article online.

When football players take to the field, volleyball players to the court and cross country runners to the course in the fall, ankle sprains and foot injuries are bound to occur.

Visit http://siouxcityjournal.com/special-section/siouxland_life/podiatrists-athletes-should-get-foot-ankle-pain-checked-out-immediately/article_b09ebf86-e9bf-5317-98c5-fb1682318ff1.html to view the full article online.

Half of all adults in an American Podiatric Medical Association study said foot pain has restricted their activities, including walking, exercising, working or playing with grandchildren.

Visit http://www.chron.com/homes/senior_living/article/Healthy-feet-make-for-happy-adults-5698762.php to view the full article online.

Kids may pester their parents for an overpriced shoe based strictly on what is the popular fashion trend. Fortunately, good, comfortable, stylish shoes can be found without wiping out the back-to-school budget.

Visit http://www.newssun.com/lifestyle/article_eca1697e-f343-56d3-899a-626d79634336.html to view the full article online.

Turns out, when it comes to routine care, none of these are covered by Medicare, even if an individual cannot do this themselves.

Visit http://www.pennlive.com/living/index.ssf/2014/08/me_and_my_94_year_old_dad_gett.html to view the full article online.

Researchers in Iowa City hope to be one step closer to curing diabetes with the official opening of the University of Iowa Diabetes Research Center slated for this weekend.

Visit http://www.press-citizen.com/story/news/education/university-of-iowa/2014/08/19/new-ui-research-center-aims-fight-diabetes/14272905 to view the full article online.

Are you worried that ICD-10’s granularity will take a hefty toll on productivity? Then you’re not alone. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: APMA provides a wealth of resources to help you better understand and prepare for the transition to ICD-10.

Many businesses said Obamacare is jacking up their employee health coverage costs, and they expect it to do so even more next year, two new surveys of businesses by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York have found.

Visit http://www.cnbc.com/id/101927667 to view the full article online.

While there are legitimate concerns regarding the costs of the transition, the majority of issues being raised by physicians of late reflect a lack of knowledge about the system. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: APMA provides a wealth of resources to help you better understand and prepare for the transition to ICD-10.

There may be hope for millions of Americans with diabetes if all goes as planned with a longtime drug — one with a history of curbing flare-ups of gout — that is being tested as a way to prevent some of the worst complications of the disease.

Visit http://www.freep.com/article/20140819/FEATURES08/308190004/Old-drug-may-used-new-way-prevent-diabetes-complications to view the full article online.

The recently enacted Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act makes both financial and policy investments in healthcare for the country’s many aging and disabled veterans, with new accountability reforms and $16 billion in new spending. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: APMA continues to push for further reforms at the VA, including equitable pay for podiatrists employed at the VA.

Some security analysts regard the healthcare industry as a whole as woefully unprepared for a focused cyberattack.

Visit http://www.insidecounsel.com/2014/08/19/as-healthcare-data-proliferates-threats-to-securit?ref=nav to view the full article online.

Type 2 diabetes is on the rise among children in the U.S. The disease — formerly called adult-onset diabetes — now affects four times as many youth as it did 20 years ago. Click here to continue reading.

Editor’s note: Make use of APMA’s diabetes-related public education materials during Diabetes Awareness Month in November — and all year!

Medical Correspondent Dr. Marc Siegel reports on studies that suggest that healthcare coverage expansion under the Affordable Care Act will drive up volumes in already overcrowded U.S. emergency rooms.

Visit http://spacecoastdaily.com/2014/08/with-obamacare-emergency-rooms-still-packed to view the full article online.

The research, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, may have implications for treating diseases involving abnormal blood vessel growth, such as the impaired wound healing often seen in diabetes and the loss of vision caused by macular degeneration.

Visit http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/27248.aspx to view the full article online.

After promising not to withhold government information over "speculative or abstract fears," the Obama administration has concluded it will not publicly disclose federal records that could shed light on the security of the government's health care website because doing so could "potentially" allow hackers to break in.

Visit http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/08/19/3808529/us-wont-reveal-records-on-health.html?sp=/99/321 to view the full article online.