Reviewed by James Ives, M.Psych. (Editor) Louis Rocco has lived with diabetes for decades but, until he met with a registered dietitian in August, he didn’t know eating too much bread was dangerous for him. “I’m Italian, and I always eat a lot of bread,” he said. After two hour-long visits with a dietitian —...
Tag: <span>medicare</span>
Post
Critical heart drug too pricey for some Medicare patients
Researchers say cost may be more than $1,600 after insurance payments UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA An effective drug to treat chronic heart failure may cost too much for senior citizens with a standard Medicare Part D drug plan, said a study co-authored by a John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) researcher at the...
Post
Study shows some generics can cost medicare recipients more than brand-name drugs
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER Medicare Part D enrollees may pay more out of pocket for high-priced specialty generic drugs than their brand-name counterparts, according to new research by health policy experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers examined differences in brand-name and generic or biosimilar drug prices, formulary coverage and expected out-of-pocket spending across all of...
Post
The Critical Element in Billing Medicare for Telemedicine
Betsy Nicoletti, MS The Coding Expert Answers Your Questions Editor’s Note: Betsy Nicoletti, MS, a nationally recognized coding expert, will take your coding questions via email and provide guidance on how to code properly to maximize reimbursement. Have a question about coding? Send it here. In this column, Nicoletti answers some questions received in the past few...
Post
Stroke patients receive different amounts of physical therapy
Patients who receive more physical therapy are less likely to be readmitted to a hospital within a month, yet the amount of care made available to Medicare patients varies widely BROWN UNIVERSITY PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Medicare- covered stroke patients receive vastly different amounts of physical and occupational therapy during hospital stays despite evidence that such care is strongly associated with positive...
Post
Study shows dementia care program delays nursing home admissions, cuts Medicare costs
New research shows that a comprehensive, coordinated care program for people with dementia and their caregivers significantly decreased the likelihood that the individuals would enter a nursing home. The study also shows that the program saved Medicare money and was cost-neutral after accounting for program costs. The research, conducted at the UCLA Alzheimer’s and Dementia...
Post
A Humira Prescription Costs $38,000 A Year Because Our Patent System Is Being Abused
Sue Lee, 76, has plaque psoriasis, an incurable, chronic skin condition that causes itchy, painful sores. To give her some relief, Lee’s doctor prescribed Humira, a patent-protected drug with no generic option. In 2012, the drug cost about $19,000 a year. Today, it costs more than $38,000 a year. Even with Medicare, Lee, who retired...
Post
Study debunks notion that large chunks of Medicare go to lost causes
June 28, 2018, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Around 25 percent of Medicare spending in the U.S. occurs in the last year of people’s lives. This is sometimes discussed as a questionable use of resources: Is society throwing large amounts of medical treatment at some patients in a futile, if noble, effort to extend lives that are...