Medicare will not pay prescription-drug bills if officials see evidence of fraud, which will let them avoid chasing down money after it has been paid out, Vice President Biden announced Tuesday. Tuesday's move means Medicare can now stop payment when fraud is first detected in the Part D prescription-drug program instead of waiting until after a claim is paid. Under the old "pay and chase" scenario.
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul wants the federal government out of the health care business. Paul is known for his libertarian views, and he's drawing lots of people in this week's swing through New Hampshire. He told an overflow crowd of about 500 at an event Tuesday night that there's no provision in the Constitution for Medicare and Medicaid, the federal programs that cover millions of seniors and children. Paul says he doesn't want to throw seniors and children off federal health care programs. But he says a free society shouldn't let government meddle in important services like health care.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has launched a statewide Advance Health Care Directive Registry, which securely stores documents that detail healthcare wishes when a patient is unable to speak for themselves. These documents include medical power of attorney and do-not-resuscitate orders. An advance directive lets family members and physicians know the extent and types of medical care that patients want and do not want if they are unable to express it, such as breathing machines and feeding tube.
Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell has won the release of numerous documents related to the proposed merger of University Hospital with two other health-care companies. Under a settlement signed Tuesday, the hospital and the University of Louisville agreed to give O'Connell records, including the June 14 agreement to consolidate the three health-care systems into one. The merger, which requires the approval of Gov. Steve Beshear, would combine University Hospital with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare and Lexington-based St. Joseph Health System.
Costco has entered the health IT business with a nationwide rollout of a cloud-based electronic health record designed for small physician practices. Following a successful pilot in a few regions, the giant price club is offering Allscripts' MyWay EHR through a value-added reseller, Etransmedia, just as a lot of small practices are finally jumping into the market to take advantage of government EHR incentives. Costco is pricing its MyWay package at $599 per doctor per month, or $499 for physicians who become "executive members" of Costco.
Legislation that would give the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner greater authority to extend the terms -- by up to three years -- of a contract between Highmark Inc. and UPMC cleared a state Senate committee Tuesday. The state Senate Banking and Insurance Committee approved the legislation unanimously, according to its two main sponsors, Sen. Don White, R-Indiana, and Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forrest Hill. White said: "After hearing testimony and considering submissions by consumers, physicians, advocacy groups, and the primary parties involved in this dispute, it would be unacceptable to allow physicians' contracts to expire on June 30, 2012 without state action."