Tag: Medicare
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Health-care consumers get little help resolving complaints, columnist says, citing some horrific examples
By Trudy Lieberman Rural Health News Service Who protects consumers of health care? Two recent emails from readers got me thinking about that question. I don’t mean consumers in their...
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In Pineville, a new administrator from a Texas management firm is shaking up the local hospital in an effort to save it
Kentucky Health News The crisis in rural hospitals is driven not only by changes in federal reimbursement and patients’ increasing preference for larger hospitals, but in some towns by managerial...
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Trying to stop overdose epidemic, CDC tells docs to limit most opioid prescriptions to 3-7 days, use low doses and warn patients
Graphic from CDC guideline brochure Kentucky Health News Doctors who prescribe highly addictive painkillers for chronic pain should stop and be much more careful to thwart “an epidemic of prescription...
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Whistleblower lawsuit accuses Humana of billing fraud in Florida, says misleading data in medical records put patients at risk
By Fred Schulte Center for Public Integrity Louisville-based Humana Inc., which operates some of the nation’s largest private Medicare health plans, knew for years of billing fraud at some South...
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There’s a big difference in hospitals, as various ranking systems show; op-ed analyzes the leading hospitals in Kentucky
Being a responsible health consumer requires some homework, especially when it comes to choosing a hospital, but if you wait until the emergency occurs it is likely too late to...
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Kindred agrees to pay $125 million for Medicare fraud claims against subsidiaries it bought after most wrongdoing occurred
Louisville-based Kindred Healthcare Inc. has agreed to pay $125 million to settle federal allegations that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy, according to a U.S. Department...
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Electronic health records are here to stay, but continue to have growing pains; some providers say they’re not paying off yet
While the ongoing transition to electronic health records promises to bring revolutionary advances in health care, it hasn’t been cheap or easy, Josh Shepherd reports for The Lane Report. In...
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Proposed Medicare premium hike could cost Kentucky a lot, because some on Medicare are also on Medicaid
UPDATE, Nov.2: a two-year budget was passed by Congress Oct. 29 and awaits the signature of the president. The agreement will reduce the increase in Medicare premiums for Part B, which pays for...
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Clinton County Hospital in Albany gets most of its USDA debt forgiven, but is still in bankruptcy and is seeking a buyer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has forgiven more than half the debt owed it by the Clinton County Hospital, which has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since last...
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Online database lets you check on your surgeon; some surgeons say methodology used in analysis of data isn’t adequate
A new online database is available to help consumers choose a surgeon, but surgeons are pushing back and asking for a peer-reviewed study of the data. The searchable database, “Surgeon...