Mark Brenzel

The unveiling of a proposed rule that lays the groundwork to authorize organizations to certify electronic health records for a large federal EHR incentive program was greeted with enthusiasm by industry executives. […]

Its authority to exist has been established and the members have been chosen, but a key ingredient is missing for the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission to start doing business: money. […]

The Federal Trade Commission reached separate agreements resolving price-fixing allegations with two Colorado-based independent practice associations. […]

Christopher Howard killed his wife with an ax in her bed in 2002. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The family of the murdered woman sought to hold another party responsible for her death: the suburban Detroit hospital that... […]

With evidence piling up that Medicare pro-viders in some parts of the country are providing excessive care to the federal program's beneficiaries, it appears more likely that Congress is going to take some type of action to try to rein in spending... […]

Commercial healthcare laboratories are seeking parity with other healthcare providers under privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. […]

A jury in Harris County, Texas, rejected antitrust claims leveled against Memorial Hermann Healthcare System by a group of physicians whose competing hospital in Houston failed in 2007. […]

Behavioral healthcare provider Psychiatric Solutions said it has been approached about a possible sale of the company. As a result, the Franklin, Tenn.-based company has formed a special committee of the board of directors to consider possible... […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Canadian regulatory agency Health Canada have each approved the importation of molybdenum-99 from the Warsaw, Poland-based Maria Research Reactor for use in producing the imaging isotope technetium-99,... […]

Medical device maker Medtronic says federal prosecutors are investigating its relationship with cardiologists at a hospital in Massachusetts. […]

Virginia lawmakers have passed legislation that aims to thwart any federal requirement that individuals buy health insurance. […]

The U.S. attorney's office in Boston has asked Medtronic to turn over documents in a False Claims Act investigation into the relationship between the company's CoreValve division and cardiologists with the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. […]

Virginia became the first state to enact legislation to prevent its residents from being mandated to purchase health insurance or participate in any healthcare system. The conservative American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) has identified 37 other states that have similar bills pending or have announced that they will introduce this legislation. At le […]

The Senate voted Tuesday night to postpone the 21 percent Medicare physician payment cuts until April 1, 2010. The Senate voted 78-19 in favor of H.R. 4691, the "Temporary Extension Act of 2010," which includes provisions to extend 2009 Medicare physician payment rates through the end of the month. […]

Research suggests that Medicare beneficiaries with chronic diseases who consume the least of their benefits and services (referred to as "low consumers") and potentially under manage their disease may experience an acute event that requires costly emergency room visits and hospitalizations. […]

HealthGrades has named its “America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2010." The Golden, Colo.-based healthcare ratings organization examined objective patient outcomes over three years at all 5,000 of the nation’s non-federal hospitals. According to company officials, those hospitals named in its report had mortality rates that were, on average, 27 percent lower […]

The CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System, a five-hospital health system based in San Antonio, Texas, is implementing what it calls a “unique” revenue cycle management model. CHRISTUS Health is collaborating on the project with Cymetrix, an Irvine, Calif.-based provider of adaptive revenue cycle management technology. […]

Over 26 percent of respondents to a poll on Sermo, the world’s largest online community for physicians, have admitted they had been forced to close, or are considering closing, their solo practice. Of the 112,000 physician members on the site, nearly 500 physicians from 40 specialties responded to the poll. […]

This page will help you to learn 5 ways to lower your costs during the coverage gap. […]

Part of the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Finder tool that will help you to identify the plans in your state. […]

Seasonal flu shots are available right now. H1N1 (Swine) flu vaccine is being shipped and will soon be widely available. […]

Medicare & You contains important information about what's new, health plans, prescription drug plans, and rights and protections to help people with Medicare review their coverage options and prepare to enroll in a new plan if they choose. It is available in both English and Spanish.Each fall, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services mails […]

MyMedicare.gov provides direct Internet access to your Medicare benefits, eligibility, enrollment (including prescription drug plans) and preventive health information - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Visit the site, sign up, and Medicare will mail you a password to allow you access to your personal Medicare information. MyMedicare.gov also allows you to vie […]