Senior Prescription Savings

Reimbursing providers through the Connecticut Medicaid program for interpreting services for patients would cost about $4.7 million annually, half of which could be paid by the state and half of which could be financed through federal matching funds, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Connecticut Health Foundation, the [click link for full article]

Of 1,006 age 42+ likely voters responding to a late October 2006 AARP telephone survey, 48 percent think the new Medicare prescription drug plan will be good for older Americans who have difficulty paying for their prescriptions, 37 percent think it will be good for older Americans, and 11 percent think it will be very good.

The Bush administration will not eliminate the late enrollment penalty for all Medicare beneficiaries affected by Hurricane Rita who did not sign up for the prescription drug benefit by the May 15 deadline, and HHS officials have made some "conflicting" statements about whether [click link for full article]

Numerous studies show the African-Americans receive worse quality of care relative to white Americans across a broad array of medical conditions-disparities that can significantly harm patients or reduce quality of life. A new study from Harvard Medical School and Brown Medical School shows that such disparities in care cannot simply be attributed to low-performing health plans. The research, published in the Oct. [click link for full article]

The new Medicare Part D program may make it difficult for a significant number of indigent patients with systolic heart failure (SHF) to access evidence-based medical therapies, according to new research. Researchers followed 382 patients with SHF belonging to Louisiana's Chabert Medical Center's SHF disease management program. Patients had Medicare, and many utilized pharmaceutical-sponsored, medication-assistance programs (MAP) to access their life-saving therapies. [click link for full article]

UT Southwestern Medical Center is participating in a nationwide study investigating whether modified combinations of vitamins, minerals and fish oil products can slow the progression of vision loss from age-related macular degeneration."This study will evaluate nutrient-based factors that may influence the development and progression of the two most prevalent age-related eye diseases, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts," said Dr. [click link for full article]

Black patients in Medicare managed care health plans often have poorer outcomes for treatment of common and important conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol, compared to white patients, according to a study in the October 25 issue of JAMA. Eliminating disparities in health care is a fundamental component of the agenda to improve quality, according to background information in the article. [click link for full article]

The HHS Office of Inspector General said it will conduct an audit to determine whether the state Medicaid agencies "make erroneous payments" on transportation services for beneficiaries, according to its recently released 2007 work plan, the Washington Times reports. [click link for full article]

TORONTO (CP) - The current medical thinking on treating breast cancer doesn't include drawing pictures, but for cartoonist Marisa Acocella Marchetto it was doodling that took her from diagnosis to cure.

A program developed by the geriatric department of Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., hopes to reduce health care costs by providing house calls to elderly residents, the Washington Times reports. The hospital's Medical House Calls Program, which began in 1999, assists about 150 to 170 patients weekly. [click link for full article]