Injured By a Spacecraft? There’s a Diagnostic Code for That

From the Wall Street Journal Health Blog:
So we’ve got this patient here who was injured in this spaceship accident. You know, just a routine, uh, orbital mishap. But how do we account for that? Oh, right, it’s ICD-9 code E845 — “Accident involving spacecraft.”

Medicare Cuts Averted for 18 Months

From the EDPMA:
H.R. 6331 reverses the 10.6 percent Medicare cut that took effect July 1 as well as the projected 5.4 percent cut forecasted for 2009. For 2008, the legislation continues the 0.5 percent increase for the remainder of 2008; in 2009 physicians will receive an additional 1.1 percent increase over 2008. The legislation also [...]

Congress Overrides Bush’s Veto on Medicare

From the NY Times:
President Bush cast a futile veto on Tuesday, rejecting a bill that would protect doctors from cuts in their Medicare payments. But hours later, the House and Senate voted to override the veto, making the Medicare measure the fourth bill to become legislation over Mr. Bush’s opposition.
The president’s veto message to the [...]

Bush Veto Likely

From Modern Physician:
President Bush plans to veto a Medicare reform bill Tuesday that would stave off cuts to physician payments through 2009 and make other adjustments to the program, HHS Deputy Secretary Tevi Troy announced.

Should Medicare Stop Medical Imaging Before It Starts?

From the Wall Street Journal Health Blog:
Medicare has been trying to clamp down on burgeoning costs from medical imaging. But a new GAO report suggests the agency might have more success if it were to stop unnecessary CT scans, MRIs and the like before they happen in the first place.
To cut imaging costs, Medicare has [...]

ED “Super Users”

From NJ.com
Researchers studying the crisis of America’s overcrowded emergency rooms are beginning to focus on this largely undocumented phenomenon, the super users who turn to hospital emergency rooms dozens, even hundreds, of times.
Researchers say a seemingly intractable problem could be solved, in large part, by focusing on just the top 1 percent of emergency room [...]

Jaambaaro ambulance concept

From Gizmodo:

There are plenty of places in the world where getting speedy medical attention is difficult. And that’s where the Jaambaaro concept from designer Benoît Angibaud comes in. It’s a two-person pedal-powered ambulance, designed to get the sick and wounded to hospital in areas where motor vehicles are rare. It would have solar panels to [...]

Medicare Cuts Averted

From Politico.com:
Medicare legislation, stalled before the July Fourth recess, broke free in Congress Wednesday after an intense lobbying campaign by doctors and the dramatic return of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who gave his party the boost needed to get over the top.
“Aye,” Kennedy said, holding both arms in the air and grinning broadly as he [...]

Important Medicare Vote in the Senate

From the EDPMA:

Senate Gets Enough YES Votes to Proceed on Medicare Bill
In a near-stunning turn of events, the U.S. Senate just voted by a vote of 69-30 to invoke cloture on H.R. 6331, House-passed legislation that would block Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) cuts for 2008 & 2009.  This procedural vote allows the Senate to [...]

Joint Commission issues alert on unprofessional behavior

From Modern Healthcare (free subscription required)
Rude language and hostile behavior are threats to patient safety and quality of care, according to a sentinel-event alert released today by the Joint Commission.
Healthcare professionals and organizations must take a stand against intimidating behavior by developing a “comprehensive approach” to address issues and establishing codes of conduct, the commission [...]