- States may tap hospitals to help pay for Medicaid expansion in 2017 (modernhealthcare.com)
Policymakers in Medicaid expansion states likely will try to wring some cash from hospitals starting in 2017 when the federal government no longer pays the full tab… Higher-than-expected enrollment means expansion states will be on the hook for hundreds of millions more than…anticipated.. assessment fees already being collected by many states..
- Federal Report Says Many Doctors Use False Addresses for Medicare (nytimes.com)
investigators said…that thousands of doctors and other health care providers had signed up to bill Medicare using "questionable addresses" like mailbox rental stores, vacant lots and a fast-food restaurant… use of invalid addresses is "an indicator of potential fraud,"… Medicare officials said they had revoked billing privileges for almost 28,000 providers and suppliers in the last few years.
- Mother of all battles in scarcity-hit Venezuela: having a baby (newsdaily.com)
Angarita’s life has been consumed with searching for vitamins, calcium, diapers and medicines.. widespread shortages… Currency controls and flailing local production have fueled worsening scarcities… selling price-controlled goods…on the local black market, leaving less on shelves… shortages in the health sector.. hospitals are…forced to turn away patients due to lack of everything...About 7 in 10 drugs are currently unavailable…
- Advice for Recent Pharmacy School Graduates (pharmacytimes.com)
Here is some advice I have for these recent graduates:
- Don’t overlook the MPJE exam.
- Consider getting licensed in multiple states through the NAPLEX Score Transfer.
- Remember that you are not rich yet!
- Keep in mind that your first job may not work out.
- Follow your career aspirations now.
- Valeant profit beats estimates as U.S. sales stay strong (newsdaily.com)
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by strength in its dermatology business...also raised its earnings and revenue forecast for the year to reflect sales of …. Xifaxan (rifaximin)
- Main fund for Medicare program to run out of money in 2030: trustees (newsdaily.com)
Medicare program’s trust fund for hospital care will run out of money in 2030…same…as...their previous estimate,...Washington would only be able to partially cover its obligations…trustees urged…politicians to enact new laws to keep that from happening… Social Security would be able to pay about 81 percent of disability benefits starting in "late 2016,"
- Watch: Washoe County health officials fight mosquitoes, West Nile virus… with chickens? (rgj.com)
Washoe County Health Department worries heavy rain and flash flooding could raise the mosquito population and West Nile virus. So they fight back to prevent infectious spread with chickens..
- New Medicaid beneficiaries are costing more than expected (modernhealthcare.com)
Federal and state costs associated with…Medicaid expansion are proving higher than previously estimated,...".. average benefit costs of newly eligible adult enrollees are expected to have been substantially greater than those for non-newly eligible adult enrollees.," typically reflects deferred utilization—people who can't afford healthcare can now access care and use it,"
- Experts support call for lower cancer drug prices (newsdaily.com)
A group…leading cancer experts have developed a list of proposals designed to reduce the cost of cancer drugs,… recommendations...call for a new regulatory body that would help set prices once drugs win approval by the FDA...urging cancer specialist groups to consider cost when making treatment recommendations… want lawmakers to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices...
- IPEC calls on FDA to establish new review process for novel excipients (in-pharmatechnologist.com)
As part of a push to bring more novel excipients to market,International Pharmaceutical Excipient Council of the Americas is calling on the FDA to create a new regulatory review process that could relieve some of the uncertainty..of new excipients....new review process could be a boon for relieve some of the uncertainty..


