Medicare is a national health insurance program created and administered by the federal government in the United States to address the medical needs of older American citizens. Medicare is available to U.S. citizens 65 years of age and older and some people with disabilities under age 65.
Adding drug to standard chemotherapy provides no survival benefit for older lung cancer patients – Adding the drug bevacizumab (Avastin) to the standard chemotherapy regimen for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ? an approach approved by the FDA in 2006 ? did not lead to significantly increase survival rates for patients over the age of 65 enrolled in Medicare.
Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy optimal for localized prostate cancer – A treatment for localized prostate cancer known as Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) is better than conventional conformal radiation therapy (CRT) for reducing certain side effects and preventing cancer recurrence.
A recent analysis of data collected in the National CT Colonography Trial conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network confirms the efficacy of the exam as a front line colorectal cancer screening tool for seniors – Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, is comparable to standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps in people ages 65 and older.
Common postoperative radiotherapy does not improve survival in older people with lung cancer – Post-operative radiation therapy (PORT), a controversial yet frequently administered treatment for lung cancer, may not prolong life in older people with locally advanced disease.
High Level Of Waste In Health Spending, Says Medicare And Medicaid Boss – Donald Berwick — Berwick a national & world leader in transforming health care – House Democratic Caucus Chairman John B. Larson (CT) released the following statement on the resignation of Dr. Donald Berwick as Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Medicare patients at risk of long-term institutionalization after hospital stay — Discharge to skilled nursing facility a key factor, according to first national study – Confirming many elderly patients’ worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home.
Heart attack patients winning the race to angioplasty treatment – The period from hospital arrival to angioplasty is called “door-to-balloon” time (D2B). A new study showed that 91 percent of patients were treated in a D2B time of less than 90 minutes in 2010, compared with 44 percent in 2005.
Reducing drug funding to Medicare patients will lead many to stop taking their medications – The lack of financial assistance to cover the cost of drugs to Medicare beneficiaries could result in an additional 18,000 patients discontinuing one or more prescriptions for essential drugs a year and others to not take their required medications regularly.
Surprising drop in physicians’ willingness to accept patients with insurance — Despite the imminent expansion of insurance coverage under health care reform, patients’ access to care may become more restricted – There is a drop in physicians’ acceptance of health insured patients in past years in US. As a result, insured patients could face new obstacles to receiving the medical attention they need, and overall access to health care could actually contract. As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people will soon be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with a different, potentially problematic trend that could end up hampering access to health care.
Nearly half of women with advanced breast cancer in the US not receiving life-saving treatment – UT MD Anderson research finds use of post-mastectomy radiation therapy static despite evidence-based guidelines of its benefits – Forty-five percent of women with advanced breast cancer in the U.S. did not receive postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) despite the publication of evidence-based guidelines outlining PMRT as a potentially lifesaving treatment, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The study, published in the July issue of Cancer, found that PMRT use rates for women with advanced breast cancer have remained static since 1999.
