A study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association examined changes in end-of-life care for Medicare beneficiaries from 2000 to 2009. The study authors reported an increase in the use of hospice care, particularly for cancer patients, but also an increase in ICU usage, health care transitions in the last 90 days […]
In an editorial published in the January 2, 2013, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Theodore Lawrence and Mary Feng discuss a recent study that compared proton radiotherapy and photon radiotherapy for treatment of prostate cancer in Medicare patients. Lawrence and Feng identify the shortcomings of the retrospective, population-based study of the […]
IT is conventional wisdom that end-of-life care is an increasingly huge proportion of health care spending. I’ve often heard it said that people spend more on health care in the year before they die than they do in the entire rest of their lives. If we don’t address these costs, the story goes, we can […]
White House officials say they are confident the Supreme Court will uphold the health-care law, but they also are preparing for a range of outcomes, including pressing ahead with what remains of the law if the court strikes down only part of it. Republicans, meanwhile, are preparing a two-step approach if the court doesn’t void […]
On March 16, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule to help states make it easier for millions more Americans to enroll in comprehensive coverage under the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance (CHIP) programs. This rule will help states implement the significant expansion in the numbers of Americans eligible for […]
Nearly 3.6 million people with Medicare saved $2.1 billion on their prescription drugs in 2011 thanks to the Affordable Care Act according to data issued today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Savings for people with Medicare will increase over time. According to a new report issued today from HHS, the average […]
NCCS commends the action of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in establishing two new Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) codes for cancer treatment planning and care coordination. The codes, for treatment planning and care coordination for initial treatment and a change of treatment regimen, will go into effect on April 1, […]
Studying whether Medicaid coverage makes an individual healthier is a difficult task. Designing such an experiment would be challenging: There’s likely no ethics board in the country that would approve a study that gives health coverage to some individuals, denies it to others and sees which group does better. But Medicaid does, sometimes, allow for […]
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Northeast Regional Cancer Institute
“Perhaps one of the most impactful collaborations in Dr. Brereton’s extraordinary career remains his early work and long friendship with Ellen Stovall. Through him, and in turn through the thousands of lives he has touched, Ellen’s work continues, and her mission lives on.”
—Karen M. Saunders
President, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute