Longer Home Health Visits Tied to Lower Hospital Rates

Home health care visits that are longer by just one minute may be tied to lower hospital readmission rates. That’s the key finding from a recent study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

CMS Encourages Eligible Suppliers to Participate in Expanded Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in April expanded the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP), a national performance-based payment model offering a new approach to type 2 diabetes prevention in eligible Medicare beneficiaries with an indication of pre-diabetes. For the first time, both traditional healthcare providers and community-based organizations can enroll as Medicare suppliers of health behavior change services.

Health Sector's Share of US Jobs Hits New High

The healthcare sector added 24,000 new jobs in April, and represented nearly 11% of all U.S. jobs, a new high, Altarum reported. April’s healthcare job gains were close to the 25,500 monthly average over the past year. Hospitals added 8,000 jobs in the month and ambulatory settings picked up 16,900 jobs. 

Research Finds Acupuncture Effective for Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a significant condition that affects millions of Americans. While family physicians play an important role for many of these patients, survey results indicate that many physicians consider the training they received in pain management inadequate, and may not feel comfortable( in their ability to care for patients with chronic pain effectively. One therapy that has received considerable attention for the treatment of chronic pain is acupuncture.