21 Nov 2018

BOSTON SCIENTIFIC ACQUIRING BTG

    Boston Scientific has reached an agreement on the terms of a recommended offer to acquire BTG plc., a United Kingdom-based company that develops and commercializes products used in minimally-invasive procedures, targeting vascular diseases and cancer, as well as acute care pharmaceuticals. Under the terms of the transaction, holders

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12 Nov 2018

HHS RELEASES PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS, 2ND EDITION

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans was released at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions meeting Nov. 11. The second edition provides evidence-based recommendations for youth ages 3 through 17 and adults to safely get the physical activity they

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08 Nov 2018

VIVA 2018: BTG SENTRY BIOCONVERTIBLE IVC FILTER STUDY SHOWS FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE

  BTG plc highlighted the presentation of the two-year results for the SENTRY Trial at the Vascular Interventional Advances (VIVA) conference in Las Vegas. The prospective, multicenter trial of the BTG Sentry, the world’s first bioconvertible IVC filter, found that in addition to providing protection against pulmonary embolism (PE) during the

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06 Nov 2018

CMS RELEASES FINAL 2019 PHYSICIAN FEE SCHEDULE NOV. 1

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final 2019 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and the Quality Payment Program (QPP) rule Nov. 1. According to CMS officials, the final rule modernizes Medicare payment policies to promote access to virtual care, saving Medicare beneficiaries time and money while improving

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02 Nov 2018

CMS DELAYS PROPOSED CHANGES TO E/M CODES IN FINAL RULE UNTIL 2021

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proven that “final rules” are not always final. In response to complaints from physicians, CMS has delayed major changes to E/M codes until 2021. While CMS moved ahead with parts of its plan to consolidate codes for Medicare patient visits, it made

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01 Nov 2018

WISCONSIN MEDICAID WORK PROGRAM GETS CMS OK OCT. 31

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)  approved a waiver to implement work requirements in Wisconsin’s Medicaid program Oct. 31, making it the fourth state to enact such an approach.   Under the waiver, beneficiaries in the state’s BadgerCare program would have to engage in 80 hours a month of “community

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01 Nov 2018

HHS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE IPI DRUG PRICING MODEL

    By: Dan Best SEE RELATED ARTICLE: https://www.veintherapynews.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=1557&action=edit   Last week, as part of fulfilling President Trump’s promise to lower drug prices and cut down on foreign governments’ freeriding, HHS put forth a new way of paying for physician-administered drugs within Medicare, the International Price Index (IPI) Model. The model aims to:

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31 Oct 2018

CMS SEEKS COMMENT ON PROPOSED RULE TO USE IPI PAY MODEL BY DEC 31

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services intends to test whether phasing down the Medicare payment amount for selected Part B drugs to more closely align with international prices will meet President Trump’s blueprint to lower drug costs and reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients. CMS is soliciting public comments by

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30 Oct 2018

AMAZON JOINS ARCADIA GROUP TO LAUNCH CHOICE

Amazon has teamed up with brand consultancy business Arcadia Group to launch a brand of consumer-use medical devices for diabetes and hypertension management, according  to a MedCity report. Called Choice, the new brand will initially include blood glucose monitors and blood pressure monitors accompanied by supporting mobile apps that offer measurement tracking, data mobility and

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30 Oct 2018

36 HEALTH SYSTEMS FORM THE HEALTHCARE INNOVATORS PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

As innovation becomes an increasingly important function at many health systems, an exclusive professional organization has formed to provide a supportive community for the chief innovation officers who lead the charge of innovation at not-for-profit organizations. Healthcare Innovators Professional Society (HIPS), composed of innovation leaders from 36 of the nation’s most

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