Organization

Congressional Budget Office


Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Web Exclusives | Monday, August 23 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.
 

Kaiser: Federal gov't can bear brunt of Medicaid costs under reform

Industry News | Tuesday, June 01 2010
The federal government could pay most of the new Medicaid costs in all states through the program's expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), according to a report from healthcare organization Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.
 

Report calls for re-engineering US healthcare

Industry News | Wednesday, May 19 2010
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress is calling on all stakeholders to build on the framework of recent healthcare legislation.
 

CBO estimates discretionary spending for PPACA could exceed $115B

Top Stories | Thursday, May 13 2010
The new policies established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will cost federal agencies at least an estimated $115 billion between 2010-2019 to implement, in the form of explicit authorizations for future appropriations for a variety of grant and other program spending, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
 

NEJM: PPACA can help contain growth in healthcare costs

Top Stories | Thursday, May 13 2010
While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will may not solve the country’s healthcare cost problems, it is “a historic and cost-effective step in the right direction,” according to an editorial published online May 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

Webinar: Providers require education on how reform will impact them

Web Exclusives | Sunday, April 11 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
Hospitals and health systems leaders need to identify and understand the aspects of the healthcare reform legislation that will not only have immediate, significant impact but also long-term effects on their business, said Ed Giniat, KPMG's U.S. leader for healthcare and pharmaceuticals, during a webinar April 9 hosted by KPMG Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals.
 

Report: Policymakers need to discuss obstacles of health IT systems

Industry News | Monday, April 05 2010
“Proponents of government support for expanding health IT point to tremendous benefits for the U.S. healthcare system. However, although many experts discuss the hoped-for benefits of health IT, formal evaluation and evidence regarding successful implementation is lacking,” according a report from the National Center for Policy Analysis.
 

House passes Senate reform bill, Reconciliation Act to mixed reactions

Top Stories | Monday, March 22 2010
The House of Representatives Sunday approved the Senate version of healthcare reform legislation by a vote of 219-212. Later in the evening, the House cleared its package of amendments, the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, by a vote of 220-211. The reconciliation bill will now go to the Senate, where Democrats need 51 votes to send it to President Barack Obama to sign into law.
 

CBO: Healthcare spending continues to grow faster than U.S. economy

Industry News | Thursday, January 28 2010
The greatest threat to the U.S. budget stability in the coming decade is the growth of federal spending on healthcare, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which found that spending for Medicare and Medicaid, under current law, is expected to keep growing faster than the economy, reaching 6.6 percent of the gross domestic product by 2020 and potentially reaching 10 percent by 2035.
 

CBO: Senate healthcare bill would reduce deficit by $132B

Top Stories | Wednesday, December 23 2009
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation have estimated that the direct spending and revenue effects of enacting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act incorporating the manager’s amendment would yield a net reduction in federal deficits of $132 billion between 2010 and 2019.
 

Study: Health IT fails to reduce healthcare costs

Industry News | Friday, November 20 2009
The increased computerization of U.S. hospitals hasn't made them cheaper or more efficient, although it may modestly improve the quality of care for heart attacks, Harvard researchers reported in the Nov. 20 edition of the American Journal of Medicine.
 

Senate set to unveil healthcare bill

Industry News | Wednesday, November 18 2009
Healthcare legislation expected to reach the Senate floor this weekend is projected to cost $848 billion and reduce the federal budget deficit by $130 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
 

NEJM: Bundling payments could reduce healthcare spending

Top Stories | Wednesday, November 18 2009
The most promising option for curbing healthcare spending is changing the way doctors and hospitals are paid to provide care, but implementing such a system must overcome significant obstacles to be successful, according to an analysis by the nonprofit research organization RAND that was published Nov. 11 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
 

Survey: Providers look to health IT to mitigate reimbursement cuts

Industry News | Tuesday, November 17 2009
A recent poll of healthcare providers by consulting firm IVANS indicated that they plan to make better use of health IT in an effort to curtail potential cutbacks from Medicare funding.
 

House unveils final version of healthcare reform bill

Top Stories | Friday, October 30 2009
Democrats from the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 30 unveiled a revised healthcare reform proposal—H.R. 3692, the Affordable Health Care for America Act—which the Congressional Budget Office estimated carries an $894 billion price tag for the federal government.
 

Senate Finance Committee passes healthcare reform bill—with Snowe’s help

Top Stories | Tuesday, October 13 2009
The Senate Finance Committee voted today in favor of its version of proposed healthcare reform legislation in a 14-9 vote, including the approval of Olympia Snowe, R.-Me.
 

CBO: Baucus’ reform bill would reduce federal budget deficit by $81B

Top Stories | Wednesday, October 07 2009
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation have released a preliminary analysis of the Senate healthcare reform legislation, Chairman’s Mark for the America’s Healthy Future Act of 2009, estimating the bill would reduce federal budget deficits by $81 billion over the 2010–2019 period.
 

CBO: House healthcare reform bill will add to deficit

Top Stories | Monday, July 20 2009
The healthcare reform bill proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week would result in an estimated net increase in the federal budget deficit of $65 billion over the 2010-2019 period, according to a preliminary analysis performed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT), and released July 17.
 

HELP passes healthcare bill

Top Stories | Thursday, July 16 2009
The Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Wednesday passed the Affordable Health Choices Act (AHCA), a bill designed to provide affordable healthcare in the United States. The bipartisan bill includes more than 160 Republican amendments accepted during the month-long mark up.
 

Baucus, Conrad introduce bill to fund comparative effectiveness institute

Industry News | Thursday, June 11 2009
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., introduced legislation to establish a private, nonprofit corporation that will research and compare clinical outcomes of alternative therapies and health strategies.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

Radiology: Rad role may evolve as image-guided biopsies trend up

CT, ultrasound and MRI have helped shift biopsy techniques away from more invasive approaches toward image-guided percutaneous techniques, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology. The trend toward less-invasive approaches translates into enhanced safety and efficiency and could lead to more interaction between patients and radiologists.

CMS Webinar: Incentive payments to offset EHR adoption, not reimburse

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) EHR incentive payments are not considered reimbursement for money expended on EHR technology, but are intended to offset the cost associated with adoption and ongoing meaningful use, according to CMS during an Aug. 12 webinar.

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.

Webinar: Stage 1 of meaningful use is for quality reporting acclimation

Stage 1 requirements for meaningful use incentives aim to strike a balance between the overall goal of EHR use and widespread adoption, while avoiding added work, said Jonathan Teich, MD, PhD, chief medical informatics officer at Elsevier Health Services, during a HIMSS webinar titled “Meaningful Use: Safety and Quality of Care.”

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