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oday's Top Story AMA introduces MACRA payment model evaluator for physician practices. The American Medical Association (AMA) recently unveiled its Payment Model Evaluator, a free online tool designed to help physicians determine how new Medicare payment models under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 will impact their practices. According to the AMA, the instrument, developed with the expertise of physicians and input from partners, provides physicians and their staffs with guidance on how to [...]

Today's Top Story Senate passes opioid act, but leaves several initiatives unfunded. The California Medical Association reports that the U.S. Congress has passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which authorizes the federal government to award state grants for opioid-related initiatives around education, prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts. However, the association notes that the legislation does not appropriate funding for several key initiatives, including programs to combat opioid misuse and increasing the availability of naloxone. The Act incorporates [...]

Today's Top Story FDA to consider mandatory training for opioid prescribers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is contemplating whether to require training courses for physicians who prescribe opioid pain medication. A panel of advisers to the FDA will be meeting with the agency tomorrow and Wednesday to discuss FDA’s review of its current risk management protocol, which rests on voluntary training funded by pharmaceutical companies. FDA figures reveal that under the largely voluntary approach crafted 4 years [...]

Today's Top Story Study: Preoperative web-based tutorial may improve patient understanding of risks, benefits of treatment. Findings from a study published in the June 17 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery suggest that patients who complete a preoperative tutorial may be better prepared for and more knowledgeable about the surgical procedures they undergo. The researchers conducted a prospective, randomized study of 55 patients undergoing knee arthroscopy for the first time for a primary diagnosis of [...]

Today's Top Story Criminal attacks are now the leading cause of data breaches in health care. A survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute and ID Experts Corp. finds that cyber attacks on healthcare organizations rose a staggering 125 percent over the last 5 years. The survey finds that criminal attacks are now the leading cause of healthcare data breaches, and more than 90 percent of healthcare entities reported a data breach in the past 2 years, along with [...]

Today's Top Story AAOS and other organizations urge repeal of IPAB. In a letter to legislators in the U.S. Congress, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and approximately 500 other medical organizations have urged repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB)—a federal panel created under the Affordable Care Act and charged with reducing Medicare spending if that spending grows beyond a predetermined rate. Supporters of IPAB argue that the board will help control costs and spur [...]

Today's Top Story Study: Propensity toward muscle inflammation might predict muscle recovery after THA. Data from a study published online in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism suggest that muscle inflammation susceptibility (MuIS) status assessed at the time of surgery may serve as a prognostic index for muscle recovery potential after elective total hip arthroplasty (THA). The authors conducted two studies. In the first, they compared muscle inflammation and protein metabolism signaling in elective THA (n = [...]

Today's Top Story CMS releases massive dataset on physician prescribing under Medicare Part D. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has publicly released data on nearly 1.4 billion prescriptions dispensed to patients under Medicare Part D during 2013. CMS states that the move is designed to make the healthcare system more transparent, affordable, and accountable. The new dataset identifies providers using their National Provider Identifier and lists specific prescription drugs dispensed under their order. For [...]