Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

The Undoing of a Hospice — A Sign of Things to Come?

Posted on 01/16/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Randy Dotinga for Kaiser Health News SAN DIEGO — Death sometimes came slowly at one of the nation’s largest and most respected hospices. That’s not unusual. But here’s a twist: For some patients, it came not at all. While hospices normally treat patients with fewer than six months to live, San Diego Hospice often served people who had much more time left. Not anymore. In the wake of an ongoing federal audit and an internal investigation, the nonprofit hospice’s …

Medicare Advantage Plans: Should You Aim for the Stars?

Posted on 01/16/2013 by | Health | Comments

Bulletin Today | Personal HealthBy Ankita Rao of Kaiser Health News Older Americans are benefiting from a star rating system that ranks the quality of Medicare Advantage plans, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Authors affiliated with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) conducted a study of almost 1.3 million Medicare beneficiaries. They found a positive relationship: a one-star higher rating was associated with a 9.5 percentage point increase in likelihood to enroll. The rating system …