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Open Payments Data Update

Health Policy
Cardiovascular Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Payment
January 24, 2019

On January 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Open Payments dataset to reflect changes to the data that took place since the last publication in June 2018. Use the Open Payments Search Tool to view the data. The refreshed dataset includes:

  • Record updates: Changes to non-disputed records made on or before November 15
  • Disputed records: Updated information for dispute resolutions completed on or before December 31
  • Record deletions: Removed records
    • ...

January 18, 2019

Weekly Roundup
January 18, 2019

MEMBERS ONLY CONTENT

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The practice management sessions at the Society’s 2019 annual conference are like “a map,” says Tom Haithcoat, chief operating officer for CareConnectMD and incoming chair of the Practice Group Network (PGN). This map will help participants navigate...

Practice Management Track Offers Map for Navigating Challenges

Spotlight
January 17, 2019

The practice management  sessions at the Society’s 2019 annual conference are like “a map,” says Tom Haithcoat, chief operating officer for CareConnectMD and incoming chair of the Practice Group Network (PGN). This map will help participants navigate challenges, opportunities, new developments, and other issues so they can keep up and enjoy success in the constantly evolving value-based medicine environment.

“The bridge from volume- to value-driven care is complex and not easy to navigate alone,” says Mr. Haithcoat. “We’ve worked closely with our Practice Group Network members...

Medicare Shared Savings Program: Submit Notice of Intent to Apply Today

Health Policy
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Payment, Accountable Care Organization (ACO), Practitioners
January 17, 2019

Time is running out to submit a Notice of Intent to Apply (NOIA) via the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Management System (ACO-MS) for the July 1, 2019, start date for the redesigned Medicare Shared Savings Program – Pathways to Success. You must submit a NOIA if you intend to apply to the new BASIC track or ENHANCED track of the Medicare Shared Savings Program, to apply for a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) 3-Day Rule Waiver, and/or to establish a Beneficiary...

New Part D Opioid Overutilization Policies Call — February 14

Health Policy
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), Opioids, Practitioners
January 17, 2019

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented new opioid policies for Medicare drug plans effective January 1. The new policies include:

  • Improved safety alerts when patients fill opioid prescriptions at the pharmacy
  • Drug management programs for patients at risk for misuse or abuse of opioids or other drugs 

CMS is holding a call on New Part D Opioid Overutilization Policies on Thursday,...

Number of Medications and Mortality Among Residents in Nursing Homes

JAMDA
January 17, 2019

The use of multiple concurrent medications is an indicator commonly used to evaluate the quality of pharmacotherapy in older adults, via an assessment of the medication burden.1,2 Previous studies have reported polypharmacy prevalences of up to 40% among nursing home (NH) residents.3 However, the association between polypharmacy and mortality in this setting is still unclear. The aim of this study was to measure the association between multiple medication use and all-cause mortality in older people residing in NHs in Madrid.

EWGSOP2 Versus EWGSOP1: Impact on the Prevalence of Sarcopenia and Its Major Health Consequences

JAMDA
January 17, 2019

In June 2018, we published in your journal an article showing that sarcopenia, characterized by the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) definition developed in 2010,1 was associated with an increased risk of mortality.2 In October 2018, the EWGSOP revised its consensus and proposed a new operational definition of sarcopenia, the EWGSOP2.3 We seek here to compare the prevalence of sarcopenia defined by EWGSOP1 and by EWGSOP2, and the major outcomes associated with each of these definitions.

Agreement Between Initial and Revised European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People Definitions

JAMDA
January 17, 2019

Sarcopenia is defined as the loss of muscle mass, strength, and function resulting in adverse outcomes.1 The European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP1)1 was recently revised (EWGSOP2),2 proposing changes to cut-off points for muscle strength and appendicular lean mass, and alternate assessments for muscle strength [5 times sit to stand (5STS) test] and physical performance [Short Physical Performance Battery, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and 400m walk test]. With the existing lack of consensus between sarcopenia definitions,3 it is unknown how the revised EWGSOP2 affects the...

Meaning of a 5-Star Rating for Nursing Homes Differs by State

JAMDA
January 17, 2019

Owing to the increasing availability and accessibility of national data, the last decade witnessed growing interest in identifying racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and spatial inequalities in access to high-quality nursing homes.1,2 However, caution is warranted when empirical studies that use overall quality rating or domain ratings from the Five-Star Quality Rating System make comparisons across state boundaries. Such studies implicitly assume that these ratings are state-invariant—that is, the same underlying construct is measured across states given a specific rating (eg, 5-star).

The Informant AD8 Can Discriminate Patients with Dementia From Healthy Control Participants in an Asian Older Cohort

JAMDA
January 17, 2019

The informant-AD8 (i-AD8) was found to be reliable in detecting cognitive impairment and dementia in tertiary and primary health care settings. We evaluated the discriminability of the i-AD8, as compared to other brief cognitive measures, and its combination with the 5-minute Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Mini-Cog in detecting very mild dementia in an Asian older cohort.