Medicare Punishes 2,499 Hospitals for High Readmissions
By Jordan Rau
KHN.com—The federal government’s effort to penalize hospitals for excessive patient readmissions is ending its first decade with Medicare cutting payments to nearly half the nation’s hospitals.
In its 10th annual round of penalties, Medicare is reducing its payments to 2,499 hospitals, or 47% of all facilities.
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Primary care docs strained by vaccine hesitancy, potential telehealth rollback as COVID-19 pandemic drags on
By Susan Kreimer
FierceHealthcare.com—Despite heightened demands during the COVID-19 summer surge, primary care clinicians remained resilient, often turning to telemedicine amid efforts to maintain patients’ access to care.
Clinicians reported that patients’ needs surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
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Starting next year, some immunocompromised people may receive a fourth Covid vaccine dose, the C.D.C. says.
By Daniel E. Slotnik
NYTimes.com—Some American adults with weakened immune systems who received a third dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccine authorized for them will become eligible for a fourth shot as a booster next year, according to updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In such situations, people who are moderately and severely immunocompromised may receive a total of four vaccine doses,” with the fourth coming at least six months after the third, the C.D.C.’s guidelines said.
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Covid: Double vaccinated can still spread virus at home
By Michelle Roberts
BBC.com—Double jabbed people are catching Covid and passing it on to those they live with, warn experts who have studied UK household cases.
Individuals who have had two vaccine doses can be just as infectious as those who have not been jabbed.
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Getting dental coverage added to Medicare faces pushback from some dentists
By Bram Sable-Smith
NPR.org—William Stork needs a tooth out. That’s what the 71-year-old retired truck driver’s dentist told him during a recent checkup.
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Cheap Antidepressant Might Help keep COVID Patients Out of Hospital
By Ernie Mundell and Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporters
USNews.com—A cheap and widely available antidepressant drug called fluvoxamine may reduce COVID-19 patients’ risk of serious illness requiring hospitalization, according to a new study.
The trial included almost 1,500 unvaccinated outpatients in Brazil.
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