Inspector General finds unclear definition, enforcement of 'conflict of interest' may alter Medicare coverage decisions

The New York Times reports that large amounts of money are in play.

The New York Times: Lax Policing Of Doctor And Pharmacy Conflicts Is Found In Medicare Coverage Decisions
Deciding which drugs will be covered by Medicare can influence huge amounts of spending, but government officials do little to police conflict of interest among doctors and pharmacists who make those decisions, federal investigators said Monday (Pear, 3/5).

Meanwhile, PBS NewsHour examines developments in Texas to determine why access-to-care may become an issue for some seniors - 

PBS NewsHour: Access To Doctors Shrinks For Some Medicare Patients (Video)
It's getting harder and harder for some seniors to find a primary care physician. Ray Suarez reports on why the threat of massive cuts to Medicare reimbursement rates has left some doctors so worried that they've decided to stop taking new Medicare patients (3/4).


http://www.kaiserhealthnews.orgThis article was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

 

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Watchdog calls for tighter scrutiny of Medicare Advantage home visits