In 1982, disabled workers who came on the social security disability insurance rolls from mid-1980 to mid-1981 had median monthly incomes of less than $500 if they were unmarried and less than $1,300 if they were married. These median monthly income levels, which include the income of a spouse and minor children if present, are roughly half those of the noninstitutionalized population aged 25-6...

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the impact of pre-existing malnutrition on survival and economic implications in elderly patients with diabetes. Research design and methods A retrospective observational study was conducted to examine the impact of malnutrition with or without other significant health conditions on survival time and healthcare costs using the Centers for Medicar...

A BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ANNUAL QUALITY AND RESOURCE USE REPORTS ........................................................................................................................................ 1 B EXHIBITS INCLUDED IN THE ANNUAL QUALITY AND RESOURCE USE REPORTS ............... 2 Your TIN’s 2017 Value Modifier .........................................................................

OBJECTIVES To estimate the frequency and characteristics of opioid prescribing by multiple providers in Medicare and the association with hospital admissions related to opioid use. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Database of prescription drugs and medical claims in 20% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries in 2010. PARTICIPANTS 1,808,355 Medicare beneficiaries who filled at l...

CONTEXT Responses to simple questions that predict subsequent health care utilization are of interest to both capitated health plans and the payer. OBJECTIVE To determine how responses to a single question about general health status predict subsequent health care expenditures. DESIGN Participants in the 1992 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey were asked the following question: "In general...

BACKGROUND This study reports on the trends in the volume and outcomes of coronary revascularization procedures performed on Medicare beneficiaries between 2008 and 2012. METHODS AND RESULTS This retrospective study identifies all Medicare beneficiaries undergoing a coronary revascularization procedure: coronary artery bypass graft surgery or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed...

Petrus Uchenna Inyama, AIDS/ Leishmaniasis Research Laboratory, University of Jos, Nigeria Chigozie Jesse Uneke, Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Clinical Medicine, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria Greg Ike Anyanwu, AIDS/ Leishmaniasis Research Laboratory, University of Jos, Nigeria Okonkwo Moses Njoku, GEDE AIDS & Infectious Diseases Research Institute Abuja, Nigeria J...

Insurance coverage through the traditional Medicare program is complex, fragmented, and incomplete. Beneficiaries must purchase supplemental private insurance to fill in the gaps. While impoverished beneficiaries may receive supplemental coverage through Medicaid and subsidies for prescription drugs, help is limited for people with incomes above the poverty level. This patchwork quilt leads to ...

BACKGROUND Research suggests antihypertensive medications are associated with fractures in older adults, however results are inconsistent and few have examined how the association varies over time. We sought to examine the association between antihypertensive class and incident non-vertebral fractures among older adults initiating monotherapy according to time since initiation. METHODS We use...

The Arizona Long-Term Care System (ALTCS), Arizona's Medicaid program for long-term care (LTC) beneficiaries, capitates contractors to provide a full range of acute and LTC services to financially-eligible beneficiaries determined to be at risk of institutionalization. This article compares the acute care utilization experience of LTC beneficiaries in ALTCS with those in a fee-for-service (FFS)...