Practice Management News

CMS released new data on the quality of care provided by physician group practices, hospitals and Accountable Care Organizations, according to the CMS Blog.

The FDA has approved the first pathogen reduction system for use in plasma preparation, according to a press release.

In parts 1 and 2 of this column I discussed tax breaks for individuals and businesses that may be extended or reinstated retroactively by Congress and listed some moves individuals can make right now that have potential tax-savings benefits.

In a new study, treatment with simeprevir and a combination of pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin yielded noninferior response rates to treatment with telaprevir among patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

In a new study, treatment with simeprevir and a combination of pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin yielded noninferior response rates to treatment with telaprevir among patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infection.

In part 1 of this column I discussed tax breaks for individuals and businesses that may be extended or reinstated retroactively by Congress, as well as what those who earn higher incomes should address in their year-end tax planning. This part of the column lists some moves individuals can make right now that have potential tax-savings benefits.

Year-end tax planning is especially challenging this year because Congress has yet to act on a host of tax breaks that expired at the end of 2013. Some of these tax breaks may be retroactively reinstated and extended, but Congress may not decide the fate of these breaks until the very end of this year and, possibly, not until next year.

Liver disease is the third most common cause of premature death in the United Kingdom, with mortality rates increasing by 400% since 1970. In a new report, Roger Williams, MD, director of the Institute of Hepatology in London, and colleagues provide recommendations for improving the standard of care for patients with liver disease in hospitals and create quality preventive measures for people with excessive alcohol use and obesity to reduce the mortality rate and burden of the disease.

CMS announced new rules to strengthen the oversight of Medicare claims and reduce abusive billing practices that it projects will save more than $327 million annually in taxpayer funds.

In a recent study, two-dimensional magnetic resonance elastography was accurate in predicting advanced stages of liver fibrosis among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.