Many Seniors Get Painkillers from Multiple Doctors
Over a third of the beneficiaries who receive opioid prescriptions under Medicare’s Part D program got their prescriptions from more than one doctor, according to…
Medicare
Calmare Therapy Gets Favorable Medicare Ruling
A federal judge has ruled that a novel medical device called the Calmare “Scrambler” is effective at relieving pain and should be covered under Medicare.…
Feds Planning New Crackdown on Painkillers
The U.S. government is planning a new crackdown on doctors, pharmacies and patients who over-prescribe or abuse painkillers as part of a major overhaul of…
Medicare Coverage of Nurse Anesthetists Panned
A federal agency’s decision to allow Medicare funds to be used to pay nurse anesthetists when they treat chronic pain is getting a mixed reaction…
Medicare Wrongly Paid $25 Million for Painkiller Refills
At a time when federal regulators are cracking down on physicians, pharmacies and pill mills for over prescribing narcotic painkillers, it turns out one of…
Record Year for Health Care Fraud
Pharmaceutical companies have paid a record $6.6 billion dollars so far this year to settle claims of fraud against Medicare, Medicaid and other taxpayer funded…
Medicaid Patients More Likely To Use Illegal Drugs
Patients on Medicaid are more likely to use illicit drugs, according to a large new study presented at PAINWeek, the nation's largest conference for frontline…
Medicare Drops TENS Coverage for Low Back Pain
A federal agency has issued a final ruling that Medicare will no longer cover transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for chronic low back pain. The…