Medicare Issues Final Payment Rates for Hospital Outpatient Services in 2003
October 31, 2002 - Medicare expenditures for hospital outpatient services will increase by nearly 6 percent - and payment rates for mammography and colonoscopy will increase significantly - under a final rule released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).  The increase reflects higher payment rates for outpatient services, as well as anticipated increases in volume of services.

Texas Plan Allows Elderly, Disabled to Direct Their Own Services
October 31, 2002 - HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved a Texas plan to allow seniors and disabled Americans receiving Medicaid home- and community-based services to choose and contract for their needs directly.

Bifocals May Up Risk of Falling in Older Adults
October 30, 2002 - A single pair of glasses that corrects both close and distant vision may increase the risk of falls in older adults, researchers report. (MedlinePlus)

Study Finds Improved Heart Failure Survival
October 30, 2002 - Survival after a heart failure diagnosis has greatly improved over the past 50 years, according to a study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health.  The study, which analyzed data from the NHLBI's landmark Framingham Heart Study (FHS), found that the risk of dying after being diagnosed with heart failure had dropped by about a third in men and women during that period.

Experimental Treatment for Osteoporosis
October 24, 2002 - A completely new type of therapy, using a unique class of synthetic compounds, may someday protect both men and women from the bone-weakening disease osteoporosis. 

Preserve Retirement Savings
October 23, 2002 - If you take early withdrawals from your IRAs or pension plans, you can now preserve your nest eggs when there is an unexpected drop in the value of retirement savings.  If you get fixed annual amounts based on the account value when you started receiving payments, you may now switch – without penalty -- to a method of figuring the amount based on the account value as it changes from year to year. There is a more detailed account of Revenue Ruling 2002-62 on the IRS web site.

 Nurse Caseload Related to Patient Mortality
October 23, 2002 - A study of 168 hospitals in Pennsylvania has found that for each additional patient over four in a registered nurse's workload, the risk of the death increases by 7% for surgical patients. Patients in hospitals with the lowest nurse staffing levels (eight patients per nurse) have a 31% greater risk of dying than those in hospitals with four patients per nurse.

NIH Convenes Workshop On Menopausal Hormone Therapy
October 22, 2002 - On October 23 and 24, 2002, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is holding a scientific workshop on Menopausal Hormone Therapy (HT) in the main auditorium of the William H. Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

Find Services Near You
October 21, 2002 - FirstGov.gov now has a locator to find services near where you live or work. For example:

President Takes Action to Lower Prescription Drug Prices
October 21, 2002 - President Bush today announced a new rule to lower prescription drug costs for millions of Americans by improving access to generic drugs, which are safe and effective and can be much less costly alternatives to brand-name prescription drugs. The proposed rule is expected to lead to savings in drug costs of over $3 billion per year for Americas consumers.

Grandparent's Safety Tips for Halloween
October 21, 2002 - Grandchildren should be reminded - don't snack while out trick-or-treating, before parents or grandparents have had a chance to inspect the goodies. This is one of several tips FDA offers to help kids have a safe and healthy Halloween.

Long Term Care Link
October 21, 2002 - New and Improved, Long Term Care Link is a comprehensive, noncommercial source of long-term care information. Its purpose is to: 1) educate the public on long-term care, 2) give support and find services for caregivers and 3) provide a public source of continuing education to long-term care advisors and providers. Recommended

Get a Pneumonia Shot With Your Flu Shot?
October 21, 2002 - The Surgeon General encourages seniors to get flu shots. He also notes that this is an excellent time for a pneumonia shot. If you were vaccinated for pneumonia after age 65, you will likely have lifetime immunity. If given the shot at a younger age, revaccination might be needed. (MedlinePlus)

Study of Complementary and Alternative Medicine
October 21, 2002 - The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and 16 Federal co-sponsors announce the launch of an Institute of Medicine (IOM) study of the scientific and policy implications of the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the American public.

SSA Announces 1.4 % COLA
October 18, 2002 - Jo Anne B. Barnhart, Commissioner of Social Security, announced today a 1.4% cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA) for monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries  for 2003. These benefits are paid out to more than 50 million Americans.

HHS Announces Medicare Premium and Deductible Rates for 2003
October 18, 2002 - The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the Medicare premium, deductible and coinsurance amounts to be paid by Medicare beneficiaries in 2003.

High Blood Pressure May Play Role in Dementia
October 17, 2002 - Two recent studies tend to show that medicines to lower blood pressure may help stave off dementia and Alzheimer's disease.  (MedlinePlus)

Study Suggests Coenzyme Q10 Slows Functional Decline In Parkinson's Disease
October 17, 2002 - Results of the first placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial of the compound coenzyme Q10 suggest that it can slow disease progression in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD).  While the results must be confirmed in a larger study, they provide hope that this compound may ultimately provide a new way of treating PD.

October 16, 2002 - The White House launched a new Web portal designed for people with disabilities called DisabilityInfo.Gov as part of the President’s New Freedom Initiative. The Web portal provides Americans with disabilities – their families, employers and service providers – with one-stop access to information and programs that facilitate their day-to-day living. This site is a multi-agency initiative with information on civil rights, education, employment, housing and transportation, among others.

HelpGuide
October 2002 - Helpguide is a breezy, easy to read web site that provides the best non-profit non-commercial links on the web focusing on mental health and aging well. Helpguide is a joint project of the Rotary Club of Santa Monica and the Center for Healthy Aging.

HHS Secretary Urges Strong Warning Labels for Ephedra
October 16, 2002 - Saying that the federal government "will move as aggressively as the law and the science allow" to protect consumers from the possible dangers of ephedra, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has directed FDA to recommend the strongest possible warning label for ephedra-based products.

Immediate Treatment Helps Delay Progression Of Glaucoma
October 16, 2002 - Researchers have found that immediately treating people who have early stage glaucoma can delay progression of the disease. This finding supports the medical community's emerging consensus that treatment to lower pressure inside the eye can slow glaucoma damage and subsequent vision loss. These results are reported in the October 2002 issue of "Archives of Ophthalmology."

New Recommendations To Prevent High Blood Pressure Issued
October 16, 2002 - The National High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP) has updated its recommendations to prevent hypertension (high blood pressure).  New recommendations include adequate intake of potassium and an eating pattern rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and reduced in saturated and total fat. The advisory also reinforces earlier recommendations to limit consumption of sodium and alcohol, reduce excess body weight, and increase levels of physical activity.

HHS, USDA Take Next Step In Obesity Fight
October 16, 2002 - HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today met with officials from the National Restaurant Association and the National Council of Chain Restaurants to begin dialogue about how the food and beverage industries can help Americans combat obesity, which has reached epidemic proportions. En Espanol

Protein Patterns In Blood May Predict Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
October 16, 2002 - Patterns of proteins found in patients' blood serum may help distinguish between prostate cancer and benign conditions, scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report today in the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute". The technique, which relies on a simple test using a drop of blood, may be useful in deciding whether to perform a biopsy in men with elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels.

NIH Releases Annual Bibliography Of Significant Advances In Dietary Supplement Research
October 16, 2002 - The Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the release of the third issue of the Annual Bibliography of Significant Advances in Dietary Supplement Research.  Developed as a joint effort of ODS and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), this publication presents significant research in the dietary supplement field for the year 2001.

Now's the Time to Get Your Flu Shot
October 9, 2002 - October is the best month for seniors to get their flu shots. Influenza (flu) is far more dangerous than a bad cold. It's a disease of the lungs, and it can lead to pneumonia. Protect yourself early, but remember, it's never too late to get your shot.

Special FDA Page Questions Need for Whole-Body CT Scans
October 2002 - We ran this item in August, but FDA would really like to get the word out.
You've probably seen or heard ads for whole-body CT (computed tomography) scans that tout the procedure as a screen for disease in healthy individuals who have no symptoms or suspicion of disease.  However, the FDA knows of no scientific data showing that any benefits the procedure may have as a screening device for healthy people outweigh its potential risks (which include radiation dose).

The Annuities Institute
October 2002 - The Annuities Institute is a cooperative group of retirement planning strategists covering 48 states in America. Their objective is to help improve awareness of annuities as safe retirement investment strategies yielding interest rates higher than traditional CD’s. This website is full of useful calculators, direct links to major annuity companies, definitions, case studies, and the option for personalized advice based on your unique needs.

West Nile Virus and Blood Transfusions
October 8, 2002 – Officials are urging people not to forgo blood transfusions because of concerns about West Nile Virus.

Obesity Still On the Rise, New Data Show
October 8, 2002 - Obesity continued to increase dramatically during the late 1990's for Americans of all ages, with nearly one-third of all adults now classified as obese, according to new data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Agency Proposes Action Plan for Studying Acrylamide in Foods
October 8, 2002 - Earlier this year, Swedish researchers reported finding the chemical acrylamide in a variety of fried and baked foods.  Acrylamide is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, but research to date has been inconclusive about the chemical's cancer-causing potential in humans.  More research is needed, and FDA has put forth an action plan to learn more about the chemical.

Nearly 200,000 Medicare+Choice Beneficiaries Affected by Pullouts (MedlinePlus)
October 4, 2002 - Twenty-three health plans will drop out of Medicare or reduce their service areas in 2003. CMS will help nearly 200,000 current beneficiaries find new plans. See our prior report on the CMS support plans.

Flu and Pneumonia Vaccinations
October 1, 2002 - HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new policy to promote greater access to flu and pneumonia vaccinations, especially among older Americans and others at high risk for illness.

New Social Security Number and Card Page
October 1, 2002 - Social Security Number and Card Page tells you everything you need to know about getting an original or replacement Social Security card, changing your name on your card and on Social Security's records and getting numbers for your children.

Who Is Bowtie Man?
October 2002 - At the signing ceremony for the Social Security Act on August 14, 1935 a large number of dignitaries were present and were photographed with President Roosevelt. One man who was present at the signing was not identified in any official description of the ceremony - Bowtie Man. Can you help the SSA Historian identify this man?

HHS OIG Publishes Draft Guidance for Drug Companies
October 1, 2002 - The HHS Office of the Inspector General issued draft guidance for pharmaceutical companies. The issuance sets out guidance on marketing drugs in compliance with current law.

Federal Employee Retirement Calculator - Update
September 30, 2002 - Economic Systems Inc. (ESI), developers of the Federal Employees Retirement Calculator, has offered the use of their application at no cost for the next fiscal year. Our grateful thanks to ESI for this generous gift to our civil servants.

HHS OIG Publishes Draft Guidance for Drug Companies
October 1, 2002 - The HHS Office of the Inspector General issued draft guidance for pharmaceutical companies. The issuance sets out guidance on marketing and promoting drugs in the marketplace.