Medical costs were 22 percent higher for overweight patients who presented at an emergency department with chest complaints compared with normal weight patients, and 41 percent higher for morbidly obese patients, researchers reported online March 4 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. The findings also hinted at possible unnecessary imaging in the morbidly obese.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that a proposed bill to repeal the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula and adjust Medicare payments to providers would increase spending by about $60 billion between 2014 and 2019 if enacted. Between 2014 and 2024, that amount would increase to $138 billion.

Costs for congenital heart surgery vary across hospitals, with complications and length of stay contributing to more than a quarter of the variation, researchers reported in the March issue of Pediatrics.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expanded its coverage for cardiac rehabilitation services to include patients with chronic heart failure (HF) after determining that rehab is safe and effective.

Tailoring antiplatelet therapy based on a person’s genetic information may be a cost-effective strategy when using prasugrel and ticagrelor after PCI, a study published online Feb. 17 in Annals of Internal Medicine found. In addition, the study found that ticagrelor may be cost-effective for all patients without the need for genotyping.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) added a nationwide review of cardiac catheterizations and heart biopsies to its 2014 work plan. The work plan spells out federal priorities with a focus on reducing waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

This week two corporations, CVS Caremark and AT&T, made announcements that likely will help boost their images with consumers.

The FDA takes an average of 7.3 years to finalize rules that determine its regulation process, a study published in the February issue of Health Affairs found. Rules associated with cost-benefit analyses take the longest to review, and longer review times often mean the final rules are less stringent than the ones proposed initially.