If all cardiovascular providers performed at the same level as the 50 top hospitals, an additional $1.3 billion and approximately 7,900 additional lives could be saved annually, according to a new report.

A New Jersey couple pleaded guilty to one count apiece of healthcare fraud and admitted to receiving more than $4.3 million from Medicare and private insurance for fraudulent diagnostic testing.

Edwards Lifesciences’s board of directors approved a two-for-one split of the company’s common shares of stock on Nov. 19, its first stock split since May 2010.

Truven Health Analytics released its top 50 cardiovascular hospitals on Nov. 9, including 34 that are member of health systems. The annual list is based on public data sources, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare initiative and the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review file.

On Nov. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will hold a forum in Washington, D.C. to discuss ways to combat high cost medications and help deliver more affordable drugs.

Although the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Oct. 30 that it had settled with 457 hospitals for allegedly improperly implanting implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), it said it will to continue to investigate hospitals and health systems that fail to comply with the ICD implantation rules.

As the healthcare industry shifts towards a more value-based system, payers, physicians, patients and pharmaceutical companies are paying more attention to the costs and benefits of new treatments. Steven D. Pearson, MD, has been interested in those topics for a long time and has emerged as a leading voice when it comes to comparative effectiveness research and health policy.

After investigating the possible misuse of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) for five years, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Oct. 30 that it had settled with 457 hospitals in 43 states for allegedly improperly implanting ICDs in Medicare patients. The 70 settlements reached were for a total of $250 million, according to the DOJ.