Physician spending habits can be learned, but they also can change, a study found. In the first years of practice, residency spending patterns had the greatest impact on expenditures per patient, according to a study published in the Dec. 10 issue of JAMA.

When it comes to long-term cost in transferring patients to specialized neurological intensive care units following an intracerebral hemorrhage, patient outcomes play a significant role.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to pay an additional amount for a reversal agent to warfarin for in-hospital treatments through Sept. 15, 2015.

Proponents of supervised exercise as a treatment for peripheral artery disease (PAD) can flex their muscles a bit more with policy makers and payers after a cost-effectiveness analysis showed the approach to be a good value.

The Medicare outpatient payment rate for implanting certain implantable defibrillator devices will increase by 23 percent on Jan. 1, 2015, thanks to a change in its designation.

New data presented today at the American Heart Association (AHA) 2014 Scientific Sessions showed once-daily XARELTO® (rivaroxaban) is associated with significantly fewer hospitalization days and outpatient visits compared to warfarin in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). Corresponding hospitalization and outpatient healthcare costs were also significantly lower for XARELTO® compared to warfarin in NVAF patients, according to longitudinal, real-world findings from this observational study.

Medicare penalties on 30-day readmissions for MI, heart failure and pneumonia disproportionately ding inner-city hospitals with disadvantaged patients, findings presented Nov. 17 at the American Heart Association scientific session in Chicago showed. “It is affecting those safety-net hospitals,” said lead researcher Arshad A. Javed, MD. 

Thirty-day costs for acute MI patients on Medicare were $627 higher for admissions to PCI vs. non-PCI-capable hospitals in a recent study. This higher price tag, while relatively modest, still needs to be justified, the researchers wrote.