In the News

Revised Medicare Penalties Hit Some States Hard - According to Kaiser Health News, on October 22nd, Medicare revised its penalties from the new Readmissions Reduction Program at the end of September after discovering it had made small errors in its calculations affecting more than 1,400 hospitals. A total of 2,217 hospitals, or 71 percent of those eligible, are receiving penalties for having too many patients with heart attacks, heart failure or pneumonia return within 30 days. Only hospitals with at least 25 heart failure, heart attack or pneumonia cases for Medicare to evaluate were eligible.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Home Health Aides: In Demand, Yet Paid Little - According to NPR, on October 16th, the home care workforce — some 2.5 million strong — is one of the nation's fastest growing yet also worst paid. Right now, many home health aides get no training at all. There's little path to advancement. And with a median wage less than $10 an hour, it's hard to call this a career. Advocates say one big problem is a decades-old law that exempts home care workers from federal minimum wage and overtime.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE



Health care students seek edge in new charter school - According to The TandD, on October 13th, Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five’s new charter school is giving 68 local ninth and tenth graders a chance to prepare for careers in the health care field. The mission of the High School for Health Professions(HSHP)is to give students a competitive edge throughout high school and college and their professional careers, Principal Angel Hightower reported at Tuesday night’s OCSD 5 board meeting. Hightower also reported that HSHP students will be able to take dual course credits at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College and Claflin University.TO READ MORE CLICK HERE