The 2015 omnibus spending bill canceled a $10 million appropriation for the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). Congress also approved a bill that cuts Medicare funding for vacuum erection systems. Rationing care, whether undertaken by the IPAB or Congress, must be opposed when it arbitrarily selects services based on public perception and not medical necessity, writes Ross E. Weber of the AACU.
Drugs and devices in the pipeline from Actavis, Genomic Health, Lipella Pharmaceuticals, Polaris Group, Innocrin Pharmaceuticals, OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Heat Biologics, Repros Therapeutics, and Sophiris Bio.
Certain private payers are denying codes for prostate and renal biopsy, and strong documentation will be required to ensure you get paid for your services.
Urology Times continues its "Year in Review" series with a look at the most-read men's health articles of 2014.
In this installment of our "Year in Review" series, we look at 2014's malpractice headlines, with commentary from Urology Times Editorial Council member John J. Mulcahy, MD, PhD.
This slideshow offers insight into the type and size of U.S. urologists’ practices, as well as their gender, based on results of the Urology Times 2014 State of the Specialty survey.
Urology Times looks back on the top health policy and practice management stories of 2014, including coverage of the Affordable Care Act and changes in reimbursement.
Ureteroscopy is being increasingly used for surgical management of nephrolithiasis in pediatric patients, and that trend appears to be associated with cost benefits, a recent study indicates.
Flexible ureteroscopy is a safe and highly effective approach for treating proximal ureteral stones measuring
Adding an anticholinergic medication to an alpha-blocker does not appear to improve ureteral stent-related discomfort compared to monotherapy with an alpha-blocker alone, according to research presented by investigators from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
In renal stones smaller than 1.5 cm diameter, ureteroscopic lithotripsy (URS) is associated with superior stone-free rates compared with shock wave lithotripsy (SWL), according to a recent study.
Results of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase IV study provide further confirmation that the erectogenic effect of the phosphodiesterase-type-5 inhibitor avanafil (Stendra) has a quick onset.
With emergence of new biomarker and tests, high-profile approvals of treatments for new indication, and the ongoing controversy surrounding PSA screening, prostate cancer remained very much in the urology headlines for 2014. Here are some of the most-read Urology Times articles on the disease.
Streamlined management for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, greater autonomy for residents, and a better understanding of issues facing the VA are among changes urologists hope to see occur in 2015.
There is no specific limit to the number of times you can charge a –59 modifier. However, what and how you charge for multiple stones on the same side of the urinary tract is confusing, say Ray Painter, MD, and Mark Painter in their "Coding Q&A" column.
Olympus has announced the FDA 510(k) clearance of Narrow Band Imaging as enabling effective targeting of biopsies not seen under white light and improved visualization of tumor margins in nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer.
Kidney cancer patients were more likely to undergo partial nephrectomy when treated in hospitals that were early adopters of robotic surgery, according to a recent report that one leading expert calls “some of the best evidence to date of a favorable impact of surgical robots in urologic care.”
If your estate is substantial and you're concerned about the federal estate tax bill your heirs will pay, there's a way you might be able to use your house to remedy the situation. It may be as simple as giving away your home or as complex as knowing the mechanics of an estate-planning tool called a qualified personal residence trust.
In this article, Robert A. Dowling, MD, discusses some of the benefits, challenges, and evidence surrounding the patient portal.
The authors of a recent study should be commended for exploring a large national database in an attempt to understand contemporary prostate cancer screening and treatment practices.
Other products discussed in this article include a prosthesis for underactive bladder, a prostate cancer test, and an erectile dysfunction drug.
You can expect the new Congress, now controlled in both the House and Senate by Republicans, to take a shot at repealing the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
Use of bisphosphonates in men on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer remains low despite the fact that the practice is recommended in several guidelines, Canadian researchers say.
Use of primary androgen deprivation therapy in men with localized prostate cancer is associated with decreased survival compared to men who receive no active treatment, according to new research findings.
The Prolaris prostate cancer test could save the health care system $6 billion over 10 years, according to data from one of several new studies examining the economic and clinical benefits of newer biomarker-based prostate cancer assays.
Urologists listed increasing government regulations, declining reimbursement, increasing overhead, and the Affordable Care Act as their most pressing concerns in Urology Times’ 2014 State of the Specialty survey.
In this blog post, Henry Rosevear, MD, challenges thought leaders to offer guidance on the proper radiographic evaluation of new-onset colicky flank pain.
Robert A. Dowling, MD examines the possible impact of prostate cancer surveillance management approaches on a urology practice’s reimbursement and income.
A receptor involved with HIV therapy also appears to be linked to prostate cancer metastases, according to recent research from Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia.