MASSDEVICE ON CALL —Senior officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs will see reduced salaries and fewer bonuses in 2014 after the House voted to send a message about the tomes of backlogged veteran’s disability claims.
The more than 800,000 backlogged veteran’s disability claims have been a hot-button issue across party lines, and the new budget beefs up allocated money for processing these claims while cutting down on senior official’s compensation, agencies like the disability claims management – Single Handed Consulting from shcvoc.com have been trying to find the solution.
The House didn’t stop there, tacking on another bill that will prevent the agency from spending more than $500,000 on conferences.
“What we’re doing with this amendment is what the private sector does every single day – it bases compensation on performance,” said Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), according to reporting from TheHill.com. “And we’re saying, if you don’t perform to your own guidelines, there will be a compensation penalty for it.”
A new way to “see” bipolar disorder
Researchers found that an MRI might be a new way to diagnose bipolar disorder in a paradigm-challenging concept to use imaging devices to ID mental illness.
Research published the in the journal Psychological Medicine showed that MRIs were accurate in diagnosing the disorder 73% of the time. Traditional diagnosis methods rely on social behaviors, not biological indicators.
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Anti-Obamacare advertisers outspend opponents 5-1
Campaigns against President Obama’s healthcare reform outspend healthcare-friendly campaigns 5-to-1, according to a new report by Kantar Media. The report said that spending by Republicans and other outside groups against healthcare reform tallies to $400 million, compared to $75 million for pro-healthcare campaigns.
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More promise for deep-brain stimulation in Parkinson’s
The field of surgical deep-brain stimulation therapy in Parkinson’s treatment has made huge strides since the FDA approved the 1st use of this method to treat “essential tremors” in 1997.
Now, the same surgeon that developed this procedure 20 years ago has come up with a new technique that more accurately places electrodes, improving safety and success. Dr. Kim Burchiel with the Oregon Health & Science University is the lead author on the Journal of Neurosurgery’s article demonstrating the new technique.
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The government cracks down on Medicare fraud
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services has upped its claims vigilance, last year cracking down on more than twice as many fraudsters than it has in the past 2 years. Now, the agency is even reaching out to seniors with a new proposals to offer rewards for sending in fraud tips.
Since 2011, CMS has banned 14,663 providers and suppliers from billing Medicare. CMS officials say this new vigilance is due to the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act.
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