News in brief - Dec. 5, 2011

AMA backs CMS administrator nominee

The American Medical Association supports President Obama's nomination of Marilyn Tavenner to be the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator, according to AMA President Peter W. Carmel, MD. On Nov. 23, Obama announced the nomination, which is subject to Senate confirmation.

"We have worked extensively with her in her role as deputy administrator, and she has been fair, knowledgeable and open to dialogue," Dr. Carmel said. "With all the changes and challenges facing the Medicare and Medicaid programs, CMS needs stable leadership, and Marilyn Tavenner has the skills and experience to provide it."

Tavenner has been principal deputy administrator -- second-in-command at CMS -- since February 2010. Donald M. Berwick, MD, the current CMS chief, will serve his last day on Dec. 2. His recess appointment would have expired at the end of the year.

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Smokeless tobacco still allowed in baseball games

A new labor agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Assn. will allow players and managers to continue using smokeless tobacco during games, despite some new restrictions on the products.

The American Medical Association, some members of Congress and public health groups had urged the league to prohibit all tobacco use on the field and in baseball dugouts. But the new collective bargaining agreement falls short of an outright ban. It states that smokeless tobacco containers must be concealed. Players and managers cannot carry tobacco tins or packages on their uniforms during times when fans are permitted inside stadiums.

Players and coaches also must refrain from using smokeless tobacco during media interviews.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D, Calif.) had written the league urging it to eliminate all smokeless tobacco use. The use of cigarettes already is banned, and players in the minor leagues cannot use smokeless tobacco during games. Waxman expressed disappointment over the labor deal on Nov. 22.

"The Players Assn. made a mistake in opposing Commissioner [Bud] Selig's efforts to ban smokeless tobacco use during games," Waxman said. "Baseball players are idols to millions of youth, and they should strive to be healthy role models."

Waxman commended the MLB for agreeing to a policy on testing players for human growth hormone use. Starting with spring training in 2012, all players will be subject to HGH blood testing during the year. Random and unannounced HGH testing then will begin during the 2012-13 off-season.

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Senior Medicare Patrol receives $9 million in grants

A fraud detection force consisting of Medicare patients received $9 million in grants to continue its work, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Nov. 22.

The Senior Medicare Patrol educates patients on how to recognize health care fraud and report it to authorities. Patient volunteers work with other Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers to identify waste in the program by learning how to read remittances and explanation of benefits statements. More than 4 million beneficiaries have received such training since 1997, CMS said.

The Medicare agency and the Administration on Aging awarded 52 groups with up to $400,000 to continue outreach initiatives. States with high rates of fraud received additional funding for targeted anti-fraud campaigns.

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Federal consumer health website expanded

Small-business owners now can compare benefits and costs for health plans under an expansion of functionality on healthcare.gov, a consumer information site created by a provision of the health system reform law. More than 530 insurers provided details about more than 2,700 health plans nationwide, according to a Nov. 18 announcement by the Dept. of Health and Human Services.

"The new, unprecedented ability to search at this level of detail will bring the marketplace into better balance by giving insurance purchasers the power of information," said Steve Larsen, director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The expanded functions include the ability to search for health plans by ZIP code and sort the results by out-of-pocket costs, per-enrollee costs and other criteria. Small-business owners also can view co-payment options, included and excluded benefits, plans' compatibility with health savings accounts, and more.

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