Aging News Alert

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Report Details CMS Failure To Provide Oversight Of Part D Marketing Materials

A new, scathing report by the Department of Health & Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG), titled "Marketing Materials for Prescription Drug Plans," catalogs numerous failures by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to oversee Part D prescription drug benefit marketing materials, as required by law.

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A Message from the Publisher

Here's something special our readers should consider as we near the end of summer.

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Grant Awarded To Continue Work Of Advancing Excellence Campaign

The Steering Committee of the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign it has received a grant of more than $474,000 from The Commonwealth Fund to build on the momentum the Campaign has achieved in its first two years of work. This grant was awarded to enhance the Campaign's capacity to lead quality improvement efforts, reach out to nursing homes that have not yet joined, and maintain progress toward meeting improvement targets.

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Seniors To Comprise Japan’s Largest Consumer Group By 2020

Japan’s senior citizens will comprise that nation’s largest consumer group by the year 2020, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. says in a recent report. ``The elderly will play a leading role in Japan's domestic consumption,'' the report says. People 70 and older will account for approximately 20% of consumption in Japan, up from 13% in 2005.

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IRS Revises Voluntary Correction Program for Retirement Plans

"Employers and plan administrators want to comply with the tax laws and regulations to protect plan participants," says Michael Julianelle, director of the IRS’s Employee Plans division. "EPCRS helps employers and plan administrators take a proactive role in identifying and fixing mistakes. It also encourages implementation of practices and procedures that ensure retirement plans comply with laws and regulations."

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Five Good Reasons Why Seniors Should Rent Their Vacation Properties

If you have a vacation home you're not ready to retire to, author Christine Karpinski has a suggestion: Rent it out. You'll get to keep your beloved getaway, earn extra income, meet new friends, and discover a rewarding new lifestyle.

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Telephone Equipment Available For Hearing Impaired

Many states have established programs to provide basic telecommunications services for Hard of Hearing, Deaf, Deaf/Blind, and Speech Impaired individuals. Equipment such as amplified telephones, signalers, TTYs, cordless phones are just a sampling of what is available.

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Number of People with Diabetes Increases To 24 Million

Diabetes now affects nearly 24 million people in the United States, an increase of more than 3 million in approximately two years, according to new 2007 prevalence data estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). This means that nearly 8% of the U.S. population has diabetes.

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IRS Begins Summer Push To Reach Retirees, Disabled Veterans

The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new summer campaign to reach those retirees and disabled veterans who qualify for the economic stimulus payment but have not filed to claim it. Newly released statistics released indicate about 74% in this group are accounted for in the stimulus payments currently being sent, leaving about 5.2 million potential recipients remaining.

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Investing In Longevity Science To Bolster Seniors' Contributions

With the nation's economy uppermost in many Americans' minds, the Alliance for Aging Research explores the economic benefits from increased investment in longevity science in its most recent podcast series. The podcast series is part of the Alliance's SAGE Crossroads website, a forum that explores emerging issues of human aging and longevity.

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Study: Regular Exercise Program Can Help Delay Aging

A new study showing that maintaining aerobic fitness through middle age could delay biological aging by 12 years underscores the benefits of incorporating even a modest exercise program into one's daily routine, says the American Physical Therapy Association.

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CMS To Provide Additional Funding For Health Insurance Counseling Programs

CMS plans to distribute an additional $15 million to State Health Insurance Assistance Programs in an effort to help Medicare beneficiaries obtain more information about their healthcare choices.

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New Book Offers Non-Financial Tips For Retiring Boomers

Just released is "What's Next in Your Life?", a guide to the non-financial aspects of retirement written by Joan Strewler-Carter and Stephen Carter, co-founders of the Life Options Institute, an organization dedicated to helping people plan for life beyond age 50.

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More Nonprofits Using Due Diligence In Board Member Selection Process

Heightened scrutiny and transparency requirements from the IRS and state agencies have raised the stakes for not-for-profit organizations when it comes to board member selection. A growing number of organizations are undertaking due diligence in assessing candidates for board memberships.

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Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Awards Program

The principal goal of the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Award program is to raise awareness across the nation about healthy synergies that can be achieved by communities combining Smart Growth principles and Active Aging concepts. Applications are due Sept. 12

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Everything You Wanted To Know About DMEPOS Bidding But Were Afraid To Ask

Experts at the Washington, DC-based Center for Medicare Advocacy tackle the current controversy swirling around the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' requirements for a new competitive bidding program for certain Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies.

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CMS Revises Reporting Of Additional Data To Describe Service On Hospice Claims

CMS issues a revised CR 5567 which requires hospice providers to report data on their claims for Medicare payment, describing the visits provided in the course of delivering each hospice level of care billed.

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Rx Drug Ads Need More Oversight, AMA Honcho Tells Congress

The president-elect of the American Medical Association on Thursday, (May 8) called for better government oversight of prescription drug advertisements directed at consumers to protect patients from misleading information.

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Rx Drug Ads Need More Oversight, AMA Honcho Tells Congress

The president-elect of the American Medical Association on Thursday, (May 8) called for better government oversight of prescription drug advertisements directed at consumers to protect patients from misleading information.

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CMS Sets Rate Year 2009 Payment & Policy Changes For Long-Term Care Hospitals

CMS has published the final regulation establishing rate year 2009 federal payment rates and policies for long-term care hospitals. The changes provide moderate increases in payments affecting nearly 400 LTCHs across the nation.

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Tips To Help Protect Non-Traditional Families Facing Retirement

The MetLife Mature Market Institute is making a series of tips available to consumers, particularly those who are not in "traditional families," to help them make the right choices about how to prepare for retirement, despite the challenges they face. "Family Matters: Retirement Preparation Tip...

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Ad Campaign Launched To Encourage Men's Health Awareness

The Department of Health & Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality AHRQ has joined with The Advertising Council to launch a national public service campaign designed to raise awareness among middle-aged men about the importance of preventive medical testing.

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Prior Determination Of Medicare Coverage Needed For Some Items, Services

In order for Medicare and Medicare contractors to cover medical services and items, the item or service must be medically necessary for the diagnosis or treatment of an illness or injury, say experts at the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) in Washington, DC.

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Plastic Surgery On The Rise Among Baby Boomers

Despite increasing consumer demand for less invasive procedures for facial rejuvenation, facelifts are making a comeback with female and male baby boomers.

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Alzheimer's Foundation Offers Grant for Innovative Service

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America has announced that it will be accepting applications for the Brodsky Grant, a $30,000 award to an innovative program or service that improves the lives of those affected by the brain disorder.

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1,000 Mayors Deliver Meals to Seniors

Mayors across the country today (March 19) joined the fight to end senior hunger by delivering meals to the homebound elderly with their local Meals On Wheels program.

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CMS Proposes Two New Rules for Redesigning Medicaid

In line with President Bush's recently unveiled plan to sharply reduce federal spending on government-funded healthcare programs, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services propose two new rules that, if finalized, would do exactly that.

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Is Nursing Home Culture Change Coming to the For-Profit Sector?

A new report from the Commonwealth Fund discusses results of a 12-month evaluation of Beverly Healthcare's resident-centered care initiative -- one of the nation's largest nursing home chains.

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Applications Open For 2008 Livable Communities Award

AARP and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) are calling for entries for the second annual Livable Communities Award.

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FAQs Added To Gateway To Older Americans Act 2006 Amendments

The Admin. on Aging's online Gateway to the Older Americans Act 2006 Amendments now includes Frequently Asked Questions, as well as the opportunity for users to submit their own questions regarding the 2006 Amendments.

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CMS Proposes Coverage With Evidence Development for Artificial Heart Devices

CMS is proposing coverage with evidence development of artificial heart devices. The agency proposes to cover artificial heart devices in Medicare beneficiaries who are enrolled in Food & Drug Admin.-approved studies.

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Committee on Aging Tackles Challenges Facing Older Voters

Making certain older voters or other people with disabilities are able to cast votes in an election requires policymakers to think broadly about access, senior-level officials from the Government Accountability Office told the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

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Governance Reform May Be in Tax-Exempt Organizations' Future

In response to irregularities at a handful of charities, one of Congress's chief concerns over the past few years has been the accountability of the board as a governing body and of each member in his or her individual capacity.

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Osteoporosis Education Tool Kit Available

The Alliance for Aging Research has developed a new resource to educate women about osteoporosis, also known as porous bone disease.

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Group Says Study on Independent Pharmacy Reimbursements Will

"This report will raise eyebrows among policymakers who have been led to believe that independent pharmacists were in dire straits because of the Medicare drug benefit," says PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt.

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White Papers Focus on Tech's Effect on Aging

A nonprofit senior housing company in Minnesota offers two new white papers examining how technology is changing the face of aging in America.

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Directory of Grants for Social Services

Many of your peers already have ordered these valuable publications. Don't get left behind! Click here to order the Social Service Directory for only $85Click here to order the Children & Youth Directory for only $69These new directories detail hundreds of freshly-researched priva...

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Depression Seen Hardest on the Elderly

"Depression kills not just through suicide," says Barry Lebowitz, director of treatment research at the National Institute of Mental Health.

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IRS Releases Final 2008 Form 990 for Tax-Exempt Organizations

The IRS has issued an updated version of Form 990, the return that charities and other tax-exempt organizations are required to file annually, and provided transition relief so that small exempt organizations will have time to adjust to the new form.

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2008 Calendar of Events and Meetings

Here's a handy-dandy list of aging-related events slated for 2008. Put those fridge magnets to work now!

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Study: Seniors Unable To Afford Rx Drugs

A least two-thirds of seniors in California can't afford their perscription medications, find the authors of a new study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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MedPAC Draft Recommends Pay Freeze for Nursing Facilities, Home Health Providers

MedPAC has sent draft recommendations to Congress calling for a freeze on reimbursement rates for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies in 2009.

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Publisher's Year-End Survey

We want to know what you think!

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Publisher's Year-End Survey

We want to know what you think!

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