In Brief

Patients with type 2 diabetes who also have sleep apnea can lower glucose levels with the help of CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure device) therapy, according to research from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Study participants who underwent CPAP therapy for at least four hours daily experienced significant reduction in glucose levels. “With such clear evidence for the high risk of sleep apnea among patients with type 2 diabetes, it is encouraging that our data show patients can achieve better control of their glucose levels with CPAP therapy,” said Dr. James Herdegen, author of the study, which was published in the Feb. 28 Archives of Internal Medicine.

Since CMS made a software change requiring the exact math on certain beneficiary information in electronic claims — including first initial, surname, and Health Insurance Claim Number — the number of denials because of name and number mismatches has tripled, according to the agency. CMS has posted a “Medlearn Matters” article on its Web site, www.cms.hhs.gov.

Of the 43 million uninsured Americans, 18 to 20 million are eligible for Medicaid but don’t know it, according to Philip Lebherz, founder and executive director of the Foundation for Health Coverage Education. He blames the statistic on lack of government communication. “The root of the problem is that this population is just not aware of programs already in place that would give them comprehensive care,” Lebherz said.

Despite the April 20 deadline for compliance with HIPAA’s Security Rule, only 30 percent of payers and 18 percent of health care providers said they are compliant with the regulations, according to a new survey from the Health Information Management Systems Society. The rule requires providers to implement, using software and other methods, measures to stop unauthorized access to patients’ protected health information.

In its Report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recommended no market update for 2006 home health reimbursement. MedPAC also proposed research on the home health Prospective Payment System reimbursement to determine whether adjustments should be made to ensure access to care for high-cost beneficiaries. “The American Association for Homecare disputes MedPAC’s singling out of home health, along with skilled nursing facilities, to receive no inflation update in 2006,” said a statement by the association, which added that it “supports ongoing research to improve the PPS case-mix system to ensure access for all eligible beneficiaries.”

Over the next few decades, life expectancy for the average American could decline by as much as five years unless aggressive efforts are made to slow rising rates of obesity, according to a report published in the March 17 New England Journal of Medicine. “Looking out this window,” the report said, “we see a threatening storm — obesity — that will, if left unchecked, have a negative effect on life expectancy.”