Medicare and Medicaid program; regulatory provisions to promote program efficiency, transparency, and burden reduction. Final rule

This final rule identifies reforms in Medicare and Medicaid regulations that CMS has identified as unnecessary, obsolete, or excessively burdensome on health care providers and beneficiaries. This rule increases the ability of health care professionals to devote resources to improving patient care, by eliminating or reducing requirements that impede quality patient care or that divert providing high quality patient care. This is one of several rules that we are finalizing to achieve regulatory reforms under Executive Order 13563 on Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review and the Department's Plan for Retrospective Review of Existing Rules.     

喀斯特石漠化对贵州民族地区经济发展的影响及防治对策

贵州是一个少数民族聚集的山区省份,也是一个喀斯特面积最集中的省份。喀斯特地型往往与贫困落后相联系,由于环境质量下降,自然生态退化严重,影响了我省民族地区经济和社会的发展,加强对喀斯特石漠化的治理,对贵州民族地区经济的发展具有重要的意义。     

关于民族地区乡土人才资源开发问题的思考

实现农村经济增长方式的转变与农村生产力结构的战略调整,最关键是要加大农村资本的投资,下大力度搞好民族地区乡土人才资源的开发,开发培养农村的乡土人才。只有有了高素质的民族地区乡土人才资源,充分发挥民族地区乡土人才的作用,才能实现农村生产结构的战略性调整,才能将科技转化为生产力,才能振兴农村经济的发展。     

北京市城镇医药卫生体制改革研究报告

现行医药卫生体制存在卫生资源不合理,医疗费用增长过快,公立医疗机构缺乏活力,卫生资源利用效率不高,药品监管工作亟待加强等问题,针对以上问题,本提出了我市城镇医药卫生体制改革的主要内容与原则建议。     

江苏高校廉洁教育状况的调研报告

高校作为传授知识、传承文明、培养人才、创新知识的重要场所,肩负着弘扬和创造先进文化、为社会培养合格建设者和可靠接班人的重任。因此,高校的廉洁教育不仅事关高校自身的反腐倡廉建设,而且对整个社会的反腐倡廉建设都将产生深远的影响。课题组选取省内20多所不同层次与类型的高校发放问卷10000多份,从廉洁教育的基本概念到接受廉洁教育的对象、从廉洁教育的形式与内容到接受廉洁教育的渠道和途径、从高校开展廉洁教育的基本情况到影响廉洁教育成效的原因、从高校反腐倡廉教育对廉洁教育的影响到师生员工对党风廉政建设的满意度等方面,就各校开展廉洁教育的现状进行了调研。全省高校共有12508名师生参与了此项调查,课题组通过对调查所示的各种信息与数据的统计处理与分析,进而探讨了如何通过创新高校廉洁教育的形式与内容,进一步增强高校廉洁教育的针对性和有效性,从而实现从源头上预防与消除腐败。     

阿富汗为何沦为“毒品—恐怖国家”?

在阿富汗战场上,塔利班与美主导的国际联军展开了8年血与火的较量,非但未被剿灭出局,反而自2007年以来大举反攻,在阿富汗政治版图上占据越来越重要的份量,这其中毒品经济起了非常重要的作用。阿富汗的禁毒斗争从表面上看是美国、北约、阿富汗政府与塔利班、基地组织、巴阿走私贩毒集团等之间的战争,实际上更像一张利益大网,各种势力、各色人等混迹其中,不仅鼓了各自的腰包,也使阿富汗战火难以平息,实现和平近乎奢望。     

俄罗斯在危机中调整发展思路

2009年俄罗斯经济未能摆脱危机困境,梅普组合主动调整发展战略,确立了经济社会全面现代化改造的新目标;并加大社会保障力度,力求把危机对民众生活的影响降至最低。经济危机未改变俄追求强国的梦想,俄借国际格局和大国关系调整之机,重新审视国际环境,强调外交主动性、务实性以及外交为经济服务,谋求在新格局中取得世界大国地位。     

高职高专公共事业类专业两年制课程体系改革研究的基本思路

高职高专公共事业类专业两年制课程体系的改革,需要把学科体系变为能力体系,把专业学科为本位变为以职业岗位和工作能力为本位,也就是说,要以就业市场为导向设置课程,其特色具体体现在：各专业根据自身特点,主要根据就业岗位群的职业工作任务核心能力标准,在此基础上分析知识构成,遵循高等教育学习规律设置专业基础课、专业课程和专业延展课程,构建专业核心能力和延展能力培养课程集群,形成将“模块式”与“三段式”综合集成的能力本位为主的新型高职教育课程体系。     

Medicare program; Medicare Shared Savings Program: Accountable Care Organizations. Final rule

This final rule implements section 3022 of the Affordable Care Act which contains provisions relating to Medicare payments to providers of services and suppliers participating in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Under these provisions, providers of services and suppliers can continue to receive traditional Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) payments under Parts A and B, and be eligible for additional payments if they meet specified quality and savings requirements.     

Medicare and Medicaid programs: hospital outpatient prospective payment; ambulatory surgical center payment; hospital value-based purchasing program; physician self-referral; and patient notification requirements in provider agreements. Final rule with comment period

This final rule with comment period revises the Medicare hospital outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) for CY 2012 to implement applicable statutory requirements and changes arising from our continuing experience with this system. In this final rule with comment period, we describe the changes to the amounts and factors used to determine the payment rates for Medicare hospital outpatient services paid under the OPPS. In addition, this final rule with comment period updates the revised Medicare ambulatory surgical center (ASC) payment system to implement applicable statutory requirements and changes arising from our continuing experience with this system. In this final rule with comment period, we set forth the relative payment weights and payment amounts for services furnished in ASCs, specific HCPCS codes to which these changes apply, and other ratesetting information for the CY 2012 ASC payment system. We are revising the requirements for the Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting (OQR) Program, adding new requirements for ASC Quality Reporting System, and making additional changes to provisions of the Hospital Inpatient Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program. We also are allowing eligible hospitals and CAHs participating in the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program to meet the clinical quality measure reporting requirement of the EHR Incentive Program for payment year 2012 by participating in the 2012 Medicare EHR Incentive Program Electronic Reporting Pilot. Finally, we are making changes to the rules governing the whole hospital and rural provider exceptions to the physician self-referral prohibition for expansion of facility capacity and changes to provider agreement regulations on patient notification requirements.