Hospitals - America's Best Health Channel

	Feature Article America's Best Hospitals 2008 What makes a hospital a "best"? A smart, caring workforce armed with the latest technology? Of course. But if that were the magic formula, the only names you'd see in the Americas Best Hospitals rankings would be those of high-profile, big-money centers that can afford to lure top talent and purchase every new device. Hospitals that fly below the radar, like the 17 facilities in the heart rankings that were cited by fewer than 1 percent of heart specialists who responded to the annual U.S. News survey, would never appear. A great hospital is different because of an internal culture of excellence. Set at the top and embraced by caregivers, medical standards are high and emphasize not only doing well but striving to do better--to hammer down the number of infections, to boost survival of high-risk surgery patients, to systematically squeeze out errors rather than painting a scarlet "E" on those who make them. If such goals cannot be achieved by using conventional means, goes the thinking at such places, invent new ones. They are places like Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Mayo Clinic, and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which top this year's Honor Roll--the 19 institutions that achieved high scores in at least six specialties. (The entire list appears below.) All told, U.S. News analyzed data on 5,453 medical centers to produce 170 standouts in 16 specialties, from cancer and heart care to geriatrics and urology. Featured Story: America's Best Hospitals: Five days at an Honor Roll medical center Best Hospitals Honor Roll Methodology: A Look Inside the Hospital Rankings: How 170 out of 5,453 centers made the cut 2008 Rankings Cancer Ear, nose, and throat Endocrinology Gastrointestinal disorders Geriatric care Gynecology Heart and heart surgery Kidney disease Neurology and neurosurgery Ophthalmology Orthopedics Psychiatry Rehabilitation Respiratory disorders Rheumatology Urology ** Looking for pediatrics rankings? Visit the enhanced 2008 edition of America's Best Children's Hospitals

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Medicare Part D - What You Need to Know The six-week enrollment period for the Medicare prescription drug plan (Part D) is coming up soon - enrollment begins November 15 through December 31, 2007 for the 2008 plans. Medicare's drug plans are subsidized by the US federal government and offered through private insurers.

Medicare Part D - What's It All About? Medicare Part D is a government subsidized prescription drug coverage program. Medicare Part D prescription drug plans are provided by private insurance companies. The costs of you plan will vary depending on what medications you use, what plan you choose, and whether or not you receive help paying your Part D costs.

Medicare Part D - What is a Formulary? The formulary is the list of medications that your Medicare Part D plan covers. Each Medicare Part D formulary must be approved by the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) as a condition for approval of participation in the program. Regulations specify that formularies must include a minimum of two drugs in each therapeutic category and pharmacologic class of products covered by Part D.

Medicare Part D - Understanding the Dreaded Donut Hole and How to Avoid It The donut hole is a coverage gap in Medicare drug plans. What it means to you is that after you and your plan have spent a certain amount of money for covered medications (no more than $2,400), you have to pay out-of-pocket all costs for medications until you hit the cap of $3, 850. This does not include the monthly premium which you must continue to pay.

Medicare Part D - Paula Duffy, Test Case Millions of Americans have taken advantage of the Medicare Part D prescription coverage program, thinking that if they pay their monthly premiums, their prescriptions will be covered. We have come up with a fictional scenario to demonstrate how Medicare Part D might work for different people. Ms. Duffy is 73 years old with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, depression, anxiety and osteoporosis. Her doctors have prescribed the following medications