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House-call model in rural Indiana helps reduce emergency department use, hospital readmissions

Interventional radiologists participating in a collaborative house call model in rural Indiana helped reduce emergency department use by 77 percent and hospital readmissions by 50 percent for nearly 1,000 elderly homebound patients with chronic illnesses, according to a research abstract presented during a virtual session of the Society of Interventional Radiology's 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting on June 13.

15 Jun 2020

COVID-19 batters a beloved Bay Area community health care center

A small band of volunteers started the Marin City Health and Wellness Center nearly two decades ago with a doctor and a retired social worker making house calls in public housing high-rises.

12 Jun 2020

Online intervention benefits children with severe behavioral problems

A real-world trial has tested the effectiveness – and revealed the challenges – of adapting behavioral therapy to the online world.

12 Jun 2020

If you’ve lost your health plan in the COVID crisis, you’ve got options

The coronavirus pandemic — and the economic fallout that has come with it — boosted health insurance enrollment counselor Mark Van Arnam's workload. But he wants to be even busier.

12 Jun 2020

Federal help falters as nursing homes run short of protective equipment

Around the country, nursing homes trying to protect their residents from the coronavirus eagerly await boxes of masks, eyewear and gowns promised by the federal government. But all too often the packages deliver disappointment — if they arrive at all.

11 Jun 2020

When a doctor no longer accepts Medicare, patients left holding the bag

Pneumonia. Heart problems. High cholesterol. Betsy Carrier, 71, and her husband, Don Resnikoff, 79, relied on their primary care doctor in Montgomery County, Maryland, for help managing their ailments.

9 Jun 2020

Rapid changes to health system spurred by COVID might be here to stay

The U.S. health care system is famously resistant to government-imposed change. It took decades to create Medicare and Medicaid, mostly due to opposition from the medical-industrial complex. Then it was nearly another half-century before the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

8 Jun 2020

Social media fears about lack of coverage for protest injuries may be overblown

Thousands of protesters thronged the streets in recent days to express their anger over the killing of an African American man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis.

5 Jun 2020

Physiotherapy can play key role in safeguarding mental health during and beyond COVID-19

The Australian Government’s National Mental Health and Wellbeing Plan, released to support and safeguard the mental health of Australians during and beyond COVID-19, is a much needed additional resource in our national health response.

4 Jun 2020

Academic emergency departments provide unconditional care to COVID-19 patients

"Academic emergency departments never deny emergency care to any person." That is the statement put forth in a commentary from the Board of Directors of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine and the Senior Editorial Board of Academic Emergency Medicine journal.

2 Jun 2020

Out-of-pocket health care costs for patients with type 1 diabetes is $2,500 a year, study reveals

Adults and children with type 1 diabetes will spend an average of $2,500 a year out-of-pocket for health care - but insulin isn't always the biggest expense - new research suggests.

1 Jun 2020

Democratic super PAC uses familiar political play to hit Trump on Medicare

Priorities USA Action, a Democratic super PAC, announced a new digital and TV ad series criticizing President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

1 Jun 2020

‘Why do we always get hit first?’ Proposed budget cuts target vulnerable Californians

Shirley Madden, 83, relies on a caregiver and her two grown daughters to remain living at home — and not in a nursing home.

1 Jun 2020

A Senator from Arizona emerges as a pharma favorite

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema formed a congressional caucus to raise "awareness of the benefits of personalized medicine" in February. Soon after that, employees of pharmaceutical companies donated $35,000 to her campaign committee.

29 May 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Still seeking a federal coronavirus strategy

The Trump administration sent its COVID-19 testing strategy plan to Congress, formalizing its policy that most testing responsibilities should remain with individual states.

28 May 2020

No-deductible preventive drugs can reduce out-of-pocket costs for diabetic patients

For patients with diabetes - especially those with lower incomes - preventive drug lists (PDLs) of essential medications available with no deductible can reduce out-of-pocket costs while increasing use of important treatments, reports a study in a June supplement to Medical Care.

27 May 2020

Researchers examine quality measures for medical care of homebound older adults

There are an estimated 2 million older adults who are homebound or unable to leave their homes due to multiple chronic conditions and functional impairment.

22 May 2020

New follow-up care models could benefit thousands of cancer survivors

Thousands of cancer survivors could benefit from a new model of shared follow-up care delivered by specialist cancer care nurses, GPs, and cancer specialists incorporating telehealth sessions being implemented under a five-year $1.5 million NHMRC Investigator Grant.

22 May 2020

ACR warns about the economic impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology practices

In virtual meetings with lawmakers and on Twitter tomorrow, physician and health professional leaders from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) are sounding the alarm about the economic impact of COVID-19 on rheumatology practices and the urgent need for more targeted relief that will help specialty practices remain solvent and continue to serve patients.

22 May 2020

Medicaid providers at the end of the line for federal COVID funding

Casa de Salud, a nonprofit clinic in Albuquerque, New Mexico, provides primary medical care, opioid addiction services and non-Western therapies, including acupuncture and reiki, to a largely low-income population.

18 May 2020