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Treatment for low back pain in older adults does not match guidelines

Many Medicare patients with new episodes of low back pain receive care inconsistent with current guidelines - including high use of opioids and advanced imaging tests, reports a study in the February issue of Medical Care.

23 Jan 2020

Patients want a ‘good death’ at home, but hospice care can badly strain families

“I’m not anti-hospice at all,” said Joy Johnston, who relocated to New Mexico years ago at age 40 to care for her dying mother.

23 Jan 2020

Decline in advanced stage cancer diagnoses following health insurance expansion

Advanced stage cancer diagnoses declined following health insurance expansion in Massachusetts, likely due to increased access to screening and diagnostic services that identified cancers earlier, according to new research led by health economists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

22 Jan 2020

How fast can a new internet standard for sharing patient data catch fire?

Medical professionals have been storing personal health information in electronic form for more than a decade, but it is cumbersome for patients to gather disparate computer and paper records scattered across doctors' offices, hospitals and medical labs.

22 Jan 2020

Researchers estimate mortality costs associated with air pollution in the U.S.

A team of University of Illinois researchers estimated the mortality costs associated with air pollution in the U.S. by developing and applying a novel machine learning-based method to estimate the life-years lost and cost associated with air pollution exposure.

21 Jan 2020

Patient-specific tumor organoids may one day be used to personalize cancer treatment

A patient-specific tumor organoid platform developed by Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine researchers and their cancer center colleagues could someday take the guessing game out of immunotherapy treatments.

21 Jan 2020

PNHP welcomes ACP’s endorsement of single-payer ‘Medicare for All’

Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) today welcomed the American College of Physicians' (ACP) endorsement of single-payer Medicare for All.

20 Jan 2020

Prehabilitation for surgery patients may help reduce length of hospital stay, overall costs

An inexpensive program to help surgery patients get physically and mentally ready for their upcoming operation may help reduce overall costs and get them home faster, according to new research involving hundreds of patients in 21 hospitals across Michigan.

16 Jan 2020

Greater medical care needed for older adults with untreated sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common and costly medical condition leading to a wide range of health risks such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, depression, diabetes and even premature death.

16 Jan 2020

New study challenges concerns over readmission reduction initiatives in hospitals

A UT Southwestern study is challenging concerns that a federal health policy enacted in 2012 to reduce hospital readmissions leaves patients more vulnerable.

16 Jan 2020

Loopholes limit new California law to guard against lofty air ambulance bills

Kathleen Hoechlin lost control as she crested a small jump on her final ski run of the day at California's Mammoth Mountain two years ago. She landed hard on her back, crushing one of the vertebra in her lower spine "like a Cheerio," she said.

14 Jan 2020

Study: Only 25% of Medicare patients participate in cardiac rehabilitation

Too few people covered by Medicare participated in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation after a heart attack or acute heart event or surgery, particularly women, the elderly and non-white patients, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

14 Jan 2020

UVA Health proposal to reduce hospital readmissions selected for national AI competition

A UVA Health proposal to reduce hospital readmissions was among 25 submissions chosen - from more than 300 applications - for a national competition seeking ideas on how artificial intelligence can improve healthcare.

11 Jan 2020

High-deductible plans jeopardize financial health of patients and rural hospitals

Kristie Flowers had been sick with the flu for four or five days in July before the 52-year-old registered nurse from Genoa, Colo., acknowledged she needed to go to the ER.

10 Jan 2020

Study: Opioid addiction care is scarce in Medicaid work requirement states

Low-income people with addiction, especially those with addiction to opioids, may find it hard to access the kind of care they need to recover no matter where they live, a new study suggests.

10 Jan 2020

Opioid addiction care is harder to access in states considering Medicaid work requirements

Low-income people with addiction, especially those with addiction to opioids, may find it hard to access the kind of care they need to recover no matter where they live, a new study suggests.

9 Jan 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats roll dice on SCOTUS and the ACA

Democratic state attorneys general are asking the Supreme Court to intervene this term in a case that could invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act.

9 Jan 2020

House Energy and Commerce Committee scheduled to hold hearing on immunosuppressive drug coverage

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Wednesday, January 8, on the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2019, advancing a long-standing legislative priority of the American Society of Nephrology.

9 Jan 2020

Intervention for hospitalized HIV patients reduces infection rates and increases engagement in care

Providing multidisciplinary team consults for HIV patients while they are hospitalized to help address social and medical barriers reduces future infection rates and boosts participation in follow-up care, results from a study on how to reengage patients show.

7 Jan 2020

Palmetto GBA now covers Genomic Testing Cooperative’s solid tumor molecular profile

Genomic Testing Cooperative, LCA announced that the Medicare Administrative Contractor Palmetto GBA (MolDx) has established coverage for its solid tumor molecular profile.

7 Jan 2020

Medicare News and Research

Treatment for low back pain in older adults does not match guidelines

Patients want a ‘good death’ at home, but hospice care can badly strain families

Decline in advanced stage cancer diagnoses following health insurance expansion

How fast can a new internet standard for sharing patient data catch fire?

Researchers estimate mortality costs associated with air pollution in the U.S.

Patient-specific tumor organoids may one day be used to personalize cancer treatment

PNHP welcomes ACP’s endorsement of single-payer ‘Medicare for All’

Prehabilitation for surgery patients may help reduce length of hospital stay, overall costs

Greater medical care needed for older adults with untreated sleep apnea

New study challenges concerns over readmission reduction initiatives in hospitals

Loopholes limit new California law to guard against lofty air ambulance bills

Study: Only 25% of Medicare patients participate in cardiac rehabilitation

UVA Health proposal to reduce hospital readmissions selected for national AI competition

High-deductible plans jeopardize financial health of patients and rural hospitals

Study: Opioid addiction care is scarce in Medicaid work requirement states

Opioid addiction care is harder to access in states considering Medicaid work requirements

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Democrats roll dice on SCOTUS and the ACA

House Energy and Commerce Committee scheduled to hold hearing on immunosuppressive drug coverage

Intervention for hospitalized HIV patients reduces infection rates and increases engagement in care

Palmetto GBA now covers Genomic Testing Cooperative’s solid tumor molecular profile

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