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Opioid poisoning rates higher and in a more diverse population, study shows

A cohort study by Stony Brook University researchers of all payer hospital data on Long Island combined with census data indicates that opioid poisoning (OP) levels almost doubled from 2010 to 2016.

21 Jun 2019

Targeted therapies benefit many elderly patients with metastatic kidney cancer

Many elderly patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma-who are often underrepresented in clinical trials to treat the kidney cancer-are seeing overall survival benefits from treatment with targeted therapies, according to a new study from Penn Medicine researchers published this month in JAMA Network Open.

21 Jun 2019

Curing cancer: easy politics, difficult science

President Donald Trump made a new promise if voters grant him a second term: "We will come up with the cures to many, many problems, to many, many diseases, including cancer."

20 Jun 2019

Study: Arkansas Medicaid work requirements hit those already employed

The Medicaid work requirement plan devised by Arkansas and approved by the Trump administration backfired because it caused thousands of poor adults to lose coverage without any evidence the target population gained jobs, a new study finds.

19 Jun 2019

Medicare system aimed at improving care, lowering costs may not be having as much impact as thought

As the Medicare system seeks to improve the care of older adults while also keeping costs from growing too fast, a new University of Michigan study suggests that one major effort may not be having as much of an impact as hoped.

19 Jun 2019

Senators agree surprise medical bills must go. But how?

Two years, 16 hearings and one massive bipartisan package of legislation later, a key Senate committee says it is ready to start marking up a bill next week designed to contain health care costs. But it might not be easy since lawmakers and stakeholders at a final hearing Tuesday showed they are still far apart on one simple aspect of the proposal.

18 Jun 2019

Air ambulance costs fly around fixes for surprise medical bills

In April 2018, 9-year-old Christian Bolling was hiking with his parents and sister in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, near their home in Roanoke. While climbing some boulders, he lost his footing and fell down a rocky 20-foot drop, fracturing both bones in his lower left leg, his wrist, both sides of his nose and his skull.

14 Jun 2019

One-fifth of U.S. surgeons still 'overusing' riskier method to create kidney dialysis access, study finds

Long-term hemodialysis is a lifesaver for approximately half a million patients in the United States with kidney failure (also known as end-stage renal disease, or ESRD) who are either waiting on or unsuitable for a kidney transplant.

From Johns Hopkins Medicine 14 Jun 2019

Researchers find lower opioid prescriptions rates in states that implemented medical cannabis laws

Using data from privately-insured adults, new findings from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston revealed that there is a lower level of opioids prescribed in states that have allowed the use of medical marijuana.

11 Jun 2019

Legal promise of equal mental health treatment often falls short

Amanda Bacon's eating disorder was growing worse. She had lost 60% of her body weight and was consuming about 100 calories a day.

7 Jun 2019

New curricular approach educates undergraduate nursing students in geriatric care

Florida is still in dire need of more nurses and is among the top states in the nation experiencing a shortage.

7 Jun 2019

ASTRO applauds new prior authorization legislation that aims to reduce obstacles in cancer care

On behalf of the nation's radiation oncologists and the more-than one million cancer patients in their care this year, the American Society for Radiation Oncology applauded today's introduction of bipartisan federal legislation that would rein in restrictive prior authorization practices that unnecessarily delay patient access to critical cancer treatments.

6 Jun 2019

Social Security error jeopardizes Medicare coverage for 250,000 seniors

At least a quarter of a million Medicare beneficiaries may receive bills for as many as five months of premiums they thought they already paid.

6 Jun 2019

Analysis: Why Alexa’s bedside manner is bad for health care

Amazon has opened a new health care frontier: Now Alexa can be used to transmit patient data. Using this new feature — which Amazon labeled as a "skill" — a company named Livongo will allow diabetes patients — which it calls "members" — to use the device to "query their last blood sugar reading, blood sugar measurement trends, and receive insights and Health Nudges that are personalized to them."

4 Jun 2019

Robin Hood to rescue of rural hospitals? New math promised on Medicare payments

As rural hospital closures roil the country, some states are banking on a Trump administration proposal to change the way hospital payments are calculated to rescue them.

3 Jun 2019

Mired in medical debt? Federal plan would update overdue-bill collection methods

Elham Mirshafiei was at the library cramming for final exams during her senior year at California State University-Long Beach when she grew nauseated and started vomiting. After the 10th episode in an hour, a friend took her to the nearest emergency room.

31 May 2019

Researchers identify trends in use of transcatheter dialysis conduit procedures over 15 years

A new research study by Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found that utilization of invasive procedures on hemodialysis conduits--artificially constructed shuts used by many individuals who require dialysis--increased markedly from 2001 through 2015 for nephrologists and declined for radiologists.

30 May 2019

Analysis: A health care overhaul could kill 2 million jobs, and that’s OK

As calls for radical health reform grow louder, many on the right, in the center and in the health care industry are arguing that proposals like "Medicare for All" would cause economic ruin, decimating a sector that represents nearly 20% of our economy.

24 May 2019

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Is ‘Medicare for All’ losing steam?

A second House committee this week held a hearing on proposals for a single-payer health system, such as “Medicare for All,” featuring experts from the Congressional Budget Office.

23 May 2019

House hagglers zero in on single-payer and it all comes down to two little words

A powerful congressional committee holds a hearing on single-payer health care.