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Health care industry spends $30b a year pushing its wares, from drugs to stem cell treatment

Hoping to earn its share of the $3.5 trillion health care market, the medical industry is pouring more money than ever into advertising its products — from high-priced prescriptions to do-it-yourself genetic tests and unapproved stem cell treatments.

8 Jan 2019

Hearing challenges still reported by high proportion of older people with hearing aids

A high proportion of older people with hearing aids, especially those with lower incomes, report having trouble hearing and difficulty accessing hearing care services, according to a study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

7 Jan 2019

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Ask us anything!

This week, KHN's "What the Health?" panelists answered questions submitted by listeners.

3 Jan 2019

Court decision to stop further cuts in 340B reimbursements protects patient care

The Dec. 27 federal court injunction stopping further cuts in 340B reimbursements for Medicare Part B drugs to some participating hospitals is a critical step in preserving the role that academic health centers play in providing HIV, viral hepatitis, and other infectious disease treatment and prevention services to patients who otherwise lack care options.

2 Jan 2019

En route to Congress, California Democrats hit wall on ‘Medicare-for-all’

Each of the seven California Democrats who flipped Republican congressional seats in the midterm election campaigned for more government-funded health care — with most of them calling for a complete government takeover.

2 Jan 2019

Study: People over age 65 diagnosed with heart failure can have moderate levels of alcohol

A new study suggests that people over age 65 who are newly diagnosed with heart failure can continue to drink moderate amounts of alcohol without worsening their condition.

31 Dec 2018

Insured but still in debt: 5 jobs pulling in $100k a year no match for medical bills

Robert and Tiffany Cano of San Tan Valley, Ariz., have a new marriage, a new house and a 10-month-old son, Brody, who is delighted by his ability to blow raspberries.

28 Dec 2018

Researchers discover extent of opioid use and abuse in head and neck cancer patients

Cancer patients are often prescribed pain medications, for example during recovery from surgical procedures. However, for many cancer patients, the use of opioid pain medications during treatment can be a gateway to misuse or addiction once treatment ends.

27 Dec 2018

Implementation of HRRP program associated with increased mortality after discharge

The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was created under the Affordable Care Act and hospitals face financial penalties for higher-than-expected 30-day readmission rates for patients with heart failure, heart attack and pneumonia.

24 Dec 2018

Risk of heart attack and stroke is high in the months before cancer diagnosis, shows study

Older adults with cancer are more likely to have had a heart attack or stroke in the months prior to their cancer diagnosis compared with similar adults who do not have cancer during the same period, according to a report published online today in Blood. Lung and colon cancers, as well as advanced-staged cancers, appear to be most strongly associated with an elevated risk of heart attack and stroke caused by blood clots in the arteries.

24 Dec 2018

Hospital readmission reduction program associated with increase in post-discharge mortality

A policy designed to reduce hospital readmissions through financial penalties was associated with a significant increase in post-discharge mortality for patients with heart failure and pneumonia, according to a large-scale study by researchers in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Smith Center for Outcomes Research in Cardiology.

21 Dec 2018

Massachusetts stroke patient receives ‘outrageous’ $474,725 medical flight bill

Kristina Cunningham was in stable condition on an evening in June, when EMTs lifted her gurney into a medical flight, bound for Boston.

21 Dec 2018

Study examines performance of skilled nursing care residents with cognitive difficulties

After a hospital stay, many older adults will be discharged to a skilled nursing facility to recover. The goal of this type of short-term nursing care is to help patients regain their ability to function and perform their daily activities to the best of their ability so they can return home, if possible.

21 Dec 2018

AGS expresses concern for future stability of high-quality, affordable health care

As it has since 2016, the American Geriatrics Society again expressed concern for the future stability of high-quality, person-centered, and affordable health care should bipartisan collaboration falter following a federal court ruling last Friday, which jeopardizes important gains under the Affordable Care Act.

21 Dec 2018

When needs arise, these older women have one another’s backs

Like many women aging alone, Eileen Kobrin worried that an accident could compromise her independence.

20 Dec 2018

5 ways nixing the Affordable Care Act could upend the entire health system

If Friday night's district court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional were to be upheld, far more than the law's most high-profile provisions would be at stake.

20 Dec 2018

Women with heart disease report more disparities in care compared with men

Using data from a nationwide survey that represents 11 million women with heart and blood vessel diseases, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say women continue to report significant disparities in the care they receive compared with men.

20 Dec 2018

Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the U.S. linked with occasional use

The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the U.S. appears more closely linked with their occasional use by many people than by their repeated use among smaller numbers of people, according to a large new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

18 Dec 2018

Assisted living’s breakneck growth leaves patient safety behind

They found Bonnie Walker's body floating in a pond behind her assisted living facility in South Carolina. There were puncture wounds on her ear, her temple, her jaw and her cheeks.

17 Dec 2018

Researchers explore home healthcare nurses' knowledge attitudes toward infection control

Home healthcare workers' beliefs about infection prevention influence whether they comply with prevention protocols more than their actual knowledge of how to comply, according to new research published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.

14 Dec 2018

Medicare News and Research

Health care industry spends $30b a year pushing its wares, from drugs to stem cell treatment

Hearing challenges still reported by high proportion of older people with hearing aids

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ Ask us anything!

Court decision to stop further cuts in 340B reimbursements protects patient care

En route to Congress, California Democrats hit wall on ‘Medicare-for-all’

Study: People over age 65 diagnosed with heart failure can have moderate levels of alcohol

Insured but still in debt: 5 jobs pulling in $100k a year no match for medical bills

Researchers discover extent of opioid use and abuse in head and neck cancer patients

Implementation of HRRP program associated with increased mortality after discharge

Risk of heart attack and stroke is high in the months before cancer diagnosis, shows study

Hospital readmission reduction program associated with increase in post-discharge mortality

Massachusetts stroke patient receives ‘outrageous’ $474,725 medical flight bill

Study examines performance of skilled nursing care residents with cognitive difficulties

AGS expresses concern for future stability of high-quality, affordable health care

When needs arise, these older women have one another’s backs

5 ways nixing the Affordable Care Act could upend the entire health system

Women with heart disease report more disparities in care compared with men

Increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the U.S. linked with occasional use

Assisted living’s breakneck growth leaves patient safety behind

Researchers explore home healthcare nurses' knowledge attitudes toward infection control

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