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Study estimates medical costs attributable to falls among older adults

In 2015, the estimated medical costs attributable to both fatal and nonfatal falls in older US adults was approximately $50 billion.

7 Mar 2018

As surgery centers boom, patients are paying with their lives

The surgery went fine. Her doctors left for the day. Four hours later, Paulina Tam started gasping for air.

6 Mar 2018

CMS issues split decision on Arkansas Medicaid waiver

The Trump administration on Monday approved Arkansas' request for a Medicaid work requirement but deferred a decision on the state's request to roll back its Medicaid expansion that has added 300,000 adults to the program.

5 Mar 2018

Hypoglycemia poses unaddressed threat to type 2 diabetes patients

New research from the Endocrine Society and Avalere Health finds that clinicians lack the resources to identify, assess and manage patients who are at a high risk of developing hypoglycemia, or episodes of dangerously low blood sugar.

5 Mar 2018

Study finds underuse of minimally invasive surgeries in elderly Medicare patients

A study of more than 200,000 Medicare patients who had common surgical procedures shows that, compared to the general population, they underwent far fewer minimally invasive operations, whose benefits include lower rates of complications and readmissions, along with shorter hospital stays.

5 Mar 2018

Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients skip paying new premiums

When Arkansas lawmakers debated in 2016 whether to renew the state's Medicaid expansion, many Republican lawmakers were swayed only if some of the 300,000 adults who gained coverage would have to start paying premiums.

1 Mar 2018

Study finds increase in genital surgery among transgender patients seeking gender-affirming surgeries

Genital surgery increased among transgender patients seeking gender-affirming surgeries and most patients paid out of pocket for the procedures.

1 Mar 2018

Common knee surgery brings little or no benefit to older patients, study shows

A new Medicare records study by Johns Hopkins researchers has added to mounting evidence that a common surgery designed to remove damaged, worn ends of the thin rubbery cartilage in the knee joint brings little or no benefit to people over the age of 65.

28 Feb 2018

Search engine queries reflect geographic distribution of coronary heart disease

Search engine queries related to common heart disease symptoms track closely with geographic and seasonal trends for coronary heart disease hospitalizations, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 67th Annual Scientific Session.

28 Feb 2018

Never too late to operate? Surgery near end of life is common, costly

At 87, Maxine Stanich cared more about improving the quality of her life than prolonging it. She suffered from a long list of health problems, including heart failure and chronic lung disease that could leave her gasping for breath.

28 Feb 2018

Study finds underutilization of less expensive, post-acute care options for older adults

Long-term acute care facilities are designed to meet the needs of older adults with severe, complex illnesses who are recovering from hospitalization, but less expensive options sometimes overlooked may also be available, population health researchers at UT Southwestern found.

23 Feb 2018

Evaluations of Medicaid experiments by states, CMS are weak, GAO says

With federal spending on Medicaid experiments soaring in recent years, a congressional watchdog said state and federal governments fail to adequately evaluate if the efforts improve care and save money.

23 Feb 2018

Non-adherence to sleep apnea treatment linked to increased hospital readmissions

A study of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) suggests that non-adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is significantly associated with increased 30-day hospital readmissions.

22 Feb 2018

Portable ultrasound can help better detect fluid in the lungs of patients with end-stage kidney disease

A portable ultrasound can help nephrologists better detect fluid in the lungs of patients with end-stage kidney disease, according to a study by physicians at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University.

22 Feb 2018

Study reveals HCT as effective treatment for NHL patients regardless of age

Results from a retrospective study of 1,629 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma showed that survival at 4 years following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation for patients age 65 years and older is comparable to patients age 55 to 64 years.

21 Feb 2018

Lay-health workers may be able to reduce hospital readmissions rates, study suggests

A recent study published in Health Education Research suggests that lay-health workers may be able to significantly reduce readmissions rates to hospitals for high-risk patients following surgery.

21 Feb 2018

Bad bedside manna: Bank loans signed in the hospital leave patients vulnerable

Laura Cameron, then three months pregnant, tripped and fell in a parking lot and landed in the emergency room last May — her blood pressure was low and she was scared and in pain. She was flat on her back and plugged into a saline drip when a hospital employee approached her gurney to discuss how she would pay her hospital bill.

21 Feb 2018

Trump administration proposes rule to loosen curbs on short-term health plans

Insurers will again be able to sell short-term health insurance good for up to 12 months under a proposed rule released Tuesday by the Trump administration that could further roil the marketplace.

20 Feb 2018

Report identifies potentially modifiable factors that may contribute to persistent risk of SUID

An analysis of trends in sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) over the past two decades finds that the drop in such deaths that took place following release of the 1992 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) "back to sleep" recommendations, did not occur in infants in the first month of life.

14 Feb 2018

Trump’s budget proposal swings at drug prices with a glancing blow

President Donald Trump's new budget proposal flirts with combating high prescription drug prices, but industry watchers say the tweaks to Medicare and Medicaid do little more than dance around the edges of lowering the actual prices of drugs.

13 Feb 2018

Medicare News and Research

Study estimates medical costs attributable to falls among older adults

As surgery centers boom, patients are paying with their lives

CMS issues split decision on Arkansas Medicaid waiver

Hypoglycemia poses unaddressed threat to type 2 diabetes patients

Study finds underuse of minimally invasive surgeries in elderly Medicare patients

Tens of thousands of Medicaid recipients skip paying new premiums

Study finds increase in genital surgery among transgender patients seeking gender-affirming surgeries

Common knee surgery brings little or no benefit to older patients, study shows

Search engine queries reflect geographic distribution of coronary heart disease

Never too late to operate? Surgery near end of life is common, costly

Study finds underutilization of less expensive, post-acute care options for older adults

Evaluations of Medicaid experiments by states, CMS are weak, GAO says

Non-adherence to sleep apnea treatment linked to increased hospital readmissions

Portable ultrasound can help better detect fluid in the lungs of patients with end-stage kidney disease

Study reveals HCT as effective treatment for NHL patients regardless of age

Lay-health workers may be able to reduce hospital readmissions rates, study suggests

Bad bedside manna: Bank loans signed in the hospital leave patients vulnerable

Trump administration proposes rule to loosen curbs on short-term health plans

Report identifies potentially modifiable factors that may contribute to persistent risk of SUID

Trump’s budget proposal swings at drug prices with a glancing blow

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