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Teva and Procter & Gamble Company terminate PGT Healthcare partnership

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has announced that Teva and the Procter & Gamble Company have agreed to terminate the PGT Healthcare partnership that the two companies established in 2011 to market OTC (Over The Counter) medicines.

19 Apr 2018

Experts propose new solutions to increase benefit, affordability of targeted cancer medicines

Spending on cancer drugs in the United States has nearly doubled in the past five years and continues to grow, imposing substantial financial burden on patients with cancer.

18 Apr 2018

Drug test spurs frank talk between hypertension patients and doctors

There’s an irony at the heart of the treatment of high blood pressure. The malady itself often has no symptoms, yet the medicines to treat it — and to prevent a stroke or heart attack later — can make people feel crummy.

18 Apr 2018

Older adults in high-quality nursing homes have lower risks for placement in long-term care facilities

After being discharged from the hospital, an older person often is admitted directly to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). SNFs specialize in the skilled care we need to recover properly.

18 Apr 2018

Study reports decreasing rates of liver transplantation among HCC patients in the U.S.

Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) waiting for a liver transplant in the USA are now significantly less likely to receive a new liver than they were around a decade ago. A nationwide study presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2018 in Paris, France, has confirmed that patients with HCC on the liver transplant list in the USA were more than 50% less likely to receive a transplant in 2014-2016 than they were in 2005-2007.

13 Apr 2018

Sex and racial gaps for cardiac rehabilitation referral could be reduced

Substantial sex and racial gaps exist for cardiac rehabilitation referral at hospital discharge, especially among females, African-Americans, Hispanic and Asian patients leading to less favorable outcomes and/or survival rates.

10 Apr 2018

Study finds link between industry payments and prescription practices for two cancer types

Physicians who received payment from pharmaceutical companies for meals, talks and travel were more likely to prescribe those companies' drugs for two cancer types, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study has found.

9 Apr 2018

A tale of two CT scanners — one richer, one poorer

Benjamin Hynden, a financial adviser in Fort Myers, Fla., hadn’t been feeling well for a few weeks last fall. He’d had pain and discomfort in his abdomen.

9 Apr 2018

Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage — even groceries

Air conditioners for people with asthma, healthy groceries, rides to medical appointments and home-delivered meals may be among the new benefits added to Medicare Advantage coverage when new federal rules take effect next year.

3 Apr 2018

Don’t get tripped up by the IRS’ tweak to health savings accounts

It's tax time, and this week I answered questions from readers about the penalty for not having health insurance as well as changes to health savings accounts. I also discuss health insurance coverage options for a reader's parents who are immigrants and green card holders.

3 Apr 2018

Christiana Care Health System’s hospitals designated as leader in LGBTQ healthcare

For the seventh year in row, Christiana Care Health System's Christiana and Wilmington hospitals have both been designated a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality, receiving a perfect score on the national Healthcare Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational branch of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization.

30 Mar 2018

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Patients traveling to developing countries for plastic surgery procedures may experience severe complications—requiring extensive and costly treatment after they return to the United States, reports a study in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

30 Mar 2018

Aditlys develops bioresorbable vascular access solution for hemodialysis patients

Aditlys is the first medical technology firm to develop a bioresorbable vascular access solution for patients undergoing dialysis treatment for chronic kidney disease. Aditlys' polymer-based graft enables a patient's body to naturally reconstruct its own blood vessels using the body's own tissue.

29 Mar 2018

Scrutinizing Medicare coverage for physical, occupational and speech therapy

For years, confusion has surrounded the conditions under which older adults can receive physical, occupational and speech therapy covered by Medicare.

29 Mar 2018

Pitt scientists develop new emergency and trauma care referral map to improve health care quality

In response to repeated calls for an integrated and coordinated emergency and trauma care system in the U.S., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists and UPMC physicians rose to the challenge and divided the nation into hundreds of referral regions that describe how patients access advanced care, in a way that respects geopolitical borders.

29 Mar 2018

Medicare metrics may not completely reflect hospital quality for readmissions

Over the past several years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have reported hospital quality measures on the Hospital Compare website, providing the public with a way to compare hospital performance.

27 Mar 2018

Higher online patient ratings linked to urologists who saw fewer Medicare patients

Lower online patient ratings for urologists in California were associated with practices that saw more patients.

21 Mar 2018

Alzheimer’s disease on the rise

A new report shows that Alzheimer’s disease cases and the costs of treatment and hospitalization due to this disease and deaths due to this condition are on the rise. The report finds that at present 5.7 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and of these 5.5 million are over the age of 65 years. Of these 3.4 million are women.

20 Mar 2018

Adults skipping vaccines may miss out on effective new shingles shot

Federal officials have recommended a new vaccine that is more effective than an earlier version at protecting older adults against the painful rash called shingles. But persuading many adults to get this and other recommended vaccines continues to be an uphill battle, physicians and vaccine experts say.

20 Mar 2018

Congress tackles the opioid epidemic. But how much will it help?

The nation's opioid epidemic has been called today's version of the 1980s AIDS crisis. In a speech Monday, President Donald Trump pushed for a tougher federal response, emphasizing a tough-on-crime approach for drug dealers and more funding for treatment.

20 Mar 2018

Medicare News and Research

Teva and Procter & Gamble Company terminate PGT Healthcare partnership

Experts propose new solutions to increase benefit, affordability of targeted cancer medicines

Drug test spurs frank talk between hypertension patients and doctors

Older adults in high-quality nursing homes have lower risks for placement in long-term care facilities

Study reports decreasing rates of liver transplantation among HCC patients in the U.S.

Sex and racial gaps for cardiac rehabilitation referral could be reduced

Study finds link between industry payments and prescription practices for two cancer types

A tale of two CT scanners — one richer, one poorer

Medicare Advantage plans cleared to go beyond medical coverage — even groceries

Don’t get tripped up by the IRS’ tweak to health savings accounts

Christiana Care Health System’s hospitals designated as leader in LGBTQ healthcare

Plastic surgery done in developing countries can carry substantial risks of complications

Aditlys develops bioresorbable vascular access solution for hemodialysis patients

Scrutinizing Medicare coverage for physical, occupational and speech therapy

Pitt scientists develop new emergency and trauma care referral map to improve health care quality

Medicare metrics may not completely reflect hospital quality for readmissions

Higher online patient ratings linked to urologists who saw fewer Medicare patients

Alzheimer’s disease on the rise

Adults skipping vaccines may miss out on effective new shingles shot

Congress tackles the opioid epidemic. But how much will it help?

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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