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FDA's added sugar label could have substantial health and cost-saving benefits

A label showing added sugars content on all packaged foods and sugary drinks could have substantial health and cost-saving benefits in the United States over the next 20 years, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

15 Apr 2019

New program to address longstanding perinatal health disparities

Despite being home to a world-class medical center, renowned physicians and high-quality medical treatment, many communities in Houston experience significantly higher infant and maternal death rates.

11 Apr 2019

Study: Surgical site infection risk after C-section higher among Medicaid-insured women

The risk of surgical site infection following cesarean delivery is higher among Medicaid-insured women when compared to women who were privately insured, according to a study published in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal for the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

10 Apr 2019

Final report from manufacturer KCI indicates greater benefit of NPWT

Negative pressure wound therapy has been used in hospitals for over 20 years; over 100 studies have been completed. However, conclusions on benefit and harm are in part uncertain because study initiators are withholding results.

9 Apr 2019

People under 40 diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes have excess risks of dying from or developing heart disease

People under age 40 who are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are more likely to have or die from cardiovascular disease than those of similar age without diabetes and the excess risks were more pronounced in younger women, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

8 Apr 2019

LINX Reflux Management System reduces medical costs for GERD and other health problems

Treatment with Ethicon’s LINX Reflux Management System reduced medical costs more than laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, a more invasive anti-reflux surgery, and more than offsets the slightly higher cost of the procedure, according to a new study presented here today at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons.

From Johnson & Johnson 4 Apr 2019

Experts discover new offshoots of old health policy roots

As political leaders debate the future of the U.S. health care system, a pair of health financing experts discovered that all of the current proposals -- from Medicare for All to "repeal and replace" -- have been circulating in various forms since the 1940s.

2 Apr 2019

ACR releases new drug pricing and step therapy position statements

The American College of Rheumatology has released new drug pricing and step therapy position statements that they hope legislators will consider as they continue to explore policy and regulatory options to make drugs more affordable and accessible.

2 Apr 2019

Compression-only CPR associated with increased survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

A Swedish review of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest data shows rates of bystander CPR nearly doubled; compression-only (or Hands-Only CPR) increased six-fold over an 18 year period; and the chance of survival was doubled for any form of CPR compared with no CPR, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

1 Apr 2019

Study: Lack of physician guidance and fear of side effects are reasons for refusing statins

Despite national guidelines indicating that statins can lower risk of heart attack and stroke, many patients who could benefit do not take them.

28 Mar 2019

Federal judge again blocks Medicaid work requirements

For a second time in nine months, the same federal judge has struck down the Trump administration's plan to force some Medicaid recipients to work to maintain benefits.

27 Mar 2019

Medicare buy-in option: Alternative approach to achieve wider access to care

Medicare-for-all, a solution that would bring United States healthcare policies more in line with other industrial nations, faces strong opposition and is unlikely to be enacted in the foreseeable future.

26 Mar 2019

Savings from lower insurance costs of growth hormone drugs not passed on to patients

Increasingly aggressive insurance strategies have lowered the total costs and insurance costs of growth hormone drugs, but those savings are not being passed on to patients, according to new research to be presented Sunday at ENDO 2019, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in New Orleans, La.

25 Mar 2019

Health plans for state employees use Medicare’s hammer on hospital bills

States. They're just as perplexed as the rest of us over the ever-rising cost of health care premiums.

25 Mar 2019

Study estimates health and economic impacts of healthy food prescriptions

Healthy food prescriptions through Medicare and Medicaid could generate substantial health gains and be highly cost-effective, according to a study published March 19 in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Yujin Lee and Dariush Mozaffarian of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Massachusetts, United States and colleagues.

21 Mar 2019

Study shows ACA's positive impact on healthcare affordability and access for women

According to a new study appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, the rate of health insurance coverage and access to affordable acute and preventive care services improved for women after the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

21 Mar 2019

Skin diseases may be more prevalent than previously thought

Skin diseases are ranked as the fourth most common cause of human illness, but many affected people do not consult a physician. A new Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology study estimates the prevalence of skin diseases outside the typical medical setting.

20 Mar 2019

Lack of health insurance may increase Aging immigrants’ risk for cardiovascular disease

Aging immigrants' risk for cardiovascular disease may be heightened by their lack of health insurance, particularly among those who recently arrived in the United States, finds a study led by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

19 Mar 2019

ACC/AHA guideline for prevention of cardiovascular disease released

The choices we make every day can have a lasting effect on our heart and vascular health. Adopting a heart healthy eating plan, getting more exercise, avoiding tobacco and managing known risk factors are among the key recommendations in the 2019 Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease guideline from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

18 Mar 2019

Sugar-sweetened beverages may be linked with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality

Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened drinks, such as sodas and sports drinks, was associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular diseases and, to a lesser extent, cancers, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.