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UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit brings hospital to patients for saving lives and better outcomes

Roughly every 40 seconds, someone in the United States will have a stroke. Almost every four minutes, one of those people will die as a result.

27 Oct 2017

Seeking a peaceful death amid the flames

Even when fire threatened her home in downtown Sonoma, the elderly woman inside who was suffering from late-stage cancer refused to leave.

27 Oct 2017

Beyond the shattered lives and bodies, money worries weigh on Las Vegas victims

Kurt Fowler and his wife, Trina, were celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at a country music festival when the shooting started. Fowler, 41, knew he'd been hit in the ankle and couldn't run. He hid under the stage until the gunfire ended.

27 Oct 2017

New study investigates extent of opioid dependence and overdose in postoperative patients

Drug overdose was the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. in 2015. Although pain management after surgery continues to rely on opioids, there are concerns that ubiquitous use of opioids has led to a growing epidemic of addiction, dependence, and overdose (ODO).

27 Oct 2017

Report: Overall burden of kidney disease remains high in the U.S.

According to an annual data report from the United State Renal Data System, the overall burden of kidney disease remains high in U.S. with the rates of kidney failure requiring dialysis or kidney transplantation ranking among the highest in the world.

26 Oct 2017

Study: Medicare patients in low-income U.S. counties may be at risk of incurring high out-of-pocket costs

When Medicare beneficiaries are admitted to the hospital, their care is normally covered by Part A benefits with a fixed deductible. However, when the hospital stay is "for observation," Part B benefits take over, bringing with them cost-sharing and potentially large out-of-pocket expenses.

25 Oct 2017

Hospitals need to improve emergency care practices for treating older cancer patients, study reveals

A new study finds that patients with cancer, especially those aged 75 or older, are more likely to be admitted to the hospital – and less likely to be observed and released home – than patients without cancer.

25 Oct 2017

Enrollment news to bank on: Obamacare is still here so it’s time for coverage checkup

The open enrollment period begins in one week for 2018 marketplace coverage, but many consumers are confused about what to expect. No wonder!

24 Oct 2017

UCI researchers aim to identify early indicators of dementia

With $3.8 million in support from the National Institute on Aging, University of California, Irvine neurobiologists are working to identify the early indicators of dementia in older adults as disease-related brain plaques accumulate but before symptoms can be observed.

23 Oct 2017

Amid for-profit surge, rural hospice has offered free care for 40 years

Rose Crumb can't even count the number of people she's helped die. The former nurse, 91, who retired in her mid-80s, considers the question and then shakes her head, her blue eyes sharp above oval spectacles.

20 Oct 2017

Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: How to choose

As health insurers struggle with shifting government policies and considerable uncertainty, one market remains remarkably stable: Medicare Advantage plans.

19 Oct 2017

Despite GOP efforts to corral Medicaid spending, states expand benefits

While congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump have been seeking major cuts in federal funding of Medicaid, 26 states this year expanded or enhanced benefits and at least 17 plan to do so next year, according to a report released Thursday.

19 Oct 2017

On back roads of Appalachia’s coal country, mental health services are as rare as jobs

Every other month, Tanya Nelson travels 32 miles from the heart of Appalachia's coal country for an appointment with the nearest psychiatrist for therapy and to renew prescriptions. But the commute, which should take less than an hour through the winding mountain roads of southern West Virginia, consumes her entire day.

17 Oct 2017

A few pointers to help save money and avoid the strain of Medicare enrollment

Older or disabled Americans with Medicare coverage have probably noticed an uptick in mail solicitations from health insurance companies, which can mean only one thing: It’s time for the annual Medicare open enrollment.

17 Oct 2017

Cascade of costs could push new gene therapy above $1 million per patient

Outrage over the high cost of cancer care has focused on skyrocketing drug prices, including the $475,000 price tag for the country's first gene therapy, Novartis' Kymriah, a leukemia treatment approved in August.

17 Oct 2017

Social security giveth, medical costs taketh away

Retirees spent on average more than a third of their Social Security benefits on out-of-pocket medical costs in 2014, according to a recent study. Even after factoring in other sources of income, medical spending still took a substantial 18 percent bite out of seniors' total retirement income, the study found.

13 Oct 2017

California slaps surcharge on ACA plans as Trump remains coy on subsidies

California's health exchange said Wednesday it has ordered insurers to add a surcharge to certain policies next year because the Trump administration has yet to commit to paying a key set of consumer subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

11 Oct 2017

Medicare plans place few restrictions on coverage of prescription opioids, Yale study finds

Medicare plans place few restrictions on the coverage of prescription opioids, despite federal guidelines recommending such restrictions, a new Yale study finds. The research results highlight an untapped opportunity for Medicare formularies to limit opioid prescribing, the researchers said.

10 Oct 2017

Shifting toward novel pricing models that closely link drug's price to its value

One of the health care issues about which seemingly all Americans agree: Prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. And they keep going higher.

9 Oct 2017

Analysis of survey data finds no significant racial differences in quality of end-of-life care

An analysis of survey data found no significant racial differences in various aspects of the quality of end-of-life care, although survey respondents reported deficiencies in the quality of end-of-life care for both black and white patients who died, including unmet symptom needs, problems with communication and less than optimal decision-making, according to an article published by JAMA Internal Medicine.

9 Oct 2017

Medicare News and Research

UCLA Health Mobile Stroke Unit brings hospital to patients for saving lives and better outcomes

Seeking a peaceful death amid the flames

Beyond the shattered lives and bodies, money worries weigh on Las Vegas victims

New study investigates extent of opioid dependence and overdose in postoperative patients

Report: Overall burden of kidney disease remains high in the U.S.

Study: Medicare patients in low-income U.S. counties may be at risk of incurring high out-of-pocket costs

Hospitals need to improve emergency care practices for treating older cancer patients, study reveals

Enrollment news to bank on: Obamacare is still here so it’s time for coverage checkup

UCI researchers aim to identify early indicators of dementia

Amid for-profit surge, rural hospice has offered free care for 40 years

Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage: How to choose

Despite GOP efforts to corral Medicaid spending, states expand benefits

On back roads of Appalachia’s coal country, mental health services are as rare as jobs

A few pointers to help save money and avoid the strain of Medicare enrollment

Cascade of costs could push new gene therapy above $1 million per patient

Social security giveth, medical costs taketh away

California slaps surcharge on ACA plans as Trump remains coy on subsidies

Medicare plans place few restrictions on coverage of prescription opioids, Yale study finds

Shifting toward novel pricing models that closely link drug's price to its value

Analysis of survey data finds no significant racial differences in quality of end-of-life care

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