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Collaborative ‘tune up’ clinic for complex type 2 diabetes patients reduces health care costs

Diabetes cost the U.S. an estimated $245 billion in 2012, in direct medical costs and reduced productivity. Health care providers are facing increasing pressure to achieve better patient outcomes at a lower cost.

28 Feb 2017

Affordable Care Act improves access to primary care for Medicaid patients, Penn study finds

Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, which provided access to health insurance to millions of previously uninsured adults in the United States, the availability of appointments with primary care physicians has improved for patients with Medicaid and remains unchanged for patients with private coverage, according to new research led by the Perelman School of Medicine and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

28 Feb 2017

Study: Life expectancy projected to surpass 90 years in coming decades

Life expectancies in developed countries are projected to continue increasing, with women’s life expectancy potentially surpassing 90 years old in South Korea by 2030, according to a study published in The Lancet.

23 Feb 2017

Early diagnosis does not necessarily result in longer life, study of cancer screenings shows

Physicians and patients like to believe that early detection of cancer extends life, and quality of life. If a cancer is present, you want to know early, right?

20 Feb 2017

Young adults, adolescents with acute leukemia treated at specialized cancer centers have higher survival rates

Adolescents and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia treated at specialized cancer centers have significantly higher survival rates than their peers who are not treated at specialized cancer centers, according to a recent study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

17 Feb 2017

Radiotherapy for breast cancer linked to greater risk of second primary lung cancer

East Asian female breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy have a higher risk of developing second primary lung cancer.

16 Feb 2017

Researchers propose new system to evaluate PrEP-based care for HIV prevention

One of the most promising new approaches to slowing the spread of HIV is pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a once-a-day medication that people who don't have HIV can take to prevent becoming infected.

15 Feb 2017

RTI study: Cardiovascular disease costs expected to reach $1.1 trillion in next two decades

A new study projects that by 2035, cardiovascular disease, the most costly and prevalent killer, if left unchecked, will place a crushing economic and health burden on the nation's financial and health care systems. The study was conducted by RTI International for the American Heart Association.

15 Feb 2017

Taking prostate cancer drug with low-fat breakfast can be effective and less expensive, study finds

Taking one-fourth the standard dose of a widely used drug for prostate cancer with a low-fat breakfast can be as effective - and four times less expensive - as taking the standard dose as recommended: on an empty stomach.

14 Feb 2017

Turning a smartphone into an otoscope

The traditional device manufacturers used by doctors such as Welch Allyn, Keeler and Heine aren’t digital. It means that they have an external light source (with a battery) and are used to look into the ears but the doctors can’t capture the images.

13 Feb 2017

Study: Decline in cancer cases may be linked to reduction in preventative health behaviors

The number of people diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. underwent a large, rapid decline in recent years. This trend is surprising given the growth in the number of aging adults at risk for cancer.

10 Feb 2017

Research: America's children most likely to live in poverty

Out of all age groups, children are still most likely to live in poverty, according to new research from the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. Using the latest available data from the American Community Survey, NCCP researchers found that in 2015, while 30 percent of adults have low incomes, more than 40 percent of all children live in low-income families -- including 5.2 million infants and toddlers under 3.

9 Feb 2017

Using common pain relievers during acute respiratory infection linked to increased heart attack risk

Widely used pain relievers may increase the risk of a heart attack when used during a cold or flu-like illness, according to a new study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases.

2 Feb 2017

IQWiG assesses benefit of newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency

The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care assessed the benefit of newborn screening for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).

30 Jan 2017

Survey: Many Americans want changes to ACA but few support immediate repeal

According to a new national survey on Americans' opinions on the Affordable Care Act conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, 12 percent of Americans want the ACA kept in its current form, 40 percent say it should be preserved with improvements, 16 percent say the law should be repealed immediately, and 31 percent want a repeal to wait until a replacement is ready.

30 Jan 2017

Dartmouth study examines impact of health insurance status on cancer care

Millions of Americans acquire their health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, including individuals from disadvantaged communities (as defined by a summary measure comprised of U.S. Census measures of income, education, and employment). Patients with one of the four leading causes of cancer deaths have lower rates of cancer-specific survival based on where they live, specifically based on their social determinants of health.

27 Jan 2017

Treating subclinical hypothyroidism can reduce pregnancy loss, study shows

When a woman becomes pregnant, many changes occur in her body. One of those changes is in the levels of various hormones produced by the body.

27 Jan 2017

Childhood asthma may increase obesity risk, study finds

Children with asthma may be more likely to become obese later in childhood or in adolescence, according to new research published online ahead of print in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

20 Jan 2017

More people with mental illness, substance use disorders have insurance coverage, research suggests

Significantly more people with mental illness and substance use disorders had insurance coverage in 2014 due to the expansion of health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, but many barriers to treatment remain, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

18 Jan 2017

Access to health insurance can increase social cohesion in communities, study shows

A new study shows that access to health insurance can help hold a community together socially, and lack of it can contribute to the fraying of neighborhood cohesion.

17 Jan 2017