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Pilot study shows impact of infection control staffing shortages on patient safety

Inadequate infection prevention and control staffing levels are associated with higher rates of healthcare-associated infections, according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control.

10 Oct 2024

Ethnic and racial disparities in accessibility to kidney transplants

The study emphasizes the critical need for personalized treatments to address the distinct challenges encountered by each ethnic and racial group along the renal transplantation care continuum.

9 Oct 2024

Transparency and rigorous oversight urged for U.S. Medicare Advantage program

New findings from a team of renowned researchers calls for transparency and rigorous oversight of the U.S. Medicare Advantage (MA) program, the United States' largest healthcare capitation program.

8 Oct 2024

Low-income Medicare Advantage beneficiaries face barriers to dental, vision and hearing care

Lower-income adults with Medicare Advantage plans are more likely to have difficulty paying for dental, vision, and hearing services than higher-income beneficiaries - despite enrolling in plans that cover these benefits, according to a new study published in Health Affairs.

7 Oct 2024

FDA’s promised rules on pulse oximeters unlikely to end decades of racial bias

The patient was in his 60s, an African American man with emphysema. The oximeter placed on his fingertip registered well above the 88% blood oxygen saturation level that signals an urgent risk of organ failure and death.

7 Oct 2024

New analysis raises concerns over Medicare Advantage spending for veterans

From 2011 to 2020, the Veterans Health Administration spent $78 billion to care for U.S. military veterans enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, raising questions about federal overpayments to those private plans.

4 Oct 2024

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The health of the campaign

When it comes to health care, this year's presidential campaign is increasingly a matter of which candidate voters choose to believe.

4 Oct 2024

Vance-Walz debate highlighted clear health policy differences

Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz met in an Oct. 1 vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News that was cordial and heavy on policy discussion — a striking change from the Sept. 10 debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

2 Oct 2024

How Minnesota figures into the presidential politics of insulin prices

In June 2019, Lija Greenseid handed Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz an empty vial of insulin that her 13-year-old daughter had painted gold.

1 Oct 2024

Experts propose a set of nutrition competencies for medical students and physician trainees

A professionally-diverse panel of medical and nutrition experts have proposed a set of recommended nutrition competencies for medical students and physician trainees.

30 Sep 2024

Falls linked to increased risk of dementia in older adults

In a retrospective study of Medicare claims data, researchers found dementia was more frequently diagnosed within one year of a fall compared to other types of injuries.

30 Sep 2024

The Medicare Advantage influence machine

Federal officials resolved more than a decade ago to crack down on whopping government overpayments to private Medicare Advantage health insurance plans, which were siphoning off billions of tax dollars every year.

30 Sep 2024

A few rural towns are bucking the trend and building new hospitals

There's a new morning ritual in Pinedale, Wyoming, a town of about 2,000 nestled against the Wind River Mountains.

27 Sep 2024

Heat map reveals state-by-state landscape of opioid dependence

Today FAIR Health released the Opioid Tracker, a free, interactive tool tracking opioid abuse and dependence state by state. A brief released simultaneously offers a user's guide to the Opioid Tracker.

26 Sep 2024

Higher doses of buprenorphine linked to lower emergency visits in opioid use disorder

Adults with opioid use disorder who receive a higher daily dose of the opioid addiction treatment medication buprenorphine may have a lower risk of subsequent emergency department visits or use of inpatient services related to behavioral health (such as for mental health and substance use disorders) than adults receiving the recommended dose, according to an analysis funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

25 Sep 2024

Study reveals limited access to opioid treatment in US jails

A new look into addiction treatment availability in the U.S. criminal justice system reveals that fewer than half (43.8%) of 1,028 jails surveyed across the nation offered any form of medication for opioid use disorder, and only 12.8% made these available to anyone with the disorder.

24 Sep 2024

Medicare coverage for obesity drug raises questions

Millions of older Americans with obesity could potentially get Medicare's help with the hefty price of a weight-loss medication in order to reduce their high risk of heart problems.

23 Sep 2024

New model identifies cancer patients at high risk for ER visits during clinical trials

Investigators from the SWOG Cancer Research Network have developed and validated a risk prediction model for identifying which patients with advanced cancer who are enrolled to clinical trials are at highest risk for unplanned emergency room (ER) visits and hospital stays.

23 Sep 2024

Excess body weight at first cancer diagnosis increases risk of second cancer

Adults with excess body weight at their first cancer diagnosis face a higher risk of developing a second primary cancer, particularly those related to obesity, according to a recent study. The research emphasizes the need for survivorship guidelines targeting weight management.

22 Sep 2024

Affordable Care Act boosts colon cancer care for underserved groups in Pennsylvania

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has led to increased guideline-concordant care for colon cancer among non-white patients, patients from rural areas, and patients from the most deprived neighborhoods in Pennsylvania, according to results presented at the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held September 21-24, 2024.

21 Sep 2024