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Study links expanding GLP-1 use with rising overall costs

As use of GLP-1s surged across the U.S., average total payments per user also climbed sharply, according to a new Northwestern University study that analyzed national trends in GLP-1 use and spending between 2017 and 2022.

16 Jul 2026

Long-term lenalidomide maintenance shows no survival advantage in multiple myeloma

For patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma not undergoing an autologous stem cell transplant, indefinite lenalidomide maintenance has long been standard care despite limited evidence to guide the optimal duration of treatment.

16 Jul 2026

Framing loneliness as a medical issue hinders societal responsibility

While loneliness has been shown to harm one's health, framing it as a health issue shifts responsibility from society to healthcare, even though healthcare alone cannot rebuild social ties, a new University of Michigan study warns.

15 Jul 2026

More than 50 million Americans lack local radiation cancer treatment

The disappearance of radiation oncology clinics threatens cancer care access for over 50 million Americans, with rural areas facing the greatest impact.

15 Jul 2026

Breast and prostate cancer survival worsens with metabolic syndrome

A SEER-Medicare analysis of more than 200,000 adults aged 66 and older found that metabolic syndrome was associated with about twice the adjusted hazard of death from any cause after breast or prostate cancer. The condition was also linked to higher cancer-specific, cardiovascular-specific, and liver-failure-specific mortality, although the observational design prevents causal conclusions.

14 Jul 2026

High-risk emergency surgery reduces healthy days at home for seniors

Older adults who undergo high-risk emergency general surgery spend significantly fewer days living independently at home after surgery than those undergoing lower-risk procedures, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons (JACS).

14 Jul 2026

High physician knowledge scores linked to lower healthcare costs

Patients whose physicians scored higher in the first year of the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Internal Medicine Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA) were significantly less likely to receive low-value healthcare services, which cumulatively cost the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $100 billion each year.

13 Jul 2026

Rural radiation oncology clinic closures threaten cancer patient care

A new study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai found that although the overall number of radiation oncology clinics in the United States has appeared stable in recent years, many individual treatment centers have quietly closed while others have opened.

11 Jul 2026

Insurance denials for brand-name drugs surge over past six years

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the American Enterprise Institute found that insurance denials of first attempts to fill prescriptions for brand-name prescription drugs with no generic competitors increased more than two-thirds between 2018 and 2024.

11 Jul 2026

New microparticles improve biofilm removal from wounds and surgical instruments

Newly developed microparticles can infiltrate stubborn bacterial matrices and release tiny oxygen bubbles to clean surfaces and wounds more efficiently than hydrogen peroxide or other cleaning agents alone, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report.

9 Jul 2026

Medicare prescriptions for Wegovy spike after heart disease coverage expansion

Medicare prescriptions for Wegovy increased sharply after the program started covering the anti-obesity medication to prevent heart problems, but just a fraction of beneficiaries likely eligible received the treatment, according to new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics.

9 Jul 2026

Injectable opioid treatment sees rapid growth across the United States

There was a substantial increase in recent years in the use of a form of the primary medication to treat opioid use disorder, according to a Rutgers Health study.

7 Jul 2026

Rumination carries anxiety into deeper distress for caregivers of dementia patients

A new study from Virginia Tech suggests patterns of repetitive negative thinking explain how anxiety develops into deeper stress for caregivers of people living with dementia, and that mindfulness training may help identify and interrupt that progression.

6 Jul 2026

Nursing home shortages threaten care for rapidly aging Americans

As the oldest Baby Boomers turn 80, the country's nursing homes are bracing for an anticipated surge. The number of people who need help with dementia, disabilities and the activities of daily living is growing at a time when the number of nursing home beds is shrinking.

5 Jul 2026

Hidden costs push United States dementia toll to historic high

A new USC-led study finds Alzheimer's disease and related dementias will cost the United States an estimated $818 billion this year, driven largely by often-overlooked costs to persons living with dementia and family and friends providing their care.

24 Jun 2026

Healthcare affordability in America drops to lowest level since 2021

New research released today from the West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America finds that fewer than half of Americans (49%) are considered "Cost Secure," meaning they can consistently afford healthcare and prescription medications when and where they need them, the lowest level recorded since West Health and Gallup launched its Healthcare Affordability Index in 2021.

18 Jun 2026

UVA neurologist investigates Medicare policy effects on stroke patients

After identifying significant differences in stroke care and outcomes for patients on different Medicare plans, a UVA Health doctor is launching an ambitious effort to better understand the sources of those differences and ensure patients get the best care possible.

16 Jun 2026

Study reveals frequent stop-and-start patterns with GLP-1 drugs

People prescribed GLP-1 medications are more likely to start-and-stop than most people assume, according to a study being presented Sunday at ENDO 2026, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Chicago, Ill.

14 Jun 2026

Remote monitoring does not beat usual care for sepsis patients

Remote monitoring isn't a panacea for reducing readmissions across all conditions - and for some patients, clinicians should proceed with caution, clinical trial results published today in JAMA Network Open suggest.

11 Jun 2026

Chronic pancreatitis care must expand beyond simple pain management

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) diminishes quality-of-life (QoL) across mobility, self-care, daily activities, mental health, and pain-not just abdominal discomfort-according to a new Mayo Clinic study available online on August 27, 2025, and published in Volume 9, Issue 1 of the Journal of Pancreatology on March 30, 2026.

11 Jun 2026