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Podcast: ‘What the health?’ whiplash

The bipartisan leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this week agreed on a bill they say could help stabilize the struggling health insurance exchanges.

19 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

Researchers working towards developing computer model for predicting heart health

Picture this: you're battling heart failure and meeting with your doctor to discuss treatment. Before prescribing anything, the doctor pulls up a virtual model of your heart on her computer and "treats" it with several drugs. A few moments later, she can see how your heart is doing five years down the road.

17 Oct 2017

New study shows possibility of battling opioid addiction in primary care

For many of the 2 million Americans addicted to opioids, getting good treatment and getting off prescription painkillers or heroin may seem like a far-off dream.

17 Oct 2017

Northwestern Medicine launches new Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause

Northwestern Medicine has launched a first of its kind center dedicated to providing comprehensive care to women for two often unmet areas of women's healthcare – sexual health and menopause.

17 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

Want an IUD? Take note of Trump’s new birth control policy.

The Trump administration's recently announced changes to health insurance rules have raised concerns among people wondering how they'll be affected. This week, I address some of the questions likely on people's minds.

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

The storm has passed, but Puerto Rico’s health faces prolonged recovery

As President Donald Trump signals impatience to wind down emergency aid to Puerto Rico, the challenges wrought by Hurricane Maria to the health of Puerto Ricans and the island's fragile health system are in many ways just beginning.

16 Oct 2017

Tending to patients as her new home burns

Julayne Smithson was working an overnight shift in the Intensive Care Unit at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in Santa Rosa, Calif., when massive wildfires started racing through the city. Smithson had no idea how close they were. She was too busy taking care of her patient.

16 Oct 2017

Poll: Some parents may take children to ER for common situations that could be handled at home

If a child gets a small burn from a hot pan, starts choking or swallows medication, parents may struggle to decide whether to provide first aid at home or rush them to the hospital, suggests a new national poll.

16 Oct 2017

AASM’s new position statement describes clinical use of home sleep apnea test

A new position statement published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) describes the appropriate clinical use of a home sleep apnea test (HSAT).

13 Oct 2017

PatientPop introduces automatic Google Posts for healthcare practices

PatientPop, the leader in practice growth technology designed for healthcare providers, today introduced automatic Google Posts with one-click appointment booking to customers.

13 Oct 2017

Most patients hospitalized with acute kidney injury not receiving follow-up care, study shows

A new study indicates that after hospitalization with acute kidney injury (AKI), most patients are not receiving the follow-up care that kidney specialists recommend. The findings appear in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

13 Oct 2017

Fever in first trimester of pregnancy increases risk for birth defects, study shows

Fevers in a mother's first trimester of pregnancy increase the baby's risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate, but exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection causes the defects, or if fever alone is the problem.

12 Oct 2017

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis affects more than 300,000 children in the U.S.

When most people think of arthritis, they picture the knobby knuckles, inflamed joints or aching back of an older person. But more than 300,000 children in the U.S. suffer from chronic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which has more to do with joint inflammation than wear and tear on cartilage and bone.

12 Oct 2017

Dementia patient at center of spoon-feeding controversy dies

An Oregon woman with Alzheimer's disease, whose husband claimed she was kept alive with spoon-feeding against her written wishes, has died.

12 Oct 2017

Researchers find significant increase in risk factors among people with stroke

Despite prevention efforts, researchers have found a significant increase over a 10-year period in the percentage of people with stroke who have high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and other risk factors for stroke.

12 Oct 2017

Researchers find potential approach to prevent peripheral neuropathy

In discovering how certain chemotherapy drugs cause the nerve damage known as peripheral neuropathy, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found a potential approach to preventing this common and troublesome side effect of cancer treatment.

11 Oct 2017