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Medicare patients win the right to appeal gap in nursing home coverage

A three-judge federal appeals court panel in Connecticut has likely ended an 11-year fight against a frustrating and confusing rule that left hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries without coverage for nursing home care, and no way to challenge a denial.

28 Jan 2022

In super-vaxxed Vermont, covid strikes — but packs far less punch

Even Eden, a snow-covered paradise in northern Vermont, is poisoned by omicron.

28 Jan 2022

Impact of the Omicron variant on disease severity and healthcare utilization

Researchers compare trends in disease and hospital utilization during Omicron circulation to the previous SARS-CoV-2 variants in the U.S.

28 Jan 2022

Higher social determinants of health burden linked to increase in obesity

Cumulative social disadvantage, as denoted by higher social determinants of health (SDOH) burden, is associated with a higher likelihood of obesity independent of clinical and demographic factors, according to a new study in Obesity, The Obesity Society's (TOS) flagship journal.

27 Jan 2022

Study finds steady increase in hypertensive crisis hospitalizations

The number of people hospitalized for a hypertensive crisis - when blood pressure increases so much it can cause a heart attack, stroke or other sudden cardiovascular event - more than doubled from 2002 to 2014, according to Cedars-Sinai investigators.

27 Jan 2022

Exposure to unconventional oil and gas development linked to higher risk of early mortality

Elderly people living near or downwind of unconventional oil and gas development (UOGD)—which involves extraction methods including directional (non-vertical) drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—are at higher risk of early death compared with elderly individuals who don't live near such operations, according to a large new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

27 Jan 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Record ACA enrollment puts pressure on Congress

The Biden administration announced that 14.5 million Americans have signed up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act for 2022.

27 Jan 2022

Nutritional supplements used to improve athletic performance can pose risks to the heart

Nutritional supplements taken to boost athletic performance can pose risks to the heart, according to a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) statement published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the ESC.

27 Jan 2022

Resistance to a Boston hospital’s expansion centers on rising prices

A boisterous political battle over a proposed expansion by the largest and most expensive hospital system in Massachusetts is spotlighting questions about whether similar expansions by big health systems around the country drive up health care costs.

27 Jan 2022

Following heart-healthy lifestyle behaviors can support good brain health

The same risk factors that contribute to making heart disease the leading cause of death worldwide also impact the rising global prevalence of brain disease, including stroke, Alzheimer's disease and dementia, according to the American Heart Association's Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2022 Update, published today in the Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

27 Jan 2022

Macromolecular gel with therapeutic payload could halt or slow post-traumatic osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis affects over 32 million Americans, levying a huge cost on society. Unfortunately, other than analgesics, no pharmaceutical therapy exists that can slow or halt disease progression of a major subset of OA: post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA).

26 Jan 2022

CDC tells pharmacies to give 4th covid shots to immunocompromised patients

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reached out to pharmacists Wednesday to reinforce the message that people with moderate to severe immune suppression are eligible for fourth covid shots.

26 Jan 2022

What the federal ‘No Surprises Act’ means in California

Betty Chow, a Los Angeles resident, had a cervical disc replaced in August 2020 at a surgery center that was part of her Anthem Blue Cross PPO network.

26 Jan 2022

After miscarriages, workers have few guarantees for time off or job-based help

For three years, Rachel Makkar said, she thrived in her job as a broker and asset manager at J&B Building Co. in Colorado. She excelled at her work — she said her performance reviews noted that — and she thought it was "the best place I've ever worked."

26 Jan 2022

New practice guideline offers recommendations for managing patients with type B aortic dissection

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery released a new clinical practice guideline that includes major recommendations for managing patients with type B aortic dissection (TBAD).

25 Jan 2022

Study: Vast majority of older refugees living in Canada report being in good physical health

Although Canada receives thousands of refugees each year, there has been little research on their health as they age. A new study published recently in the International Journal of Aging and Human Development found that the vast majority of older refugees living in Canada report being in good physical health (82%).

25 Jan 2022