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An anesthesiology practice’s busy day in court collecting on surprise bills

Owen Loney's surprise bill resulted from an emergency appendectomy in 2019 at a Richmond, Virginia, hospital.

23 Dec 2021

New allocation model to optimize the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments

Lulu Kang, associate professor of applied mathematics at Illinois Institute of Technology and a team of researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago put a new twist on traditional resource allocation models to optimize the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, testing supplies, and other related resources, publishing their findings, "Fair and Diverse Allocation of Scarce Resources," in Socio-Economic Planning Sciences.

22 Dec 2021

More breakthrough infections but less severe COVID-19 with Omicron

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* pre-print server, an international team of researchers reported the occurrence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) breakthrough infections (BTIs) among health care workers (HCWs) participating in a phase III vaccine trial in Sisonke, South Africa.

22 Dec 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Manchin blows up Biden’s ‘Build Back Better’

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) dashed the hopes of President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats for passage of the giant "Build Back Better" bill before the end of the year, when he announced his opposition to the measure in an interview on "Fox News Sunday."

22 Dec 2021

Importance of booster vaccine doses for maintaining protection against the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant

A new study shows that although the Omicron variant exhibits significant immune escape compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants, antibody neutralization can be largely restored with booster doses of mRNA vaccines.

22 Dec 2021

How can we increase confidence in the COVID-19 vaccine?

In this interview, we speak to Professor Rishi Goyal and Professor Dennis Yi Tenen about their latest research that investigated COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

22 Dec 2021

Middle-aged men living in rural counties in the US have higher heart attack death rates than women

Middle-aged adults, men, Black adults and adults living in rural counties have significantly higher heart attack death rates before the age of 65 compared to women, white adults and people living in urban counties, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Dec 2021

Importance of pneumococcal vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic

A new study discusses the necessity and role of pneumococcal immunization in strengthening the global health system amid the current COVID-19 pandemic.

22 Dec 2021

‘An Arm and a Leg’: The rapid-test edition: Who’s making a buck?

Rapid, at-home covid-19 tests are close to essential if you want to see friends and family this holiday season, and do your best to stay safe.

22 Dec 2021

New parents slapped with surprise bills for treating newborns

After Christine Malik gave birth to her first daughter three years ago, a clinician affiliated with a company called Pediatrix entered the hospital room and fitted the infant with sensors and wires for a hearing test.

22 Dec 2021

Layers of subcontracted services confuse and frustrate Medi-Cal patients

Theresa Grant, a resident of Culver City, California, has endured debilitating pain for the past year from a mysterious bulge protruding from her lower rib cage.

22 Dec 2021

As pandemic wears down hospital staff, one town offers groceries to say thanks

This mountain community — which comes alive during the winter ski season and annual Sundance Film Festival — is home to the Park City Hospital, which has 460 employees.

22 Dec 2021

Study reports a higher rate of burnout among midwives in the United States

A new study indicates 40% of midwives in the United States are burned out or stressed and exhausted, putting them at risk for making medical errors and missing necessary patient care. Burnout also leads to less professional engagement, reduced productivity, absenteeism and resignations, according to new research published in the leading journal, Health Services Research.

22 Dec 2021

Study offers insight into asymptomatic transmission of droplets in public transportation

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the urgency of understanding how public transportation ventilation systems transmit viruses and how exhaled droplets evolve in ventilated spaces. Researchers have wondered if those ventilation systems can be improved to mitigate virus transmission.

22 Dec 2021

NIH’s new report provides a road map on how to improve Americans’ oral health

Despite important advances in the understanding and treatment of oral diseases and conditions, many people in the U.S. still have chronic oral health problems and lack of access to care, according to a report by the National Institutes of Health.

21 Dec 2021

Intervention to help parents prevent obesity in firstborn children benefits siblings

An intervention shown to help first-time parents prevent childhood obesity has found spillover effects in second-born children as well, even without further training for the parents.

21 Dec 2021

Clinical trial results do not support the use of fish oil supplements to prevent depression

Results from the largest clinical trial of its kind do not support the use of fish oil supplements - a source of omega-3 fatty acid - to help prevent depression.

21 Dec 2021

National U.S trial confirms effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines

In a recent study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, scientists conducted a target trial emulation study and documented that among the elderly in the U.S. (with significant comorbidities), the efficacy of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines was much lower in terms of preventing infection, than previously reported. However, the effectiveness against death was found to be high.

21 Dec 2021

Comparison of point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic kits

A multinational group of scientists investigates the performance characteristics of several point-of-care diagnostic kits for SARS-CoV-2.

21 Dec 2021

Stabilizing the long-term endemic behavior of COVID-19

Researchers used a classic age and contact structured model to explore the several reopening and vaccination coverage scenarios regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 Dec 2021