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Donald Trump’s wrong claim that ‘anybody’ can get tested for coronavirus

To show that his administration has been fast and effective in its response to the new coronavirus, President Donald Trump claimed that anybody who wants to get tested for the respiratory disease caused by the virus can do so.

12 Mar 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Coronavirus goes viral

This was the week the coronavirus hit the U.S. in general and Washington, D.C., in particular in a big way.

12 Mar 2020

Uninsured older adults in China less likely to receive needed inpatient care

A new study, published this week in the International Journal of Health Services, found that older adults without health insurance in China were 35% less likely to receive needed inpatient care compared to those with job-based health insurance.

12 Mar 2020

The startling inequality gap that emerges after age 65

In an era when "deaths of despair" — from substance abuse and suicide — are on the rise among middle-aged Americans, those who reach age 65 are living longer than ever.

12 Mar 2020

Researchers encourage a synergistic relationship between AI and family medicine

Attention all family medicine physicians: Identify a computer scientist with expertise in artificial intelligence (AI). Pick up the phone. Make a connection.

12 Mar 2020

Tampons, pads and politics mesh in new push for access to menstrual supplies

Geoff Davis' gray Kia sedan is chock-full of tampons and maxi pads.

12 Mar 2020

COVID-19 epidemic is now an official pandemic

The spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has reached pandemic status, spanning 114 countries and territories, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared. The novel coronavirus that emerged three months ago has rapidly infected more than 126,000 people, taking the lives of more than 4,600.

12 Mar 2020

Bowel cancer on the up in England’s young adults

A new study published in March 2020, in the British Journal of Surgery (BJS), shows that the number of young adults with bowel cancer is rising at an alarming rate in England.

11 Mar 2020

Skin sensors for antenatal surveillance in developing countries

A new study published in March 2020 in the journal Nature Medicine reports the use of a wireless system of skin-mounted sensors to monitor the health of newborn babies in an inexpensive and versatile platform that can be adapted to the vast majority of healthcare settings with ease.

11 Mar 2020

Alcoholics Anonymous the best way to abstain

Researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine have found that utilizing the help of a support group like Alcoholics Anonymous could be the best possible way for those with alcohol dependence to abstain. This finding came from a review article titled "Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12‐step programs for alcohol use disorder," published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review.

11 Mar 2020

Striking health inequities between dually enrolled and nondually enrolled older Medicare beneficiaries

In the United States, income inequality has steadily increased over the last several decades. Given widening inequities, health care leaders have been concerned about the health outcomes of older Americans who experience poverty, particularly because prior studies have shown a strong link between socioeconomic status and health.

11 Mar 2020

Alcoholics Anonymous found to be very effective for achieving alcohol abstinence

Alcoholics Anonymous, the worldwide fellowship of sobriety seekers, is the most effective path to abstinence, according to a comprehensive analysis conducted by a Stanford School of Medicine researcher and his collaborators.

11 Mar 2020

VCU Health halts 30-year campaign that seized patients’ wages, put liens on homes

In one of the most sweeping moves yet by a nonprofit hospital system to reduce aggressive bill collection, VCU Health is halting seizure of patients' wages and removing thousands of liens against patients' homes, some dating to the 1990s.

11 Mar 2020

How to avoid coronavirus? Lessons from people whose lives depend on it

Andrea Amelse knows hand-washing.

11 Mar 2020

Crushed by a hospital bill? Stand up for yourself

The cost of medical treatment depleted Frances Edwards' savings after she was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in October 2016 — even though she has insurance.

11 Mar 2020

$Study: Physician psychotherapy only available to a fraction of those with urgent mental health needs$