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Neighborhood socioeconomic status associated with poorer patient outcomes after heart surgery

Patients with mitral valve disease who live in disadvantaged communities are more likely to experience complications and are at higher risk for death after surgery than those with higher socioeconomic status (SES), according to research presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

1 Feb 2022

Faxes and snail mail: Will pandemic-era flaws unleash improved health technology?

Jamie Taylor received two letters from the Missouri Department of Social Services Family Support Division that began, "Good news," before stating that she was denied Medicaid coverage.

1 Feb 2022

States were sharing covid test kits. Then omicron hit.

In a few short months, states have gone from donating surplus rapid covid-19 tests to states with shortages to hoarding them as demand driven by the spike in cases strains supplies.

31 Jan 2022

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

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

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

Ancillary costs associated with use of Alzheimer's drug aducanumab could add pressure on Medicare

A UCLA-led cost analysis of the controversial new Alzheimer's disease drug aducanumab shows that ancillary care services, such as additional MRIs and neurologist visits to monitor the potential brain swelling and bleeding associated with the medication, account for nearly 20% of total Medicare costs related to the drug, or $6,564 per patient per year.

25 Jan 2022

With a vaccine mandate looming, nursing homes face more staffing problems

Jamie Smith, a staffing agency nurse who loves end-of-life care, said she has been warmly welcomed by staffers and residents at Frontier Health & Rehabilitation in this conservative St. Louis suburb.

25 Jan 2022

New payment system may drive changes in practice patterns across the specialty of urology

Medicare's new merit-based incentive payment system (MIPS) may drive new changes in practice patterns across the specialty of urology, suggests a study in Urology Practice®, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA).

25 Jan 2022

Study finds a sharp dip in access to care for poorer Americans during the pandemic

Americans' use of common outpatient health services dipped sharply at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, then rebounded to near-normal levels by the end of 2020, only to decline again during the second surge in January–February 2021, according to a new UCLA-led study.

24 Jan 2022

Why Medicare doesn’t pay for rapid at-home covid tests

What group is especially vulnerable to the ravages of covid-19 even if fully vaccinated and boosted? Seniors. And who will have an especially tough time getting free at-home covid tests under the Biden administration's plan? Yes, seniors.

24 Jan 2022

Biden administration’s rapid-test rollout doesn’t easily reach those who need it most

In the past week, the Biden administration launched two programs that aim to get rapid covid tests into the hands of every American. But the design of both efforts disadvantages people who already face the greatest barriers to testing.

20 Jan 2022

Families complain as states require covid testing for nursing home visits

As covid-19 cases rise again in nursing homes, a few states have begun requiring visitors to present proof that they're not infected before entering facilities, stoking frustration and dismay among family members.

20 Jan 2022

HHS proposal for marketplace plans carries a hefty dose of consumer caution

Some insurance brokers are enrolling people into Affordable Care Act health plans without their consent, perhaps for the commissions, a move that could put consumers in danger of owing back the subsidies connected with the coverage. The damage could be hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

19 Jan 2022

5 things you should know about ‘free’ at-home covid tests

Americans keep hearing that it is important to test frequently for covid-19 at home. But just try to find an "at-home" rapid covid test in a store and at a price that makes frequent tests affordable.

19 Jan 2022

Officials struggle to regulate pop-up covid testing sites — and warn patients to beware

In recent months, mobile covid-19 testing tents and vans have sprouted on urban sidewalks and street curbs as demand has skyrocketed in response to the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

18 Jan 2022

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Dealing with drug prices

Medicare officials have preliminarily decided to restrict reimbursement for Aduhelm, the controversial Alzheimer's drug, to only patients participating in approved clinical trials.

13 Jan 2022

Justices block broad worker vaccine requirement, allow health worker mandate to proceed

The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a key Biden administration covid-19 initiative — putting a stop, for now, to a rule requiring businesses with more than 100 workers to either mandate that employees be vaccinated against covid or wear masks and undergo weekly testing.

13 Jan 2022

Vaccine mandate may have little impact on health care staffing levels

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing challenges to a Biden administration vaccine mandate that requires eligible employees in Medicare or Medicaid-funded facilities to get vaccinated or receive an exemption.

12 Jan 2022

Medicare News and Research

Neighborhood socioeconomic status associated with poorer patient outcomes after heart surgery

Faxes and snail mail: Will pandemic-era flaws unleash improved health technology?

States were sharing covid test kits. Then omicron hit.

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

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

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

What the federal ‘No Surprises Act’ means in California

Ancillary costs associated with use of Alzheimer's drug aducanumab could add pressure on Medicare

With a vaccine mandate looming, nursing homes face more staffing problems

New payment system may drive changes in practice patterns across the specialty of urology

Study finds a sharp dip in access to care for poorer Americans during the pandemic

Why Medicare doesn’t pay for rapid at-home covid tests

Biden administration’s rapid-test rollout doesn’t easily reach those who need it most

Families complain as states require covid testing for nursing home visits

HHS proposal for marketplace plans carries a hefty dose of consumer caution

5 things you should know about ‘free’ at-home covid tests

Officials struggle to regulate pop-up covid testing sites — and warn patients to beware

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Dealing with drug prices

Justices block broad worker vaccine requirement, allow health worker mandate to proceed

Vaccine mandate may have little impact on health care staffing levels

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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