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Study shows increased risk of overdose and mental health crisis following opioid dose tapering

Opioid therapy is complex. In recent years, a rise in opioid-related deaths and changing prescribing guidelines and regulatory policies have led many physicians to reduce daily doses for patients prescribed stable opioid therapy for chronic pain.

3 Aug 2021

At urgent care, he got 5 stitches and a big surprise: A plastic surgeon’s bill for $1,040

It was a Sunday morning in late November when Bryan Keller hopped on a bike for a routine ride to pick up his groceries, cruising with ease in a relatively empty New York City.

2 Aug 2021

Pfizer court fight could legalize Medicare copays and unleash ‘gold rush’ in sales

Three years ago, pharma giant Pfizer paid $24 million to settle federal allegations that it was paying kickbacks and inflating sales by reimbursing Medicare patients for out-of-pocket medication costs.

29 Jul 2021

Covid renews interest in radiation, but docs caution against pilgrimages to radon-filled mines

Twice a year, Brian Tichenor makes the 1,200-mile drive each way from his home in Kansas to a defunct uranium mine in Montana, where he takes an elevator 85 feet below the surface to sit amid radioactive radon gas to ease the pain from his chronic eye condition.

29 Jul 2021

Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is more aggressive and difficult to control, study shows

People with type 2 diabetes diagnosed during youth have a high risk of developing complications at early ages and have a greater chance of multiple complications within 15 years after diagnosis.

28 Jul 2021

Study finds how decisions are relayed back into visual processing parts of the brain

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have discovered that decisions based on visual information, which involve a complex stream of data flowing forward and backwards along the brain's visual pathways, is broadcast widely to neurons in the visual system, including to those that are not being used to make the decision.

27 Jul 2021

Gene therapy protects optic nerve cells and preserves vision in glaucoma mouse models

A form of gene therapy protects optic nerve cells and preserves vision in mouse models of glaucoma, according to research supported by NIH's National Eye Institute.

23 Jul 2021

After 18 months, Sutter antitrust settlement finally poised for formal approval

More than 18 months after Sutter Health agreed to a tentative settlement in a closely watched antitrust case joined by the California Attorney General's Office, the judge presiding over the case indicated she would sign off on the terms, pending agreement on attorney fees. The nonprofit health care giant, based in Sacramento, stood accused of violating California's antitrust laws by using its market dominance to drive up prices.

22 Jul 2021

Wildfire smoke drives people in low-vaccinated areas indoors, raising outbreak fears

Missoula's new downtown library was teeming with people who might typically spend a Saturday afternoon hiking, biking or otherwise making the most of Montana's abundant outdoor recreation. One look at the soupy haze blanketing the city and it was clear why.

22 Jul 2021

New digital health technologies could lead to better care for Parkinson’s disease

The use of digital health technologies across health care and drug development has accelerated. A new paper titled "Digital Progression Biomarkers as Novel Endpoints in Clinical Trials: A Multistakeholder Perspective," co-authored by experts across diverse disciplines, highlights how new remote monitoring technologies present a tremendous opportunity to advance digital medicine in health care even further, specifically in Parkinson's disease.

20 Jul 2021

Same-day screening and health education program seeks to reduce disparities of preventable cancers

Evidence shows that early detection and treatment of cancer can significantly improve health outcomes, however women in Mississippi, particularly in underserved populations, experience the worst health outcomes for cervical, breast, and oropharyngeal cancer.

20 Jul 2021

Biden’s July executive order includes drug pricing provisions. But will they do enough?

President Joe Biden's executive order of July 9 included various steps toward making good on campaign promises to take on pharmaceutical companies by allowing the importation of prescription drugs and curbing the high cost of medicines.

19 Jul 2021

NIH leaders address how using appropriate language can reduce mental health and addiction stigma

In a perspective published in Neuropsychopharmacology, leaders from the National Institutes of Health address how using appropriate language to describe mental illness and addiction can help to reduce stigma and improve how people with these conditions are treated in health care settings and throughout society.

19 Jul 2021

Gene therapy delivered into the brain may be safe, effective in treating rare neurological disorder

A new study published in Nature Communications suggests that gene therapy delivered into the brain may be safe and effective in treating aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency.

16 Jul 2021

High screen-time may exacerbate cognitive, behavioral problems in children born extremely preterm

Among 6- and 7-year-olds who were born extremely preterm--before the 28th week of pregnancy--those who had more than two hours of screen time a day were more likely to have deficits in overall IQ, executive functioning (problem solving skills), impulse control and attention, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

15 Jul 2021

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Becerra urges Congress to expand Medicare, address Rx prices

The Biden administration stands ready to work with Congress to address drug prices and expand Medicare, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a wide-ranging interview with "What the Health?" on Tuesday.

13 Jul 2021

As Congress wrestles with plans to expand Medicare, Becerra says any one will do

The Biden administration will support whatever expansions to Medicare Congress is willing to make, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Tuesday.

13 Jul 2021

Biden is caught in the middle of polarizing abortion politics

It took five months for the Biden administration to make a substantive policy change to advance abortion rights. And even that change was buried in a 61-page regulation setting rules for 2022's Affordable Care Act enrollment.

12 Jul 2021

CDC grant aims to improve care and outcomes for stroke patients throughout Kentucky

UK HealthCare, UofL Health, the Kentucky Department for Public Health's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program (KHDSP), and other state partners have been awarded the prestigious Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program Grant by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

7 Jul 2021

Rural ambulance services are in jeopardy as volunteers age and expenses mount

Vern Greyn was standing in the raised bucket of a tractor, trimming dead branches off a tree, when he lost his balance. He fell 12 feet and struck his head on the concrete patio outside his house in this small farming town on the central Montana plains.

6 Jul 2021