Health Care News and Research

RSS

Half as many people are trying heroin, but marijuana use grows

Some good news from the front lines of the heroin crisis: Half as many people tried heroin for the first time in 2017 as in 2016. That's according to data released Friday from the government's annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

14 Sep 2018

Undocumented immigrants have lowest rates of health care use, study finds

Undocumented Latino immigrants have some of the lowest rates of health care use - and signs point to it getting worse.

14 Sep 2018

New device to treat acute coronary artery perforations approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a device intended to treat acute coronary artery perforations, or tears in the blood vessels of the heart. The PK Papyrus Covered Coronary Stent System is the first device approved by the FDA for this indication in 17 years.

14 Sep 2018

'Nudges' may help curb decline in influenza vaccination rates as the day progresses

Primary care clinics experienced a significant decline in influenza vaccinations as the day progressed, researchers from Penn Medicine report in a new study published in JAMA Open Network.

14 Sep 2018

The Digital Health Platform That’s Tackling Chronic Health Conditions

An interview with Simon Pickup from Liva Healthcare about the Liva digital health platform and how it is changing the lives of patients with chronic diseases.

From Liva Healthcare UK 14 Sep 2018

Medicare incurs more than $1.2 billion over prostate cancer care in older men

Researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center estimate that screening for and treating prostate cancer in men aged 70 years or older, which is not recommended by national guidelines, cost Medicare more than $1.2 billion over a three year period for each group of men diagnosed in the United States each year.

14 Sep 2018

Novel treatment for hairy cell leukemia approved by FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Lumoxiti (moxetumomab pasudotox-tdfk) injection for intravenous use for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory hairy cell leukemia (HCL) who have received at least two prior systemic therapies, including treatment with a purine nucleoside analog.

14 Sep 2018

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’ A detour on a smoking off-ramp

The Food and Drug Administration declared Wednesday that vaping among teenagers has reached "an epidemic proportion." The agency told ﬁve major e-cigarette manufacturers that they had 60 days to find ways to keep their products away from minors.

14 Sep 2018

Is ‘precision medicine’ the answer to cancer? Not precisely.

Facing incurable breast cancer at age 55, MaryAnne DiCanto put her faith in "precision medicine" — in which doctors try to match patients with drugs that target the genetic mutations in their tumors. She underwent repeated biopsies to identify therapies that might help.

13 Sep 2018

Annual survey highlights poor awareness of sepsis in the US

A new survey has revealed that, although awareness of sepsis is increasing in the US, there are still very few people who are able to recognize the symptoms.

13 Sep 2018

Study: Poor older Americans most likely to rely on prescription opioids

Among older Americans, the poorest are the most likely to have used prescription opioids, according to a University at Buffalo study providing new insights into unexplored contours of the opioid crisis.

12 Sep 2018

Sugar pills may help treat certain chronic pain patients

Someday doctors may prescribe sugar pills for certain chronic pain patients based on their brain anatomy and psychology. And the pills will reduce their pain as effectively as any powerful drug on the market, according to new research.

12 Sep 2018

New evidence does not support use of invasive procedures for patients with chronic pain

An extensive review of 25 randomized clinical trials found "little evidence" that invasive surgery was more effective than sham or placebo procedures in reducing chronic pain. The study was published in the journal Pain Medicine.

12 Sep 2018

Trying to protect seniors, the most vulnerable, from formidable foe Florence

Perhaps no other population is as vulnerable during a hurricane as frail, older adults, especially those who are homebound or living in nursing homes. With Hurricane Florence predicted to slam the North Carolina coast Friday, health officials are already scrambling to keep older residents safe.

12 Sep 2018

In Trump’s first year, nation’s uninsured rate unchanged

Despite Republicans’ resistance to the federal health law, the percentage of Americans without health insurance in 2017 remained the same as during the last year of the Obama administration, according to a closely watched report from the Census Bureau released Wednesday.

12 Sep 2018

FDA awards grants to enhance development of medical devices for pediatric patients

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today that it has awarded five grants totaling up to $6 million per year over the next five years to Pediatric Device Consortia across the country that will provide advice and support services to innovators of children's medical devices.

12 Sep 2018