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Medicare seeks comment on ways to cut costs of Part D drugs

Noting that the true price of a drug is often hidden from consumers, Medicare officials requested comments late Thursday on how to use discounts and rebates to help decrease what enrollees pay for prescriptions.

16 Nov 2017

FDA permits marketing of first electric stimulation device to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms

Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted a new indication to an electric stimulation device for use in helping to reduce the symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

16 Nov 2017

Study identifies molecular pathway critical to development of fibrosis

A study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital and University Health Network in Toronto has identified a molecular pathway that appears to be critical to the development of fibrosis - scarring and excessive tissue deposition that result from abnormal healing responses and can compromise the function of vital organs.

15 Nov 2017

Study finds lack of follow-up care for more than two-thirds of children with concussion

In a study that looked at data over a 10-year period, York University researchers, in collaboration with Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, found that more than two-thirds of youth and children with an acute concussion do not seek medical follow-up or clearance as recommended by current international concussion guidelines.

15 Nov 2017

California firm running physician practices is closing down as scrutiny ramps up

SynerMed, a company that manages physician practices serving hundreds of thousands of Medicaid and Medicare patients across California, is planning to shut down amid scrutiny from state regulators and health insurers.

15 Nov 2017

California fines Anthem $5 million for failing to address consumer grievances

California's managed-care regulator announced Wednesday it has fined insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross $5 million for repeatedly failing to resolve consumer grievances in a timely manner.

15 Nov 2017

MGH researchers develop potential alternative to gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents

A team of Massachusetts General Hospital researchers has developed a potential alternative to gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) for magnetic resonance imaging.

15 Nov 2017

Clinical study shows positive results for two yoga poses to decrease scoliosis curves

Continuing clinical research shows strongly positive results for two yoga-like isometric maneuvers to decrease scoliosis curves in 6,000,000 -9,000,000 million Americans, young and old, providing a potentially enormous decrease in health care costs and human misery.

15 Nov 2017

Unequal exposure to pollutants may be contributing factor to higher rates of diabetes among minorities

Unequal exposure to environmental pollutants acting as endocrine-disrupting chemicals is an under-recognized risk factor that may play a key role in driving the higher rates of diabetes among minority and low-income populations, according to a new article in the journal Diabetes Care.

15 Nov 2017

Aggressive testing unnecessary for patients who go to ER with chest pain, study suggests

Patients who go to the emergency room (ER) with chest pain often receive unnecessary tests to evaluate whether they are having a heart attack, a practice that provides no clinical benefit and adds hundreds of dollars in health-care costs, according to a new study from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

15 Nov 2017

Can apps slay the medical bill dragon?

Rachael Norman needed to submit a pile of out-of-network medical bills to her insurance company for reimbursement. Short on time, she started searching for a company that could do that tedious work for her.

15 Nov 2017

FDA warns consumers about injuries, disfigurement from using illegal injectable silicone

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a safety communication to warn consumers and health care practitioners about the serious injuries and disfigurement that can result from using injectable silicone or products being falsely marketed as FDA-approved dermal fillers for the purpose of enhancing the size of their buttocks, breasts and other body parts.

14 Nov 2017

Medicaid coverage for methadone could improve outcomes for pregnant women with OUD

Pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD) are more likely to receive evidence-based treatment with an "opioid agonist"- usually methadone- in states where those medications are covered by Medicaid, reports a study in the December issue of Medical Care, published by Wolters Kluwer.

14 Nov 2017

FDA issues warning against use of herbal medicine Kratom

The United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has issued a public notice yesterday, 14th November 2017, regarding the risks associated with herbal drug Kratom. Kratom has been used for a long time and still finds numerous users.

14 Nov 2017

Study highlights importance of reinforcing sexual risk-reduction messages for older women with HIV

A new study that compared HIV-positive women over 50 years of age with their younger HIV-infected cohorts found that while the older women were less likely to be sexually active and to report condomless sex with a male partner, those who were sexually active were not as likely to undergo screening for gonorrhea, chlamydia, or syphilis than their younger counterparts.

14 Nov 2017

HPV testing more sensitive than Pap smear for detecting cervical cancer

A new paper in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute finds that testing for cervical cancer using HPV testing in addition to the Pap smear is unlikely to detect cancer cases that wouldn't be found using HPV testing alone.

14 Nov 2017

Some states roll back ‘retroactive Medicaid,’ a buffer for the poor — and for hospitals

If you're poor, uninsured and fall seriously ill, in most states if you qualify for Medicaid — but weren't enrolled at the time — the program will pay your medical bills going back three months. It protects hospitals, too, from having to absorb the costs of caring for these patients.

14 Nov 2017

Taking a page from pharma’s playbook to fight the opioid crisis

Dr. Mary Meengs remembers the days, a couple of decades ago, when pharmaceutical salespeople would drop into her family practice in Chicago, eager to catch a moment between patients so they could pitch her a new drug.

14 Nov 2017

Vaccine shortage complicates efforts to quell hepatitis A outbreaks

San Diego County, battling a deadly outbreak of hepatitis A, is postponing an outreach campaign to provide the second of two inoculations against the contagious liver disease until a national shortage of the vaccine is resolved, the county's chief public health officer said.

14 Nov 2017

Lower thresholds for blood transfusions proven safe and provide good patient outcomes

Lower thresholds for blood transfusions during cardiac surgery have proven to be safe and provide good patient outcomes compared to traditional thresholds, according to the largest research study ever performed in this area. The lower or "restrictive" threshold also can help reduce the amount of blood transfused and money spent for each procedure.

14 Nov 2017

Health Care News and Research

Medicare seeks comment on ways to cut costs of Part D drugs

FDA permits marketing of first electric stimulation device to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms

Study identifies molecular pathway critical to development of fibrosis

Study finds lack of follow-up care for more than two-thirds of children with concussion

California firm running physician practices is closing down as scrutiny ramps up

California fines Anthem $5 million for failing to address consumer grievances

MGH researchers develop potential alternative to gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents

Clinical study shows positive results for two yoga poses to decrease scoliosis curves

Unequal exposure to pollutants may be contributing factor to higher rates of diabetes among minorities

Aggressive testing unnecessary for patients who go to ER with chest pain, study suggests

Can apps slay the medical bill dragon?

FDA warns consumers about injuries, disfigurement from using illegal injectable silicone

Medicaid coverage for methadone could improve outcomes for pregnant women with OUD

FDA issues warning against use of herbal medicine Kratom

Study highlights importance of reinforcing sexual risk-reduction messages for older women with HIV

HPV testing more sensitive than Pap smear for detecting cervical cancer

Some states roll back ‘retroactive Medicaid,’ a buffer for the poor — and for hospitals

Taking a page from pharma’s playbook to fight the opioid crisis

Vaccine shortage complicates efforts to quell hepatitis A outbreaks

Lower thresholds for blood transfusions proven safe and provide good patient outcomes

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