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Medicaid cuts will drive up cost of private coverage, Montana insurers say

Montana was among the last states to expand Medicaid, and its Obamacare marketplace has fared reasonably well.

10 Jul 2017

Delays for emergency surgery linked to higher risk of death

Delays for emergency surgery were associated with a higher risk of death for patients in hospital -- and higher costs -- yet these delays were largely due to lack of operating rooms and staff, and other system issues, found a new study published in CMAJ.

10 Jul 2017

Adherence to prescribed medication improves health and increases cost savings

At a time when health care costs are scrutinized more closely than ever, a new study demonstrates the importance of taking medications as prescribed to control costs.

7 Jul 2017

Multiple diabetes complications increase risk of hospital readmissions, research shows

For patients with diabetes, one reason for hospitalization and unplanned hospital readmission is severe dysglycemia (uncontrolled hyperglycemia – high blood sugar, or hypoglycemia – low blood sugar), says new research published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

7 Jul 2017

Obamacare inspires unlikely political action in California’s red region

Modoc County, in the northeastern corner of California, is roughly the size of Connecticut. It's so sparsely populated, the entire county has just one stoplight.

7 Jul 2017

FSMB releases recommendations to improve reporting, sharing of information about health care practitioners

The Federation of State Medical Boards released a comprehensive summary and recommendations today from a summit meeting it hosted earlier this year to discuss how diverse organizations compile and share information about health care practitioners – including unprofessional conduct and disciplinary issues – and how such information could be better utilized to protect the public.

6 Jul 2017

Narrow network insurance plans threaten patient access to treatment choices

Access to high-quality, high-value cancer care is crucial for all patients with cancer. Ideally, following a cancer diagnosis, patients should have the option to choose care from an experienced, multi-disciplinary team of sub-specialists at a comprehensive cancer center that offers the latest cancer treatment and supportive care breakthroughs.

6 Jul 2017

Inferior vena cava filters may be overused in managed care populations, study suggests

Humana Inc. today announced research findings that suggest inferior vena cava (IVC) filters may be overused in managed care populations, and that filters may not always be removed after they are no longer needed.

6 Jul 2017

Discarding donated kidneys based on biopsy results may be inappropriate, say researchers

Researchers have found that discarding donated kidneys on the basis of biopsy findings may be inappropriate. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, may help address the organ shortage by keeping valuable organs from being thrown away.

6 Jul 2017

Novel small molecule tracer for PET imaging spots blood clots

Blood clots in veins and arteries can lead to heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism, which are major causes of mortality.

6 Jul 2017

Marine natural compounds hold potential to combat tuberculosis

A team of researchers at the University of Central Florida has discovered a potential new weapon in the fight against tuberculosis, and it lives in the Little Mermaid's realm.

6 Jul 2017

Corticosteroids may worsen disease in some patients with severe asthma

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences and UPMC have uncovered the molecular mechanism underlying corticosteroid resistance in severe asthma.

6 Jul 2017

As seniors get sicker, they’re more likely to drop Medicare Advantage plans

When Sol Shipotow enrolled in a new Medicare Advantage health plan earlier this year, he expected to keep the doctor who treats his serious eye condition.

6 Jul 2017

Parents of ill children worry about return of ‘lifetime limits’ in GOP health bill

The health care legislation under discussion in the Senate could allow states to remove some of the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections — including the prohibition that keeps insurers from limiting how much they’ll pay for medically needy, expensive patients.

6 Jul 2017

The Lancet's special issue examines Germany’s health system and emerging role as leader in global health

The two-paper Series is led by authors from the Berlin Institute of Technology and the Geneva Graduate Institute, and accompanied by a Comment from Germany’s Minister of Health, Hermann Gröhe.

6 Jul 2017

New report reveals rapidly expanding diabetes epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa is in the midst of a rapidly expanding diabetes epidemic that could have devastating health and economic consequences for the region unless quick and decisive action is taken to turn the tide, according to a major new report from a Lancet commission co-led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

6 Jul 2017