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Older adults, minorities and people with lower incomes face inequities in telemedicine use

After "COVID-19," the term that most people will remember best from 2020 is likely to be "social distancing." While it most commonly applied to social gatherings with family and friends, it has impacted the way many receive medical care.

29 Dec 2020

As the terror of COVID struck, health care workers struggled to survive. Thousands lost the fight.

Workers at Garfield Medical Center in suburban Los Angeles were on edge as the pandemic ramped up in March and April. Staffers in a 30-patient unit were rationing a single tub of sanitizing wipes all day. A May memo from the CEO said N95 masks could be cleaned up to 20 times before replacement.

23 Dec 2020

Congress extends Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant

An estimated 375 adult kidney transplant recipients lose their transplant every year due to a lack of coverage of immunosuppressive medications after the prior 36-month Medicare coverage period.

23 Dec 2020

Democrats are running hard on health care in Georgia’s Senate runoffs. Republicans? Not so much.

Vice President Mike Pence was the clear celebrity draw at a Nov. 20 campaign event for Georgia's two incumbent U.S. senators, Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue. Both Republicans are fighting to keep their seats against two Democratic challengers in the runoff election set for Jan. 5.

22 Dec 2020

Surprise! Congress takes steps to curb unexpected medical bills

Most Americans tell pollsters they're worried about being able to afford an unexpected medical bill.

22 Dec 2020

Virtual telehealth platform enables kidney transplant evaluation from home

A virtual telehealth platform is allowing the surgery program at the Medical University of South Carolina to evaluate and wait-list patients for kidney transplantation despite reductions in direct, in-person health care visits brought about by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

21 Dec 2020

Study: Better hospital nurse staffing reduces sepsis deaths

Researchers at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, conducting independent research on whether pending nurse staffing legislation in New York state is in the public's interest, found that the wide variation in patient-to-nurse ratios across hospitals in New York is contributing to avoidable deaths for patients with sepsis, a common, high mortality condition.

18 Dec 2020

New research highlights role and impact of integrated health systems in the U.S.

New findings published by Dartmouth researchers are featured in a special issue of Health Services Research--a top journal that reports on original investigations that enhance understanding of the healthcare field and help improve the health of individuals and communities.

16 Dec 2020

Telemedicine needed to diagnose and treat swallowing difficulties in COVID-19 patients, say physicians

COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the disease, have caused health care providers to change how they treat patients.

15 Dec 2020

Study finds gaps in opioid use disorder treatment during COVID shutdowns

In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to the doctor declined dramatically. One group of patients that appears to have weathered this trend are those who were already being treated for opioid use disorder.

15 Dec 2020

Cost information greatly enhances the value of shared decision making

Cost information, when paired with information about clinical treatment options, greatly enhances the value of shared decision making, reported a FAIR Health brief released today.

11 Dec 2020

Researchers deploy new framework for eliminating defects in health care value

A new paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst states that the U.S. health care system spends in excess of $1.3 trillion annually on sub-optimal behavior and outlines a roadmap for reducing costs by eliminating defects in health care value.

10 Dec 2020

New studies analyze the impact of hurricanes on hospitalizations, medical providers

More older adults are hospitalized in the month following hurricanes while fewer primary care doctors, surgeons and specialists are available in some of their communities in the long term, according to a pair of University of Michigan studies.

10 Dec 2020

With Becerra as HHS pick, California plots more progressive health care agenda

President-elect Joe Biden didn't back "Medicare for All" during his campaign.

10 Dec 2020

Trump plan may set clock ticking on many health rules — setting off alarms

The Trump administration wants to require the Department of Health and Human Services to review most of its regulations by 2023 — and automatically void those not assessed in time.

10 Dec 2020

Dialysis industry spends millions, emerges as power player in California politics

The nation's dialysis industry has poured $233 million into California campaigns over the past four years, establishing its leading companies as a formidable political force eager to protect their bottom line and influence state policy.

10 Dec 2020

In Becerra, an HHS nominee with political skill but no front-line health experience

Xavier Becerra, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to head the Department of Health and Human Services, is set to be a pandemic-era secretary with no public health experience. Whether that matters depends on whom you ask.

8 Dec 2020

New study examines the increase in virtual doctor visits

When the COVID-19 lockdowns began in mid-March 2020, hospitals and clinics faced a new challenge: How could they continue to provide care to those who could not leave their homes?

5 Dec 2020

Donor stem cell transplant can improve survival rates for older patients with MDS, study shows

A new clinical trial offers the most compelling evidence to date that a donor stem cell transplant can improve survival rates for older patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute investigators report at the virtual 62nd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

5 Dec 2020

Mortality rates after cancer surgery appear to be improving for Black and White patients

Mortality rates after cancer surgery declined for Black as well as white patients during a recent ten-year period, although the mortality gap between the two groups did not narrow, according to new research by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Harvard University investigators.

3 Dec 2020

Medicare News and Research

Older adults, minorities and people with lower incomes face inequities in telemedicine use

As the terror of COVID struck, health care workers struggled to survive. Thousands lost the fight.

Congress extends Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant

Democrats are running hard on health care in Georgia’s Senate runoffs. Republicans? Not so much.

Surprise! Congress takes steps to curb unexpected medical bills

Virtual telehealth platform enables kidney transplant evaluation from home

Study: Better hospital nurse staffing reduces sepsis deaths

New research highlights role and impact of integrated health systems in the U.S.

Telemedicine needed to diagnose and treat swallowing difficulties in COVID-19 patients, say physicians

Study finds gaps in opioid use disorder treatment during COVID shutdowns

Cost information greatly enhances the value of shared decision making

Researchers deploy new framework for eliminating defects in health care value

New studies analyze the impact of hurricanes on hospitalizations, medical providers

With Becerra as HHS pick, California plots more progressive health care agenda

Trump plan may set clock ticking on many health rules — setting off alarms

Dialysis industry spends millions, emerges as power player in California politics

In Becerra, an HHS nominee with political skill but no front-line health experience

New study examines the increase in virtual doctor visits

Donor stem cell transplant can improve survival rates for older patients with MDS, study shows

Mortality rates after cancer surgery appear to be improving for Black and White patients

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