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As Trump touts his ‘great’ COVID drugs, the pharma cash flows to Biden, not him

Pharmaceutical giants Regeneron and Gilead Sciences got the kind of publicity money can't buy this week after President Donald Trump took their experimental drugs for his coronavirus infection, left the hospital and pronounced himself fully recovered.

9 Oct 2020

Job-based health insurance costs are up 4% this year, 55% in past decade

Health insurance costs for Americans who get their coverage through work continued a relentless march upward with average family premiums rising 4% to $21,342 this year, according to a study published Thursday.

8 Oct 2020

Paying oncology practices to prescribe evidence-based drugs can improve quality of cancer care

A pay-for performance program that offers enhanced reimbursement to oncology practices for prescribing high-quality, evidence-based cancer drugs increased use of these drugs without significantly changing total spending on care, Penn Medicine researchers report in a new study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

8 Oct 2020

Study provides new solution to offset the cost of medical scribes

Requirements for electronic health records are greater now than ever, and that burden is exacerbating the problem of physician burnout. However, there might be a solution: the medical scribe.

6 Oct 2020

Individual and socioeconomic factors associated with COVID infection, hospitalization and death

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is actively spreading across nations, with millions of people affected. In the United States alone, more than 7.45 million people have been infected, and more than 210,000 have died.

5 Oct 2020

Study shows overall rate of preoperative stress testing for hip and knee replacements

A new study out of the University of Chicago Medicine shows the overall rate of preoperative stress testing for hip and knee replacements is and has been decreasing consistently since 2006.

1 Oct 2020

Sky-high drug prices driven by pharma profits, House Dems charge

Enormous drug company profits are the primary driver of soaring prescription drug prices in America, according to a damning investigation that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee began releasing Wednesday.

30 Sep 2020

Newer Type 2 diabetes medications could reduce kidney, heart disease risks

Two newer groups of medications prescribed primarily for Type 2 diabetes treatment (SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists) could significantly reduce risks associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart disease.

28 Sep 2020

Study reports a drop in Medicare reimbursement rates for orthopedic trauma surgery

The amount Medicare reimburses for orthopedic trauma surgery has fallen by nearly one-third over the past two decades, reports a study in the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma.

21 Sep 2020

Without Ginsburg, judicial threats to the ACA, reproductive rights heighten

On Feb. 27, 2018, I got an email from the Heritage Foundation, alerting me to a news conference that afternoon held by Republican attorneys general of Texas and other states. It was referred to only as a "discussion about the Affordable Care Act lawsuit."

21 Sep 2020

Older racial and ethnic minority nursing home residents suffer the most from COVID-19

Older racial and ethnic minority residents and their caregivers bear the severest brunt from COVID-19 across the entire spectrum of US nursing homes and assisted living communities, University of Rochester Medical Center researchers report in two groundbreaking studies in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

21 Sep 2020

Research finds greater decline of recurrent heart attacks in women than men

After surviving a heart attack, the proportion of patients who experience a repeat attack within a year fell between 2008 and 2017, with a greater decline in women than men, according to new research published today in theAmerican Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

21 Sep 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: It’s scandal week

President Donald Trump finally released his promised executive order aimed at bringing down drug costs.

17 Sep 2020

Urban hospitals of last resort cling to life in time of COVID

Victor Coronado felt lightheaded one morning last month when he stood up to grab an iced tea. The right side of his body suddenly felt heavy. He heard himself slur his words. "That's when I knew I was going to have a stroke," he said.

17 Sep 2020

Clinical trials support effectiveness of collaborative care in treating behavioral health disorders

As anxiety and depression rise in the country, primary care clinics, especially in rural areas, are facing increased patient needs.

16 Sep 2020

New dental treatment helps fill cavities and insurance gaps for seniors

Dental hygienist Jennifer Geiselhofer often cleans the teeth of senior patients who can't easily get to a dentist's office. But until recently, if she found a cavity, there was little she could do.

15 Sep 2020

Rheumatology providers and patient advocates urge lawmakers to address healthcare challenges

The American College of Rheumatology will hold its first virtual Advocates for Arthritis event on Tuesday, Sept. 15, where more than 120 rheumatologists, rheumatology health professionals, and patient advocates will meet with lawmakers via video to discuss the healthcare challenges they are facing in the midst of COVID-19.

14 Sep 2020

With no legal guardrails for patients, ambulances drive surprise medical billing

School librarian Amanda Brasfield bent over to grab her lunch from a small refrigerator and felt her heart begin to race. Even after lying on her office floor and closing her eyes, her heart kept pounding and fluttering in her chest.

14 Sep 2020

ACP highlights the importance of planned increases in payments for E/M services

Today the American College of Physicians sent a letter to every member of Congress stressing the importance that the planned increases in payments for evaluation and management services and other changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule move forward as scheduled on Jan. 1.

12 Sep 2020

Federal program to reduce hospital readmission for COPD patients may increase mortality rates

Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that while the 30-day readmission rate for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has decreased, the mortality rate has increased.

12 Sep 2020

Medicare News and Research

As Trump touts his ‘great’ COVID drugs, the pharma cash flows to Biden, not him

Job-based health insurance costs are up 4% this year, 55% in past decade

Paying oncology practices to prescribe evidence-based drugs can improve quality of cancer care

Study provides new solution to offset the cost of medical scribes

Individual and socioeconomic factors associated with COVID infection, hospitalization and death

Study shows overall rate of preoperative stress testing for hip and knee replacements

Sky-high drug prices driven by pharma profits, House Dems charge

Newer Type 2 diabetes medications could reduce kidney, heart disease risks

Study reports a drop in Medicare reimbursement rates for orthopedic trauma surgery

Without Ginsburg, judicial threats to the ACA, reproductive rights heighten

Older racial and ethnic minority nursing home residents suffer the most from COVID-19

Research finds greater decline of recurrent heart attacks in women than men

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: It’s scandal week

Urban hospitals of last resort cling to life in time of COVID

Clinical trials support effectiveness of collaborative care in treating behavioral health disorders

New dental treatment helps fill cavities and insurance gaps for seniors

Rheumatology providers and patient advocates urge lawmakers to address healthcare challenges

With no legal guardrails for patients, ambulances drive surprise medical billing

ACP highlights the importance of planned increases in payments for E/M services

Federal program to reduce hospital readmission for COPD patients may increase mortality rates

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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