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No sweeteners added to tax bill to spread use of health savings accounts

The ongoing uncertainty about congressional changes to the health law — and their impact on insurance and the online marketplaces — continues to raise questions among consumers. Here are answers to recent queries.

19 Dec 2017

Patient bedside remains important component of medical education for students

A new web-based tool aimed at improving experiential learning for medical students has demonstrated that learning occurs in patient rooms and in other areas within the hospital, including workstations.

7 Dec 2017

Churning, confusion and disruption — The dark side of marketplace coverage

Cyndee Weston can barely remember the last time she didn't have to switch health plans during an Affordable Care Act sign-up season. By her count, she has been on five plans in five years.

7 Dec 2017

Hospitals find asthma hot spots more profitable to neglect than fix

Keyonta Parnell has had asthma most of his young life, but it wasn't until his family moved to the 140-year-old house here on Lemmon Street two years ago that he became one of the health care system's frequent customers.

6 Dec 2017

Whistleblower: Medicaid managed-care firm improperly denied care to thousands

In early October, an executive at one of the nation's largest physician-practice management firms handed her bosses the equivalent of a live grenade — a 20-page report that blew up the company and shook the world of managed care for poor patients across California.

1 Dec 2017

UCLA study: ACA appears to have encouraged more people to use preventive care for heart health

By reducing out-of-pocket costs for preventive treatment, the Affordable Care Act appears to have encouraged more people to have health screenings related to their cardiovascular health, a UCLA study found.

23 Nov 2017

Research shows major shift in eye surgeries from hospitals to ambulatory surgery centers

National data shows a major shift in eye surgeries from hospitals to less expensive ambulatory surgery centers where care may be delivered faster and closer to home for some patients.

22 Nov 2017

Researchers reduce over-prescription of antibiotics by using computer alerts to inform doctors

Physicians at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California reduced the odds of prescribing an antibiotic for sinusitis by 22 percent using computer alerts to inform doctors when antibiotics may not be the best course of treatment. The research was published today in the American Journal of Managed Care.

21 Nov 2017

Health giant Sutter destroys evidence in crucial antitrust case over high prices

Sutter Health intentionally destroyed 192 boxes of documents that employers and labor unions were seeking in a lawsuit that accuses the giant Northern California health system of abusing its market power and charging inflated prices, according to a state judge.

17 Nov 2017

Study aims to involve parents in early intervention services for children with autism

Early diagnosis and intervention for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can help change the trajectory of their life. While children can be diagnosed with autism as early as 18-24 months of age, most children are diagnosed between 4-5 years old.

17 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

New inpatient program can be powerful tool to close gap in addiction treatment

A new program at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction is showing that connecting patients to addiction treatment when they are hospitalized for other conditions can be a powerful tool in closing a gap in addiction treatment.

8 Nov 2017

Study shows Healthy Days as valid method to evaluate overall population health

Humana Inc. today announced results from a study that found a relationship between patient-reported, health-related quality of life and multiple objective measures of health in elderly Medicare Advantage patients with chronic conditions.

28 Oct 2017

So much care it hurts: Unneeded scans, therapy, surgery only add to patients’ ills

When Annie Dennison was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, she readily followed advice from her medical team, agreeing to harsh treatments in the hope of curing her disease.

23 Oct 2017

Anthem eases up on premium hikes after state scrutiny

Insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross agreed to reduce two planned premium increases for 2018 after California regulators questioned the company's rationale for raising rates by as much as it had initially proposed.

12 Oct 2017

Patients, health insurers challenge Iowa’s privatized Medicaid

Iowa is one of 38 states that radically changed the way it runs Medicaid over the past few years. The state moved about 600,000 people on the government-run health program into care that is managed by for-profit insurance companies.

9 Oct 2017

Study supports importance of alcohol control policies to reduce homicide

Stronger alcohol policies, including taxes and sales restrictions, have been shown to reduce the likelihood of alcohol involvement among homicide victims, according to a new study from Boston Medical Center and Boston University.

21 Sep 2017

Pharmaceutical companies may have strong hold on how doctors prescribe opioids, study suggests

One in twelve physicians - and nearly one in five family medicine physicians - accepted payments from pharmaceutical companies related to opioids, according to a new study out of Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine.

10 Aug 2017

New payment formula recommends allocating health insurance dollars for vulnerable populations

A first-of-its kind payment formula developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School recommends allocating some health insurance dollars for patients in vulnerable communities and for those subject to social risks, in addition to their medical issues.

8 Aug 2017