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Anthem’s retreat leaves Californians with fewer choices, more worries

Bill Daitchman got some bad news this week: His insurer is breaking up with him. Daitchman and his wife, who own a graphic design business in Santa Cruz County, each pays $350 a month for a health insurance plan from Anthem Blue Cross on the Covered California exchange.

2 Aug 2017

Counting on Medicaid to avoid life in a nursing home? That’s now up to Congress.

Ten years ago, a driver ran a stop sign as Jim McIlroy rode into the intersection on his motorcycle. Serious injuries left McIlroy paralyzed from the chest down. But, after spending some time in a nursing home, he returned to his home near Bethel, Maine.

31 Jul 2017

Even without Congress, Trump can still cut Medicaid enrollment

After the Senate fell short in their effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration is poised to use its regulatory powers to accomplish what lawmakers could not: Shrink Medicaid.

28 Jul 2017

Study: Team-based primary care model effective in lowering opioid use among chronic pain patients

A new, team-based, primary care model is decreasing prescription opioid use among patients with chronic pain by 40 percent, according to a new study out of Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine, which is published online ahead of print in JAMA Internal Medicine.

18 Jul 2017

Black light helps determine disease extent of melasma in pregnant women

Researchers at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine have found that using a black light, or Wood's light, helps dermatologists determine disease extent of melasma, a hyperpigmentation condition that causes brown and gray patches to appear on the face.

17 Jul 2017

Medical transportation provider accused of disserving L.A.’s frail patients

Some days, the drivers showed up late to take Julian Myers to and from dialysis. Other days, they didn't come at all. When that happened, Myers, who has end-stage kidney disease, scrambled to find a ride.

14 Jul 2017

The union that roars: Nurses aren’t giving up on California’s single-payer push

To some, the California Nurses Association's political tactics in pushing for a single-payer health system seemed a bit, well, extreme.

11 Jul 2017

Senate GOP bill aims to add psych beds; squeeze on Medicaid signals their undoing

A little-discussed provision in the Senate health care bill is designed to boost the number of hospital beds for psychiatric care, providing a long-sought victory for mental health advocates.

10 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

Study opens the lid on overprescribing of antibiotics for acute conjunctivitis

A new study suggests that most people with acute conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, are getting the wrong treatment.

29 Jun 2017

Racial disparities continue to exist in hospital readmissions, study finds

A new study in the journal Health Affairs shows that, despite being designed to more effectively manage care and control costs, black patients enrolled with Medicare Advantage are far more likely to be readmitted to the hospital after a surgery than those enrolled on traditional Medicare.

27 Jun 2017

Use of non-invasive ventilation decreases mortality in children with respiratory distress, study finds

A study by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center and the Mailman School of Public Health found that applying continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a form of non-invasive ventilation, decreased mortality in children with respiratory distress.

20 Jun 2017

Most people with acute conjunctivitis get wrong treatment, study suggests

A new study suggests that most people with acute conjunctivitis, or pink eye, are getting the wrong treatment. About 60 percent of patients are prescribed antibiotic eyedrops, even though antibiotics are rarely necessary to treat this common eye infection.

19 Jun 2017

Study highlights critical gap in addiction treatment for young people with OUD

Only one in four young adults and teens with opioid use disorder are receiving potentially life-saving medications for addiction treatment, according to a new Boston Medical Center study published online in JAMA Pediatrics.

19 Jun 2017

AARP: States lag in keeping Medicaid enrollees out of nursing homes

States are making tepid progress helping millions of elderly and disabled people on Medicaid avoid costly nursing home care by arranging home or community services for them instead, according to an AARP report released Wednesday.

14 Jun 2017

Alinity: the future of diagnostics?

Diagnostic tests are critical as up to 60 to 70% of critical clinical decisions are influenced by diagnostic test results. It's of huge importance to the running of any healthcare system. Here at Abbott, we believe that providing clinicians with quick access to diagnostics information and insights can help them make quick clinical decisions around the appropriate treatment for a patient,

From Abbott Diagnostics 14 Jun 2017

California’s new single-payer proposal embraces some costly old ways

Three of the dirtiest words in health care are "fee for service." For years, U.S. officials have sought to move Medicare away from paying doctors and hospitals for each task they perform, a costly approach that rewards the quantity of care over quality. State Medicaid programs and private insurers are pursuing similar changes.

31 May 2017

Fixed-dose combination therapy for high blood pressure linked to lower health services costs

About half of patients diagnosed with high blood pressure will need their medication adjusted within the first year to address side effects or failure to control blood pressure properly.

30 May 2017

Two Medicare Advantage insurers settle whistleblower lawsuit for $32 million

Two Florida Medicare Advantage insurers have agreed to pay nearly $32 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleged they exaggerated how sick patients were and took other steps to overbill the government health plan for the elderly.

30 May 2017

Two-dose HPV vaccine provides effective protection against genital warts

As of this year, kids under the age of 15 only need 2 doses of HPV vaccine. New research out of Boston Medical Center, published online in the STD Journal, is the first published clinical evidence to support new recommendations by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for a two-dose HPV vaccine to prevent genital warts.

15 May 2017