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A majority of American adults taking opioids and other commonly prescribed medications are misusing them, including combining them with other drugs in dangerous ways, according to a new study by Quest Diagnostics.

Adrenal gland tumors that are defined as being nonfunctional may not really be so, and the hormones that these tumors secrete could increase an individual’s risk of cardiometabolic irregularities, according to a new study.

With Medicare preparing to reimburse for the Diabetes Prevention Program in January 2018, companies are forming or expanding to make this evidence-based program scalable to reach 86 million people with prediabetes.

With growing demand for practitioner accountability and a transition from fee-for-service to value-based care, there is now a compelling case to be made for healthcare delivery team support to address these social determinants of health.

What we're reading, August 2, 2016: co-ops in New Mexico and Massachusetts sue the government over the risk-adjustment formula and why hospital ratings should be viewed with a bit of skepticism.

Consumers on the Affordable Care Act's public exchanges have shown a willingness to shop around for coverage that heath plans can tap into.

The successor to an earlier value-based effort in primary care could reach 5000 practices and 3.5 million patients. The original model showed transformation but had not yet shown savings after 2 years.

Two consultants who help stakeholders in value-based transitions say CMS is serious about an aggressive pace for payment reform.

What we're reading, August 1, 2016: proponents of Colorado's proposed state universal healthcare want Bernie Sanders' help; thousands need new health coverage in Ohio and Connecticut; and the trouble with getting a patient off a prescription.

World Lung Cancer Day is a grassroots effort conceived by a lung cancer survivor. Here are a few updates on ways to prevent the disease and manage treatment.

Experts say that at too many chain restaurants, individual meals exceed recommended calories for the entire day, to say nothing of excessive amounts of salt and fat.The Affordable Care Act will require most chains to put calorie counts on the menu by next year.

Launched on April 1, 2016, the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model is the first mandatory bundled payment program from CMS. To ensure that they are getting the most from the initial CJR data feeds from CMS, hospitals must understand what can and cannot be measured, and take steps now to address any issues.

A new study, presented at the 2016 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, suggested that treating people with Alzheimer’s disease may increase survival and reduce cost, even though the treatment does not change the underlying course of the disease.

Healthcare spending is tracked routinely, but much less is known about where the money goes.

The most recent pattern of healthcare spending among Americans appears to show a divergence of expenditures trends for the wealthy, middle class, and poor, which suggests a redistribution of care toward wealthier Americans.

Some surgical procedures were associated with an increased risk of chronic opioid use among patients who had never used opioids prior to surgery.

This week, the top stories in managed care included the release of Medicare's Star ratings for hospital quality, a new proposal from CMS to require bundled payments for cardiac care, and an FDA panel recommended approving a continuous glucose monitoring system for dosing insulin.

Sharing information of diagnosis and treatment decisions reassured women newly diagnosed with breast cancer of their health choices, according to a new study published in JAMA Oncology.

The work with mice models revealed how the functioning of a key receptor affects the body's ability to burn fat.

A list of a few recent developments in the world of health information technology (Health IT).

While most the attention for reducing 30-day readmissions is with the Medicare population, the study shows that children's needs also demand attention.

What we're reading, July 29, 2016: a trans-Atlantic partnership has been formed to fight superbugs; the FDA halted blood collections in 2 Florida counties over Zika fears; and investigation confirms Zika cases in Florida were from local mosquitoes.

Recent coverage of our peer-reviewed research, in the healthcare and mainstream press.

What can a university do when students are getting the mumps, even though they were vaccinated as children? The CDC examines what happened at the University of Illinois.

A new study has found that combining ipilimumab with local peripheral treatments such as radiotherapy or electrochemotherapy can significantly better survival in patients with melanoma.

The study examined records for more than 124,000 people with type 2 diabetes over a 7-year period.

The number of state psychiatric beds still available to serve the nation’s most ill and potentially dangerous psychiatric patients is at its lowest level ever recorded, setting off a crisis of unmet need throughout the country.

To help clinics meet the objectives and reporting requirements of the Oncology Care Model (OCM), Flatiron Health has developed OncoEMR, a cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) coupled with an analytics tool.

The approval paves the way for Sanofi's insulin and GLP-1 combination therapy, which is due for final FDA action in August.

What we're reading, July 28, 2016: CMS released first hospital quality ratings; Anthem is prepared to fight the government over Cigna purchase; and regulations are falling behind stem cell clinics.