September 20th 2024
The author discusses a program to prevent kidney decline and progression to dialysis by offering education, support services, and help navigating the health care system to those most at risk.
September 10th 2024
Study Finds Significant Link Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea, White Matter Hyperintensities
October 5th 2021Patients with obstuctive sleep apnea were found to be significantly more likely to have brain white matter hyperintensities, lesions known to signal brain aging and potential risk of Alzheimer disease.
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Francis Collins, MD, PhD, will step down as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the end of the year; the Biden administration ends a ban on federal funds for clinics that provide abortion referrals; the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is 90% effective in preventing hospitalization and death 6 months after the second dose.
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Contributor: Institutional Engagement With Physicians Is Key to Managing Cost and Quality
September 30th 2021Although physicians’ clinical decisions serve as the biggest drivers behind the cost of care, hospitals have long been reluctant to take financial accountability. If such accountability is to be transformed from a diffuse fear to a manageable managerial task, institutional engagement with physicians will be a critical next step.
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Insulin Pump Use Linked With Decreased Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy in Young Patients With T1D
September 28th 2021Risk of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was found to be decreased in young patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who were treated with insulin pumps, with findings also indicating a 2.1-fold greater risk of DR in Black participants compared with White individuals.
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) issues a warning on fentanyl-laced counterfeit prescription drugs; a new FBI report shows a year-to-year increase in murders nationwide from 2019 to 2020; Pfizer will soon begin testing a novel combination therapy as a preventive measure against COVID-19 infection.
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Remove Race From Equation Used to Assess Kidney Function, Researchers Say
September 23rd 2021Long-awaited reports released Thursday call for eliminating race in estimated glomerular filtration rate equations and point to alternatives in an effort to eliminate disparities in chronic kidney disease.
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Study Contradicts Other Research About Potentially Inappropriate Medications Among Older Adults
September 22nd 2021The current study found that those prescribed potentially inappropriate medications were actually less likely to revisit the emergency department within 30 days, in contrast to prior work.
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Spotlighting Pandemic-Related Challenges, Data-Driven Solutions for Payers
September 21st 2021On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we address how delays in routine care and other aspects of the pandemic are affecting payer organizations today, and how technology innovations like natural language processing can work to empower key initiatives in population health and beyond.
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PCOS Estimated to Cost $8 Billion in Immediate, Long-term Health Issues
September 21st 2021An updated report shows that the long-term cost of treating the health effects of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)—$4.3 billion—is even higher than $3.7 billion it takes to diagnose and treat immediate issues that present for women who are of reproductive age.
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Dr Colleen R. Kelly on the Lack of Evidence to Support Probiotics for C difficile
September 18th 2021Clinicians are finding that there really is no basis to recommend probiotics for patients with Clostridioides difficile infection, that instead they may cause harm, said Colleen R. Kelly, MD, FACG, gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
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States Late to Adopt PrEP Risk Falling Further Behind
September 18th 2021A new analysis of 2014-2018 data among all states plus Washington, DC, for those who have either indications for preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or current prescriptions for the preventive treatment, shows a widening gap in PrEP uptake, with states considered early adopters pulling ahead of those considered late adopters.
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FDA Committee Votes Against COVID-19 Vaccine Booster for General Population
September 17th 2021The advisory committee voted against COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for individuals 16 years and older, but unanimously voted for booster shots for people 65 years and older or who are at high risk of severe COVID-19.
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Early Life Lower Respiratory Tract Infections May Increase OSA Risk in Children
September 17th 2021Children who experience lower respiratory tract infections early in their lives were shown to be at significantly greater risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea in the first 5 years of life.
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