Cook County launches campaign to connect local organizations, businesses to naloxone
Cook County health officials on Wednesday launched a new campaign to help local groups learn more about naloxone and how to acquire free doses.
Illinois reproductive groups blast SCOTUS decision to allow states to restrict Medicaid funding
Reproductive groups in Illinois said they are deeply concerned by Thursday’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that will allow states to restrict the ability for Medicaid recipients to access services at providers like Planned Parenthood.
Inequitable Treatment Persists Across Pediatric Specialties, Review Shows
Children in racial and ethnic minority groups received poorer healthcare services compared with white kids, a review of quantitative studies showed. Inequitable treatment persisted across pediatric specialties, including neonatology, primary care, emergency medicine, inpatient and critical care, surgery, developmental disabilities, mental health care, endocrinology, and palliative care, reported Nia Heard-Garris, MD, of Northwestern University’s Feinberg […]
Poor diet quality during adolescence is linked to serious health risks
Diet quality among adolescents in the United States is among the worst across all age groups, putting young people at risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, among other cardiometabolic diseases later in life. The research brief shared in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, used the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and […]
UnitedHealthcare in the Hot Seat Over GI Procedure ‘Advance Notification’ Policy
Provider groups shared varied reactions to changes that insurance giant UnitedHealthcare is making to its policies for coverage of various gastroenterology procedures, including colonoscopies. In January, UnitedHealthcare informed providers that beginning June 1, it would be instituting a prior authorization policy. According to the proposed policy — which was previously on the insurer’s website and […]
ECMO Therapy Out of Reach for Multiple Socioeconomic Groups
Socioeconomic disparities made certain groups on mechanical ventilation less likely to receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment in the years before the pandemic, a Nationwide Readmissions Database study found. Women were a relative 27% less likely to receive ECMO than their male counterparts (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.70-0.75), while patients on Medicaid were nearly […]
Medicare Expected to Become Insolvent by 2031, Trustees Say
WASHINGTON — Interest groups here are sounding the alarm about a new report from the Medicare trustees that extended by 3 years the estimate for when the program would become insolvent. “Based on our best estimates, this year’s reports show that the Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund will be able to pay 100% of total […]
Asthma Control Worldwide Remains Less Than Ideal
The management and control of asthma across age groups is often inadequate, especially in lower-income nations, according to a global cross-sectional study. Across the 25 nations included in the study, which included over 25,000 individuals with asthma confirmed by a doctor, plans used to assist in the management of asthma symptoms were used in 62.8% […]
Proposed Budget Deal Would Partially Delay Cut to Medicare Physician Payments
WASHINGTON — Physician groups wasted no time Tuesday expressing their dismay over a proposed $1.7 trillion budget deal in Congress that would rescind upcoming Medicare physician payment cuts — but only partially. “MGMA is deeply dismayed by the failure of Congress to adequately address the full 4.5% cut to the Medicare conversion factor set to […]
Opinion | A Rough Road Ahead for Healthcare Providers
After weathering the immense difficulties of COVID-19 for the past few years, medical groups and health systems leaders will not receive any respite in 2023. Huge challenges await these leaders in the coming year in many areas — finance, operations, clinical practice, and workforce. Yet, progress is possible as some will leverage the numerous strengths […]