SCOTUS Case Hinges on ‘Weapon of Choice’ for Targeting Healthcare Fraud
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on whether major pharmacies illegally overbilled Medicare and Medicaid for prescription drugs, a case that could weaken a key law the federal government uses to stamp out fraud. The case before the high court hinges on two whistleblower cases brought under the False Claims Act, a 19th-century […]
Why Does Insulin Cost So Much? Big Pharma Isn’t the Only Player Driving Prices
Eli Lilly & Co.’s announcement that it is slashing prices for its major insulin products could make life easier for some diabetes patients while easing pressure on Big Pharma. It also casts light on the profiteering methods of the drug industry’s price mediators — the pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) — at a time when Congress […]
Surgery Bests Endovascular Therapy for Most Limb-Threatening Ischemia Patients
CHICAGO — Surgical revascularization led to fewer major adverse limb events and deaths compared with endovascular therapy in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia, according to the prospective randomized BEST-CLI trial. After a median follow-up of 2.7 years, the primary composite outcome of major adverse limb events and death from any cause occurred in 42.6% of […]
Model Predicts COVID Deaths Will Flatline This Winter
The U.S. probably won’t see a major surge in COVID deaths this winter, according to new models from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle. By Feb. 1, 2023, daily deaths are projected to be at a high point of 335, which pales in comparison to the […]
Air pollution tips the scale for obesity in women
Obesity has been a major global health issue in recent decades as more people eat unhealthy diets and fail to exercise regularly. A new University of Michigan study suggests there is another factor that tips the scale in women’s weight, body mass index, waist circumference and body fat — air pollution. Women in their late […]
New Study Finds Another Good Reason To Get Your Flu Shot
There may be a major perk to getting your flu shot that spans beyond virus protection, according to a new observational study published in the American Academy of Neurology journal. The research found that people who got their flu shot were less likely to have a stroke. Specifically, the study focused on ischemic stroke, which […]
New Study Finds Another Good Reason To Get Your Flu Shot
There may be a major perk to getting your flu shot that spans beyond virus protection, according to a new observational study published in the American Academy of Neurology journal. The research found that people who got their flu shot were less likely to have a stroke. Specifically, the study focused on ischemic stroke, which […]
Primary Care Docs Need Better Community Data to Improve Public Health, Expert Says
Primary care doctors need to play a major role in improving the public health system, and to do that they need better data on the community they’re serving, said Andrew Bazemore, MD, MPH, at a briefing sponsored by the Alliance for Health Policy Friday. “I need to understand what the ‘community vital signs’ are for […]
Report Details ‘Massive Global Failure’ in Response to COVID-19
The Lancet Commission called for a major overhaul to the World Health Organization (WHO) and global health policy following the estimated deaths of more than 17 million people worldwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This staggering death toll is both a profound tragedy and a massive global failure at multiple levels,” according to […]
BP Lowering in Pregnant Women Continues to Take Shape
SAN DIEGO — Standard practice has changed since a major trial revealed earlier this year that treating mild hypertension in pregnant women helps them without hurting their children. Nevertheless, questions about the particulars of this approach arose during a discussion at the annual Hypertension meeting hosted by the American Heart Association. In April 2022, the […]