Doctors and scientists are debating whether a little-known measure in covid testing should be used to distinguish who is infectious from who isn’t. The NFL adopted the practice, but laboratory professionals caution against its use.
Read MoreThe on-off nature of the pandemic “has led to a lot of the confusion and grumpiness,” says one expert. Another compares it to the exhaustion of the American public when hearing body counts during the Vietnam War.
Read MoreMedicare has proposed limiting coverage of Aduhelm, the costly new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and several prominent groups representing patients and their families are pressing the program to make it more widely available. But among individuals facing the disease, the outlook is more nuanced.
Read MoreKHN Senior Correspondent Samantha Young joined California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly for an engaging conversation about how California moves forward in an environment in which covid persists, but at more manageable levels.
Read MoreSpun off from the ailing but not-quite-dead Build Back Better legislation, a popular proposal to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 a month faces tough political realities that could kill it.
Read MoreKennedy Stonum, a 17-year-old high school junior, resisted getting vaccinated against covid-19, as did 20-year-old Tyler Gilreath, whose mother had nagged him for months to get the shots. Both died.
Read MoreGov. Gavin Newsom has launched several initiatives to cut rising drug prices, but the savings haven’t been as monumental as he promised. And his plan to have California make its own generic drugs hasn’t gotten off the ground.
Read MorePresident Joe Biden spent a large portion of his first State of the Union address talking about foreign affairs, but he also spent time on an array of health topics, including mental health, nursing home regulation, and toxic burn pits. Also this week, the administration unveiled a strategy to address the covid pandemic going forward. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Amy Goldstein of The Washington Post, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
Read MoreThe Department of Labor issued rules in July clarifying that health plans need to cover the costs of prescription drugs proven to prevent HIV infection, along with related lab tests and medical appointments, at no cost to patients. More than half a year later, the erroneous billing continues.
Read MoreThe pandemic has shown that loosening the strict regulations on distributing methadone helps people recovering from addiction stay in treatment. But clinics with a financial stake in keeping the status quo don’t want to make permanent changes.
Read More1. In this study, counselors reported that patients would be more likely to access buprenorphine treatment if they had access to greater social resources, such as housing or internet. 2. Counselors also report that increased screening at intake about psychosocial factors would be helpful. Evidence Rating Level: 3 (Average) One of the current national public […]
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1. In a crossover randomized controlled trial of 30 children with functional abdominal pain or irritable bowel syndrome, patient-reported pain scores decreased slightly but significantly with an open-label placebo. 2. Patients’ use of rescue pain medication was also significantly lower during use of the placebo. Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent) Study Rundown: Disorders of gut-brain […]
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1. In patients with gout and chronic kidney disease, the initiation of allopurinol was not associated with increased mortality. 2. In patients with gout and chronic kidney disease, dose escalation of allopurinol nor achieving target serum urate levels was associated with increased mortality. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) Study Rundown: Serum urate (SU) lowering medications […]
Read More1. In this cross-sectional study, there was a 57% increase in new-onset Type 1 Diabetes diagnoses in children at a tertiary care hospital during a 12-month period of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2. Incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis on presentation increased from 41% to 50%. Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) Study Rundown: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is […]
Read More1. Compression sleeves reduced and delayed the incidence of lymphedema in the first year after surgery 2. Quality of life measures were not significantly different between the compression sleeve group and the control group Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good) Study Rundown: Lymphedema in the arm(s) after axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) as part of breast […]
Read More1. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 receiving at least one dose of molnupiravir did not show reduced mortality compared to patients receiving placebo treatment. 2. Molnupiravir was not associated with any dose-limiting side effects. Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent) Study Rundown: Molnupiravir is a small molecule that interferes with the viral genome replication process in RNA […]
Read More1. The use of a neoadjuvant gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy before surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine increased the overall survival rate when compared to upfront surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine. 2. Patients in the neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy groups had more R0 resections than patients receiving upfront surgery and adjuvant gemcitabine. Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent) Study Rundown: Past randomized control […]
Read More1. Betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel) gene therapy resulted in sustained hemoglobin A with a T87Q amino acid substitution (HbAT87Q) in non-β0/β0 genotype patients. 2. The gene therapy resulted in a total hemoglobin level sufficient for transfusion independence in these patients. Evidence Rating Level: 1 (Excellent) Study Rundown: β-thalassemia is caused by β-globin gene mutations, leading to […]
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