Enough time had passed since the patient’s previous colonoscopy that she met the criteria to undergo another, said Steven Itzkowitz, a gastroenterologist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. She was in “reasonably good health,” and the risks of the procedure — bleeding, reaction to anesthesia, perforation of her colon…
The Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit is provided by private plans, either Medicare Advantage plans that offer drug coverage (MA-PDs) or, for those in traditional Medicare, stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs). New data from CMS shows that 56 million people are enrolled in Part D plans as of February 2026, with more in MA-PDs…
Microsoft launched Copilot Health, an AI model that pulls together users’ medical records, wearable data and trusted health information. The move comes amid a wave of other tech companies announcing healthcare-focused large language models for consumers, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Amazon. The post Microsoft Enters Healthcare Chatbot Race with Copilot Health appeared first on MedCity…
Recently I read the book Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson. Why nations fail is of course is a very important question, but one economists often shy away from because it is so multifaceted. In this book, however, the authors argue that one sufficient…
This is a new organization that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to create, consolidating the functions of many federal health organizations and cutting significant staff. The Guardian reports: Robert F Kennedy Jr said the nation’s health agencies will cut 10,000 jobs from their 82,000-person workforce – an enormous reduction the US health secretary characterized as…
Contingency management is an evidence-based psychosocial intervention that uses motivational incentives, such as vouchers or gift cards, to encourage recovery behaviors like stimulant abstinence and treatment session (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy) attendance. The Biden administration has approved four state contingency management waivers (California, Delaware, Montana, and Washington); three additional state contingency management requests…
Cigna Healthcare ranks highest in digital experience among commercial plans, while UPMC Health Plan ranks highest among Medicare Advantage plans, according to a new JD Power report. The post Which Health Plans Rank Highest In Digital Experience? appeared first on MedCity News.
A child developed a rash after he was prevented from changing his underwear for four days. A little boy, bored and overcome with despair, began hitting himself in the head. A child with autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was forced to go without his medication, despite his mother’s pleas. “I heard one officer say about us…
David Garza sometimes feels as if he doesn’t have health insurance now that he pays so much to treat his Type 2 diabetes. His monthly premium payment of $435 for family coverage is roughly the same as the insurance at his previous job. But the policy at his current job carries an annual deductible of…
Losing these retail medication outlets creates more than just pharmacy deserts. In many low-income and underserved areas, drugstores also serve as grocery stores and hubs for essential services, and hence their closures mean communities lose crucial access points for a variety of goods and services. The post There is Still a Significant Need for Community…