Latest Daily Edition Stories
Health Spending Growth Slows For Second Year In A Row
Although the nation spent $3.5 trillion on health last year, federal economists found that the increase in health expenses did not exceed the growth in the overall economy.
Judge Considers Delaying CVS-Aetna Merger, Citing Potential Anti-Competitive Harms
But antitrust experts say it’s only possible for the Department of Justice to block the merger. DOJ approved the $70 billion deal in October. Meanwhile, CVS and Aetna are moving ahead with integration plans. Other industry news looks at CVS’ new prescription drug-price plans, the rising costs of Pitocin and Ketamine, and a recall on infant ibuprofen.
Flu Shot Still Left Off To-Do List For 40 Percent Of Adults Even After Last Year’s Deadly Season
Public health officials warn about a repeat of last year when the virus killed 80,000 people, and they stress that side effects from the shot are mild. Other public health news focuses on the outcry over the first CRISPR babies; prescription heroin; new transplant rules; more raw beef recalls; and the rise of mosquito-born illnesses.
Nearly A Third Of Physicians Working In U.S. Born Abroad, Analysis Of Health Workers Finds
A new study breaks down the number of doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and other health care experts working in the U.S. who are foreign-born or who are not U.S. citizens. And in other health care personnel news, Eisenhower Health and the University of California’s School of Medicine expands its slots for training future doctors.
HHS Says Reporting ‘Inaccurate’ About Potential Changes To Fetal Tissue Research Funding For UCSF
No decision has been made yet about federal funding for a University of California at San Francisco’s research laboratory, the Department of Health and Human Services says about a story yesterday from The Washington Post. The lab in question has been instrumental in testing virtually all HIV therapies subsequently approved by the Food and Drug Administration since the 1990s.
Advocates Worry Progress On Cutting State’s Uninsured Rates In Children Has Stalled
Although California’s statistics are better than other rates, the number of uninsured children in the state has stagnated at 3.1 percent. Some are worried, though, that it’s a sign California’s marketplaces are starting to feel the impact of national efforts to chip away at the health law.
As Health Technology Advances, More And More Doctors Are Shrugging Off Brick-And-Mortar Practices
Companies such as Doctor On Demand let patients consult with physicians — with both sides in the privacy of their own homes. “With the advent of technology and how we’ve developed personal devices, this will be the future of medicine,” said Dr. Tony Yuan, Doctor On Demand’s medical director.
Formerly named San Francisco General Hospital, the facility changed its name in 2015 to the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center after Zuckerberg and his wife, pediatrician Priscilla Chan, made a $75 million donation. But now San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin wants it removed.
In Face Of Intense Government Scrutiny, Juul To Retool Product To Lower Nicotine Levels
Some experts though said the higher vapor in the new products could potentially make the pods even more addictive, increasing the risk particularly to young people, whose developing brains are more susceptible to the addictive qualities of nicotine.
LA County Officials Reach Tentative Eleventh Hour Deal To Avert Nurses’ Strike
More than 7,000 nurses, including those who worked in emergency rooms, operating rooms and intensive care units, had planned to begin a four-day strike Tuesday morning over staffing ratios.