Christina Mattina

Two pieces of legislation, a federal bill in the US Senate and a state bill in Pennsylvania, would attempt to alleviate physician shortages in some underserved areas.

A new study has explored factors that impact patient adherence to oral chemotherapy regimens and found that improved satisfaction with their treatment and clinician was most strongly linked to better adherence.

A pair of studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine investigated the incidence of low-value care by practice ownership and location and in practices serving safety-net populations, highlighting important opportunities to reduce unnecessary spending.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has found that the extent to which clinicians follow breast cancer screening guidelines for patients of different ages varies by their specialty and by which set of recommendations they trust most.

CMS has announced which community organizations will participate in the Accountable Health Communities model established by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. The model aims to address the complex social needs impacting beneficiaries’ health by strengthening a support network of clinical and community services.

A new study finds that women with ovarian cancer who were black or Hispanic tended to undergo more aggressive treatment and were less likely to receive hospice services at the end of life.

In a reversal of previous policy, the FDA has announced it will allow the genetic testing company 23andMe to market its DNA tests directly to consumers.

Research presented this week at the 99th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society suggested that people with type 2 diabetes who worked overnight shifts tend to have poorer control over their blood sugar levels than those who worked during the day or were unemployed.

Research presented at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons indicated that informed patients who engaged in shared decision making with their clinicians had better treatment outcomes and were more satisfied with their experience.

A new study has found that high-income communities are more likely to have access to specialty mental health treatment resources, including office-based practices, than low-income areas.

Over the last 4 decades, the incidence of thyroid cancer has risen by an average 3.6% per year, according to a recent analysis of cancer registry data. Researchers believe this reflects a true increase in the cancer’s occurrence that cannot be explained by overdiagnosis.

Several polls released this week show that Americans’ opinions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are steadily becoming more positive, as approval of the law has topped 50% for the first time amidst unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace it.

Low spenders, defined as the bottom 50% of the population when ranked by healthcare expenditures, are responsible for just 2.8% of US healthcare spending.

Adjustments to drug reimbursement policies, including the lists of preferred medications used in Medicaid programs, could help states reduce their number of methadone-related deaths.

According to new research, a program that used standardized criteria to trigger palliative care consultations for patients with advanced cancer was associated with lower use of chemotherapy, fewer readmissions, and increased utilization of home-based support services after discharge.

A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine has observed encouraging results from a program that implemented a virtual glucose management system for hospital inpatients.

Patients with Clostridium difficile infection who take medications to suppress their gastric acid levels are significantly more likely to experience a recurrence of the infection, according to researchers from the Mayo Clinic.

A provision in President Donald Trump’s budget proposal would incorporate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which could represent a threat or an opportunity.

Many women with breast cancer turn to radiotherapy, a proven treatment that reduces the risks of recurrence and death. However, long-term smokers face a greater risk of lung cancer and cardiac mortality from radiotherapy.

According to a viewpoint published in JAMA Internal Medicine, making city streets safer and more inviting for pedestrians and cyclists can help break the pattern of sedentary behavior that has contributed to the obesity epidemic in America.

Women who were diagnosed with cancer at a young age are more likely to experience adverse birth outcomes like preterm birth, low birth weight, and cesarean delivery, particularly if the diagnosis occurred during pregnancy, according to a study in JAMA Oncology.

At the 22nd Annual Conference of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, in Orlando, Florida, Paul M. Cinciripini, PhD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center delivered a presentation on a mission he said he has spent the better part of his life working on: getting patients with cancer to quit smoking cigarettes.

As House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, and President Donald Trump endeavored to round up enough Republican votes to pass the American Health Care Act this week, a major sticking point for some reluctant GOP legislators was the inclusion of the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits in the replacement bill. Reports indicate that the essential health benefits requirement will be cut from the bill that will go to the House for a vote today.

An innovative housing model for seniors that incorporates healthcare within the residential environment contributed to lowered rates of both inpatient hospitalizations and readmissions, according to a recent study.

As more health systems aim to engage patients in their own healthcare, a new study has found that letting patients type their agenda into their electronic medical record before a visit improved communication between patients and physicians.

According to a review of 37 studies, health interventions delivered to children and teens through mobile apps have significant potential to boost healthy behaviors and improve disease outcomes in this population.

A new study has found that clinicians who used an electronic drug reference database at the point of care tended to prescribe a more varied range of medications and started to prescribe new generic drugs faster than other doctors.

According to a new clinical trial, circulating tumor cells can serve as a biomarker that alerts clinicians to the recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer months before it is detected by CT scans.

For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), catching a cold is often more than just an annoyance; their risk of experiencing COPD symptom exacerbation rises 30-fold when they exhibit signs of a cold.

A new study has found that an educational program can help ease worries associated with palliative care, and make cancer patients more likely to use it if referred.