On July 16, 2022, the federally mandated crisis number, 988, became available to all landline and cell phone users, providing a single three-digit number to access a network of over 200 local and state funded crisis centers. 988 users who are suicidal or experiencing a behavioral health emergency are routed to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly the National […]

The White House on Monday marked the rollout of hearing aids sold at retailers like Walgreens, CVS and Walmart following steps from the Biden administration to allow them to be sold over the counter. On Monday, Walgreens started selling hearing aids in stores and online for $799 a pair, CVS started selling them online at different price points and Walmart […]

Employers have long been invested in the health of their employees, both as a good business practice and for the overall wellbeing of their associates. Promoting healthy behaviors is nothing new, but with rising healthcare costs, there is additional motivation to do so. Engaging employees in their health and offering individualized interventions can not only lower costs, but more importantly, […]

With Marketplace enrollment at a record high, the upcoming open enrollment period could be among the busiest yet. In addition to Marketplace enrollees renewing coverage, uninsured people and those buying individual coverage off-Marketplace may want to check if they are eligible for expanded subsidies under the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act. As we approach the tenth annual ACA open enrollment, […]

In healthcare, compliance burdens are numerous, high and costly—and new requirements can pop up in surprising places. The average cost for non-compliant organizations is $9.6 million per year, putting the cost of non-compliance organizations 3.5x higher than those in compliance according to the Ponemon Institute.  Here are three compliance risks that you might not have been aware of related to […]

Proposed changes in Medicare rules could soon pave the way for a significant expansion in Medicare-covered dental services, while falling short of the comprehensive benefits that many Democratic lawmakers have advocated. That’s because, under current law, Medicare can pay for limited dental care only if it is medically necessary to safely treat another covered medical condition. In July, officials proposed […]

COVID-19 hasn’t changed the workforce issues in home-based care, other than by making those issues worse at various stages of the pandemic. What has changed over the last few years is how providers are trying to address their workforce woes. Increasingly, they are turning to technology to do that. “We have more and more people that want to age and […]

Like much of healthcare, the roots of modern cardiology may be traced back to Hippocrates. Considered the father of medicine, Hippocrates was the first to describe the sudden death of people who suffered from severe and frequent fainting spells – a description now believed to be the earliest observation of sudden cardiac death. In the 2,400 years since this observation, […]

We live in a time when generation-shaping events and emerging technology have converged at a rapid pace – influencing the way our society communicates and interacts with one another. Nowhere is this more evident than with the rise of digital therapeutics in the field of mental health, as new care models and apps are developed for the treatment of physical […]