Dive Brief: The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear UnitedHealthcare’s challenge to a federal rule requiring private insurers that administer Medicare Advantage plans to refund payments based on unsupported diagnoses in beneficiaries’ medical records. The 2014 rule calls for the overpayment to be returned to the CMS no later than 60 days after it is identified. Without comment, […]

As the federal government prepares to launch the national three-digit number “988” for the mental health crisis hotline next month, a new KFF analysis shows that suicide death rates increased by 12 percent in the decade from 2010 to 2020 — with death rates rising fastest among people of color, younger individuals, and people who live in rural areas. The […]

Trinity Health Michigan (Livonia, Mich.) and Universal Health Services (King of Prussia, Pa.) are planning a new freestanding behavioral health hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich. Situated near the Trinity Health Medical Center, the Southridge Behavioral Hospital will house approximately 96 beds, including 60 adult beds and 24 geriatric beds. The facility is scheduled to open in 2024.

Nearly one-third of registered voters said in a new poll that their state would be less desirable to live in if it banned abortion, according to a new The USA Today-Suffolk poll found that six in 10 voters said a state abortion ban would not affect their thinking on its desirability, 31 percent said it would make the state less […]

First came the “edible billboard,” which appeared last year during the holidays in New York’s East Village loaded with cake treats. Then, in late January, came the national marketing campaign, with TV and digital media promoting the idea that trying to lose weight doesn’t mean a person can’t enjoy eating. Those advertising messages are pushing a product named Plenity as […]

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Wednesday unveiled legislation aimed at lowering the cost of insulin, seeking a bipartisan breakthrough on one of the highest-profile examples of high drug prices challenging patients.   The legislation would cap patients’ out of pocket costs for insulin at $35 per month, and includes provisions seeking to incentivize drugmakers to lower […]

Physicians and their employers are working to get ahead of the Supreme Court’s pending Roe v. Wade decision, worried about their legal exposure to “trigger-happy” prosecutors in 26 states primed to restrict access to abortion services. The high court could strike down the federal law that gives women the constitutional right to end a pregnancy, setting in motion “trigger laws” […]

Dive Brief: Walgreens has partnered with managed care company Buckeye Health Plan in Ohio to open new Health Corner locations in five of the state’s northeast neighborhoods this summer. Buckeye is the third payer to launch Walgreens Health Corner locations, community clinics meant to supplement care received from primary care and specialty physicians. About 2.3 million patients will have access […]

What’s it like to be a retired Westminster Kennel Club Champion? For last year’s champion, Wasabi the Pekingese, it’s pretty much the same as it ever was.  Today in health care, President Biden celebrated COVID-19 vaccines becoming available for the youngest kids while taking a swipe at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the […]

Cardiologs, a company that uses ECG data to detect potential cardiac arrhythmias, is developing a new way to predict atrial fibrillation. On Tuesday, the European Heart Journal – Digital Health published a study that tested Cardiologs’ new algorithm. The study, which was sponsored by the Paris-based company, found that the model can accurately predict the near-term presence or absence of […]