Practice Management
In recent years, the United States has witnessed a surge in cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), notably chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea, as per data sourced from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and analyzed by US News & World Report. In 2021, gonorrhea cases showed a 28% increase, and syphilis cases showed a spike of 74%. The cumulative burden of STDs was pronounced with more than 2.5 million reported cases of chlamydia, …
Read More
In a recent webcast, Steve Cain, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of California, and Myoung Cha, Chief Strategy Officer of Carbon Health, announced that the insurer will begin an at-risk primary care arrangement for the state’s commercial PPO market in partnership with Carbon Health, starting in January 2024. The deal represents Carbon Health’s first at-risk arrangement. Under the contract, Carbon Health will be accountable for the total cost of care for UnitedHealthcare’s PPO-covered lives in the state over the …
Read More
Telehealth provider Sesame has inked a deal with retail giant Costco to deliver virtual primary care visits for $29, according to Bloomberg. Patients, who must be members of the retailer’s warehouse club, pay strictly out-of-pocket for the visits. Providers won’t require insurance credentialing either. The strategic brand extensions of major retailers like Costco and Walmart rely on their established consumer relationships and the fact that they’re already in the daily orbit of most families. Brand recognition …
Read More
As a $4.1 trillion industry, healthcare has a history of attracting all sorts of nontraditional players. CLEAR, the private-market version of expedited airport security, is the latest to land in the space. The company hopes to leverage its passenger identity technology to create a universal patient identity system. By partnering with institutions such as the University of Miami Health and Wellstar Health, CLEAR aims to streamline information into a single, secure account. The big health …
Read More
MedWise cut the ribbon on its 13th clinic in Oklahoma this month. Spanning 3,057 square feet, the Tahlequah location includes x-ray facilities, diagnostic testing, seasonal vaccinations, and other traditional urgent care services. MedWise announced plans for expansion in the near future with three more clinics expected to open around the state in Bartlesville, Claremore, and Broken Arrow. New payer too: The organization recently added BlueCross BlueShield Native Blue to its list of payer partners, according …
Read More
A Thai study published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine concluded that curcumin, a natural compound derived from turmeric, had comparable efficacy to omeprazole in treating functional dyspepsia. Baseline dyspepsia scores were comparable between the groups participating in this randomized, double-blind, controlled trial of 151 patients. They were divided into those receiving curcumin alone, those receiving omeprazole alone, and those receiving curcumin plus omeprazole. Participants in the combination group took two 250 mg curcumin capsules, four times a …
Read More
New population data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals a concerning increase in adult obesity prevalence, with 22 states now reporting rates at or above 35%. By comparison, 19 states were in that position in 2021. The upward trend is concerning because just a decade ago, no state had obesity prevalence rates above 35%. In the data presentation, the District of Columbia was the only place in the nation with …
Read More
Industry advocates are encouraging healthcare leaders to take a hard look at their licensing, credentialing, and privileging applications and rewrite any questions that could perpetuate stigma around behavioral health issues. The Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to reduce burnout and safeguard health professionals’ wellbeing, recently recognized 59 urgent care organizations and 75 hospitals among its WellBeing First Champions—organizations that have made application updates consistent with the foundation’s recommendations. What matters most: …
Read More
The World Health Organization released a detailed report on high blood pressure, emphasizing the condition as a leading global risk factor for death and disability. Hypertension affects 1 in 3 adults worldwide, often leading to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney damage. The report suggests that if all countries improve their hypertension treatment protocols to fall in line with high-performing nations, the efforts could prevent 76 million deaths, 120 million strokes, 79 million heart …
Read More
Mercy Health, a hospital system based in Cincinnati, Ohio, recently opened four new urgent care centers, and more expansion is planned for 2024, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. Mercy operates five hospitals and employs 35,000 workers across Ohio and Kentucky. Seems about right: Although the pace of new site growth in urgent care slowed a bit in the past year, expansion trends show consistent upward trajectories across the country. See the 2023 list of top …
Read More