Laura Joszt, MA

The recent mergers between healthcare payers continue the trend of consolidation that has swept the healthcare industry since passage of the ACA.

Neighborhoods with more resources that support physical activity and healthy diets were associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus, according to findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Aledade, launched by former national coordinator for health information technology Farzard Mostashari, MD, is looking to expand its footprint throughout the United States to another 7 states in 2016.

People who experience food insecurity not only use healthcare more, but they account for higher healthcare costs compared with people with the same income who are food secure.

The use of systemic corticosteroid therapy could reduce mortality for hospitalized adults with community-acquired pneumonia, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Access to workplace wellness programs has been on the rise, but employers and providers still face steep challenges that can prevent these programs from being worth the investment.

Older adults in rural areas face a number of barriers to getting treatment for mental health issues, such as generalized anxiety disorder, but the use of telephone-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy can yield significant results.

Half of primary care providers have generally negative views when it comes to the increased reliance on quality metrics to assess their performance, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund and Kaiser Family Foundation.

Without nationwide improvements in infection control and antibiotic prescribing, drug-resistant infections and C. difficile are expected to increase, but coordinated efforts could prevent 619,000 infections over 5 years.

Using an appointment-based medication synchronization program can improve adherence rates among patients taking chronic medications, according to a new study published in the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy.

In the fourth year of the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, which makes hospitals pay closer attention to their patients after discharge, half of the nation's hospitals will be penalized by Medicare because of their readmissions.

A study attempting to characterize the true preventability of venous thromboembolism determined that financial penalties based on the total number of patients who suffer blood clots in the lung or leg may be unfairly imposed.

The diagnosis and management of patients with dementing illnesses can be challenging, but the cost of misdiagnosing dementia as Alzheimer's disease can be as high as $14,000 a year, according to a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia.

The most recent issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report analyzed the first data available on the functional types of disability in a state-based health survey and determined prevalence of functional disability.

Measure definitions to estimate the effects of cost sharing on adherence to medications prescribed together (ie, concurrent adherence) are lacking.

Healthcare spending growth between 2014 and 2024 is projected to be substantially lower than the 3 decades prior to 2008, according to a new report from CMS. In addition, the average premium for a basic Medicare Part D prescription plan will remain stable in 2016.

While growing marketplace enrollment in state-based exchanges is important, retaining enrollees is equally so, and a new report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute analyzed the renewal process for 6 states.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology will be awarding $38 million to 20 organizations in 3 health information technology grant programs working to further nationwide efforts to achieve better care, smarter spending, and healthier people.

All-cause mortality and hospitalization rates and inpatient expenditures among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries decreased from 1999 to 2013.

Two inexpensive generic drugs have been shown to reduce breast cancer deaths in postmenopausal women, according to studies published in The Lancet.

Although hospital readmissions can be difficult to predict, there is a link between the number of discharge medications prescribed to a patient and the risk of 30-day readmission.

Consolidation among the biggest health insurers in the US continues as Anthem announces it will purchase Cigna for $54 billion after a month of rocky negotiations.

By 2050 more than 28 million additional baby boomers will develop Alzheimer's disease and the cost of caring for them will account for nearly one-fourth of Medicare spending by 2040, according to research presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference.

In the first clinical study to demonstrate the importance of precision medicine in lymphomas, researchers determined that patients with a specific molecular subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma responded better to ibrutinib than patients with a different molecular subtype.

A gene known to cause cancer may also play a role in determining obesity, according to researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.

Hackers have accessed the personal information of 4.5 million people after the UCLA Health System became the victim of a cyberattack on May 5, 2015.

Approximately 9 million Medicare beneficiaries are considered "complex care" and they often incur high out-of-pocket costs. As lifespans lengthen, it becomes important for Medicare to adapt to serve these complex care beneficiaries.

Viruses, not bacteria, are the most commonly detected pathogen in US adults hospitalized with pneumonia; however, neither viruses nor bacteria were detected in the majority of these patients despite current diagnostic tests.

Former CMS administrator, Marilyn B. Tavenner, will step into the role of president and chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans.

In a move that will create the largest healthcare system in New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Health System and Barnabas Health have signed a merger agreement that will create RWJ Barnabas Health. The merger is expected to be complete in 2016, but the agreement is subject to review by the New Jersey Attorney General.