Medical Treatments

A pharmacy technician prepares syringes containing an injectable anesthetic in the sterile medicines area of the inpatient pharmacy at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City.

Doctors Raise Alarm About Shortages Of Pain Medications

12:46pm July 20, 2018

by Wade Goodwyn

A survey of anesthesiologists found that 95 percent say it is impacting patient care. Surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, intensive care unit doctors are also impacted.

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Drug companies have infiltrated nearly every part of the process that determines how their drugs will be covered by Medicaid.

Health & Safety

Investigation: Patients' Drug Options Under Medicaid Heavily Influenced By Drugmakers

11:18am July 18, 2018

Drug companies have infiltrated nearly every part of the process that determines how their drugs will be covered by Medicaid, an investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity finds.

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UCLA researchers are using a radioactive tracer, which binds to abnormal proteins in the brain, to see if it is possible to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy in living patients. Warmer colors in these PET scans indicate higher concentrations of th

Scientists Hunt For A Test To Diagnose Chronic Brain Injury In Living People

4:04pm July 17, 2018

by Tom Goldman

Doctors are closer to a test in live brains that could help diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disease that's been linked to concussions and other repeated brain assaults.

Some critically ill patients who received a CAR-T cell treatment have remained cancer-free for as long as five years, researchers say. But the price is high.

Insurers And Government Are Slow To Cover Expensive CAR-T Cancer Therapy

3:36pm July 17, 2018

by Michelle Andrews

Treatment costs for the immunotherapy can run to more than $1 million. Some state Medicaid programs aren't paying for the treatment, and Medicare's complicated payment rates have hospitals worried.

When the heart pushes too hard, as it does when blood pressure is elevated, it can cause damage that can lead to a stroke, says Dr. Walter Koroshetz.

Health & Safety

Worried About Dementia? You Might Want to Check Your Blood Pressure

1:56pm July 16, 2018

by Jon Hamilton

A new public health campaign says controlling high blood pressure is among the best ways to keep your brain sharp. The neurologist in charge aims to lead by example.

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Information that could refine the uses of approved drugs may lie deep inside patients' medical records.

Health & Safety

To Improve Treatments, Researchers Want To Hunt For Clues In Medical Records

7:30am July 15, 2018

by Richard Harris

The vast amount of data held in electronic medical records and insurance bills contains bits that could be useful in refining the use of approved for drugs. But how to find it?

Julien Lavandier, a Colorado State University student, started smoking e-cigarettes as a high school sophomore. He says he's now hooked on Juul and has been unable to quit.

He Started Vaping As A Teen And Now Says Habit Is 'Impossible To Let Go'

5:54pm July 14, 2018

by John Daley

Public health officials worry vaping is an emerging disaster that could reverse years of decline in smoking by young people. What's the latest evidence that e-cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco?

A homeless man in Denver draws heroin into a syringe. Treatment centers in the city say patterns of drug use seem to be changing. While most users once relied on a single drug Ã¢ÂÂ typically painkillers or heroin or cocaine Ã¢ÂÂ an increas

A Surge In Meth Use In Colorado Complicates Opioid Recovery

1:32pm July 14, 2018

by John Daley

Last year, 280 Coloradans who died of a drug overdose had methamphetamine in the mix. That's up sharply from 2016 and more than five times the number in 2012.

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A new study finds certain drugs that can boost the immune system show promise for developing anti-aging treatments in the future.

Health & Safety

Experimental Drugs Boost Elderly Immune Systems, Raising Hopes For Anti-Aging Effects

8:51pm July 11, 2018

by Rob Stein

Two drugs appear to support immune function of elderly people and may be important for future research into anti-aging treatments.

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The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act still prohibits your insurer from using the results of genetic tests against you. But the ACA's additional protections may be in doubt if certain states get their way.

Has Genetic Privacy Been Strained By Trump's Recent ACA Moves?

8:02am July 11, 2018

by Michelle Andrews

As the Trump administration decides not to defend the Affordable Care Act's legal protections for people with pre-existing conditions, questions arise about health insurance and genetic information.