The same devices used to take selfies and type out tweets are being repurposed and commercialized for quick access to information needed for monitoring a patient’s health. A fingertip pressed against a phone’s camera lens can measure a heart rate. The microphone, kept by the bedside, can screen for sleep apnea. Even the speaker is ...

More Americans in key demographics that have been historically uninsured saw coverage gains from 2019 through 2021, a new federal report finds. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report Friday detailing gains in coverage from 2019 through 2021. Officials attributed a decline in the uninsured rate from 11.1% in 2019 to 10.5% in ...

Providers will be forced to navigate a challenging year as they try to rein in expense growth fueled by pandemic-driven labor shortages. This year’s outlook for a large chunk of the healthcare sector remains negative as inflation and pricier labor create difficult operating conditions for nonprofit providers, Moody’s Investor Service said. As a result, health systems ...

Cancer deaths in the U.S. have decreased by 33 percent over the past three decades, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. The study — published on Thursday in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians — estimated that this has resulted in about 3.8 million fewer deaths. After peaking in 1991, the mortality rate from ...

The latest Omicron subvariant — perhaps the most infectious yet — has gained a foothold in California, a potentially problematic development given the possibility of a post-holiday spike. However, it’s unclear whether the circulation of this latest strain, XBB.1.5, will alter the trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic. A slew of alphanumerically designated coronavirus subvariants, each more ...

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed Wednesday the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) for another 90 days, extending with it key waivers and regulatory flexibilities. The PHE—which has been in place since Jan. 31, 2020—will now run for another 90 days. Becerra has agreed, though, to give stakeholders a 60-day ...