COVID-19 testing startup Curative pivots to health plan offering

The plan will offer $0 copays and $0 deductibles to employers in the Austin, Texas, area after a baseline health visit is conducted.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 22, 2022

Watchdog faults FDA for rushing COVID tests to market by easing emergency use rules

The HHS Office of Inspector General found that by loosening emergency use authorization requirements to bring COVID-19 tests to market faster, the agency allowed inaccurate tests to be distributed.

By Elise Reuter • Sept. 22, 2022

HHS ‘roadmap’ aims to tackle nation’s mental health crisis

The initiative prioritizes integrating behavioral health services into primary and other specialty care areas as well as community-based settings like schools.

By Susan Kelly • Sept. 21, 2022

Emotional exhaustion worse for healthcare workers in second year of pandemic, research finds

Nurses reported feeling more emotionally exhausted during the pandemic, with physicians also noticing an increase. The report comes as some nurses fight for better working conditions.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 21, 2022

Healthcare saw less job loss than other industries during pandemic, research finds

During the pandemic, unemployment rates among healthcare workers rose to 3.2% while those for non-healthcare workers rose to 6.1%, according to research published Monday in JAMA.

By Hailey Mensik • Sept. 19, 2022

Physician burnout higher in 2021 than 2020, study shows

Burnout can push providers to leave the profession or retire early, and poses other complications for health systems and clinics.

By Shannon Muchmore • Sept. 15, 2022

OIG report suggests telehealth fraud rare in Medicare

A small proportion of providers that billed for telehealth — 1,714 out of 742,000 — posed a high risk of fraud or abuse to Medicare in COVID-19’s first year, regulators found.

By Rebecca Pifer • Sept. 8, 2022

Ezekiel Emanuel on the state of COVID-19 in the US and the ‘major issue’ of healthcare burnout

The bioethicist and Affordable Care Act draftsman talked about the nation’s new attitude toward the pandemic and what we know about long COVID-19.

By Sydney Halleman • Sept. 6, 2022

CDC backs updated COVID-19 shots from Pfizer, Moderna

One day after the FDA’s authorization, the CDC recommended the companies’ omicron-targeted vaccines for most adults and children over 12 years old.

By Delilah Alvarado • Sept. 2, 2022

FDA clears updated COVID-19 boosters from Pfizer, Moderna

The new shots, which are designed to better target circulating strains of omicron, could be available within days. Advisers to the CDC are set to meet later this week.

By Delilah Alvarado • Aug. 31, 2022

Funds for free COVID-19 vaccines could run out as early as January, HHS says

The commercial market for COVID-19 vaccinations could be similar to that for seasonal flu shots and other vaccines, the department said.

By Sydney Halleman • Aug. 31, 2022

FDA takes N95 respirators off medical device shortage list

Respirators were one of the first medical devices identified as being in critical shortage during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the agency said.

By Ricky Zipp • Aug. 30, 2022

Court blocks bid to reinstate OSHA pandemic standard for health workers

An appeals court ruled it lacked the authority to force OSHA to make certain rules, leaving discretion up to the workplace safety agency, according to court documents.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 29, 2022

Moderna sues Pfizer, BioNTech over COVID-19 vaccine technology

The biotech claims its rivals’ vaccine Comirnaty, one of the world’s top-selling pharmaceutical products, infringes on two patents covering its messenger RNA technology.

By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 26, 2022

Moderna follows Pfizer in asking FDA to approve updated COVID shot

The companies are moving quickly to supply vaccines targeting currently circulating omicron variants in time for the Biden administration's planned fall vaccination campaign.

By Kristen Jensen • Aug. 24, 2022

15M Medicaid enrollees risk coverage loss when COVID-19 health emergency ends, HHS reports

A disproportionate number of those who stand to lose coverage are children and young adults, according to the agency.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 23, 2022

Mayo Clinic’s Q2 operating income tumbles as labor costs climb

The system said it is struggling with workforce shortages at a time when its hospitals are operating at near capacity.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 22, 2022

Electronic data sharing between physicians and public health agencies rare, new ONC data finds

Fewer than one in five primary care physicians electronically exchanged patient health information with public health agencies in 2019, according to a new report from the Office of the National Coordinator.

By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 18, 2022

CDC, amid criticism for COVID-19 response, plans reorganization as public health threats grow

The shakeup includes the creation of new offices, staffing moves and steps to expedite data releases, CDC director Rochelle Walensky informed staff on Wednesday.

By Rebecca Pifer • Aug. 18, 2022

Hospitals are seeing sicker patients after pandemic delays, AHA warns

Rising patient acuity is driving up costs for labor, drugs and supplies and straining finances, the hospital lobby said.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 17, 2022

Telehealth visits rose in May, mirroring COVID-19 diagnoses

Patients made greater use of virtual care visits for a second straight month during an upturn in coronavirus cases.

By Susan Kelly • Aug. 9, 2022

Healthcare industry nearly recovered from early pandemic job losses

Hospitals added about 13,000 jobs in July compared to about 20,000 in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By Hailey Mensik • Aug. 5, 2022

CVS beats Q2 expectations, Aetna revenue rises nearly 11%

The company raised its full-year guidance despite a $77 million decrease in adjusted operating income, primarily due to declines in its retail segment.

By Sydney Halleman • Aug. 3, 2022

CDC backs Novavax's protein-based vaccine for COVID-19

Health officials argue a new type of shot could help to persuade unvaccinated people, although some surveys suggest that might not be the case. 

By Delilah Alvarado • July 21, 2022

Molina to pay $150M for Wisconsin Medicaid firm in latest buy

Acquisitions are key to Molina’s growth strategy, CEO Joe Zubretsky has said.

By Samantha Liss • July 14, 2022