Today, KHN has released details of 90 previously secret government audits that reveal millions of dollars in overpayments to Medicare Advantage health plans for seniors. The audits, which cover billings from 2011 through 2013, are the most recent financial reviews available, even though enrollment in the health plans has exploded over the past decade to […]

Three faculty members at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been elected fellows of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). They are Ige A. George, MD, Caline Mattar, MD, and Anupam Pande, MD, all associate professors of medicine in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases. The IDSA honored a […]

Philip Ruzycki, PhD, an assistant professor in the John F. Hardesty, MD, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, has received a career development award from Research to Prevent Blindness. The award provides $350,000 to support Ruzycki’s laboratory over the next four years The award is given to support the independent pursuits of promising basic scientists […]

Extending the time between the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccines may help reduce the risk of rare heart-related side effects for some, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said last week. Some people—especially young men between the ages of 12 and 39—may wait up to eight weeks between doses of the […]

Charlie Apple had experienced people calling into question his humanity, suggesting he was just a confused kid or even a moral aberration. As a transgender teen, he had accepted that his future could include discrimination, verbal abuse, and violence. The sense of peace he said he felt in transitioning physically, however, was worth the risk. […]

What group is especially vulnerable to the ravages of covid-19 even if fully vaccinated and boosted? Seniors. And who will have an especially tough time getting free at-home covid tests under the Biden administration’s plan? Yes, seniors. As of Jan. 15, private insurers will cover the cost of eight at-home rapid covid tests each month […]

Omicron's swift rise in the US has led to a serious shortage of a pandemic necessity: at-home COVID-19 tests. And as people scramble to find some at their local pharmacies or online retailers, scammers have stepped up to the plate to sell their own unauthorized versions. In a blog post shared on January 4, the […]

Who is eligible for Paxlovid and molnupiravir? Pfizer's Paxlovid is for adults and children 12 and older (who weigh at least 40 kilograms, or just over 88 pounds). Merck's molnupiravir is for adults only, ages 18 and older. Each medicine may be prescribed for COVID patients with "mild-to-moderate" coronavirus disease and who are at "high […]

Active military medical staff from Scott Air Force Base are keeping their skills sharp through a new collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Between deployments, Air Force personnel from the base’s Critical Care Air Transport Team (CCATT) – including physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists – now have the […]

You might have heard from people who've had them just how painful passing a kidney stone can be. (Or maybe you've even experienced it first-hand.) Now, thanks to a woman who shared a video of a kidney stone that her boyfriend passed, you can get a close-up look at what the pain-inducing stone looks like—and […]