Optum, the consulting and services arm of health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group, has continued a series of major acquisitions with the announcement it will buy DaVita Medical Group, a division of kidney dialysis firm DaVita, for $4.9 billion.

Decision Resources Group (DRG) have developed an interactive tool capable of testing the potential of vaccines in any global market and producing results in less than two minutes.

If the merger between CVS Health and Aetna is completed, other healthcare companies, especially pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), will see some negative effects such as pressuring the utilization and pricing of branded drugs, according to Moody’s Investor Service.

Researchers from Stanford University have developed an algorithm capable of predicting patients’ three to 12-month mortality rate, according to a study published in arXiv.

Downers Grove, Ill.-based Advocate Heath Care and Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care announced plans to merge systems which are already the largest in their respective states into a 27-hospital system with around $11 billion in annual revenue.

Once considered a futuristic technology on the distant horizon, 3D printing of medical devices, medications and human tissue is quickly becoming a promising reality. Patients have already benefitted from 3D printed medical products through access to personalized devices and innovative drugs that have led to significant health improvements. But the FDA is now preparing for a significant wave of new technologies that are nearly certain to transform medical practice. We're working to provide a more comprehensive regulatory pathway that keeps pace with those advances, and helps facilitate efficient access to safe and effective innovations that are based on these technologies.

Facility fees are charged for nearly every visit to an emergency room (ER), with departments arguing they’re necessary to keep their doors open. Between 2009 and 2015, ERs across the country increasingly used higher intensity codes for ER visits, leading to an 89 percent increase in facility fees.

The rumored acquisition of health insurance giant Aetna by CVS was officially announced on Dec. 3, with the companies calling the $69 billion deal a “unique opportunity to redefine access to high-quality care in lower cost, local settings whether in the community, at home, or through digital tools.” Unlike Aetna's abandoned merger with Humana, analysts predicted it may actually deliver on promised benefits for patient care.