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.

Allowing patients to write or add notes to their medical health records could keep patients more engaged in their care while also improving relationships with their physicians and reducing physician workload, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers have developed accurate, personalized prosthetic implants for the middle ear using CT scans and 3D printing, according to a study presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma, MPH, told Reuters the agency is considering several options to limit Medicare and Medicaid’s costs for covering breakthrough medical treatments with very high price tags.

An overall stable outlook for the healthcare sector in 2018 the latest report from Fitch Ratings came with a warning that individual companies will likely see a greater number of credit downgrades, while the industry as a whole could soon face disruption by “outside forces.”

When Margaret O’Neill brought her 5-year-old daughter to Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora for an outpatient procedure to snip some tissue around her tongue, the surgeon made an unusual offer to pierce her ears while she was under anesthesia.

The American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals and the Association of American Medical Colleges are both lobbying against and suing over a CMS rule to cut Medicare payments made through 340B drug discount program by 28 percent.

Bankruptcy filings among healthcare companies more than tripled in 2017, according to Bloomberg, and there are signs that 2018 will bring more filings or debt restructuring from hospitals and other medical organizations.