Commercial health plans vary widely in how they cover specialty drugs, and coverage is not typically based on available evidence-based data, according to a recent study from Tufts Medical Center researchers published online July 9 in Health Affairs.

Government regulation can’t keep up with innovation in healthcare technology, especially when dealing with mobile medical applications—and those in charge of developing regulatory framework know it, according to top officials at the FDA in a July 2 viewpoint in JAMA.

The American Medical Association recognized three startups as winners in its AMA Healthcare Interoperability and Innovation Challenge. The contest awarded $50,000 in Google Cloud credits to three companies with proposals to best use patient-generated health data to improve care and reduce inefficiencies in workflows.

Higher occupancy rates in hospitals don’t necessarily mean more infections. Rather, a facility can have the highest risk for Clostridium difficile infections when capacity was in a Goldilocks zone—not too full, not too empty—between 25 and 75 percent, according to new research from the University of Michigan and RAND Corporation.

Higher occupancy rates in hospitals don’t necessarily mean more infections. Rather, a facility can have the highest risk for Clostridium difficile infections when capacity was in a Goldilocks zone—not too full, not too empty—between 25 and 75 percent, according to new research from the University of Michigan and RAND Corporation.

Researchers have developed a method to separate circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from blood samples, enabling “liquid biopsies” that can help diagnosis, prognosis and suggestions for treatment. The technique can separate CTCs from a 7.5-mL vial of blood with at least 86 percent efficiency in less than an hour.

CMS announced a new proposal for home health agencies to receive reimbursement for remote patient monitoring—a first for Medicare/Medicaid patients. In a July 2 release, the agency outlined larger plans to update home health prospective payment rates.

For many experiencing heart attack, heart failure is an inevitability. But scientists are hoping to rewrite that story—by using stem cells to help restore heart function after myocardial infarction.