Precision Medicine

Also called personalized medicine, this evolving field makes use of an individual’s genes, lifestyle, environment and other factors to identify unique disease risks and guide treatment decision-making.

Drones could deliver medical supplies to hospitals under North Carolina proposal

North Carolina has applied for a federal program to test how drones could be used for various purposes. In this case, that purpose would be delivering supplies like blood to hospitals and clinic around the state.

Researchers recommend changes to guidelines for participant feedback in clinical trials

Researchers have developed a list of recommended changes to international guidelines for the development of clinical trials to gain insights on the impact of treatment on participants and their quality of life. Finding were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Disney bypassing insurers to offer HMO plans with Orlando Health, Florida Hospital

The Walt Disney Company will contract directly with two of the largest health systems in Central Florida—Orlando Health and Florida Hospital—to offer narrow network plans to its more than 70,000 employees in the region.

E-consult adoption depends on perceptions of clinicians

Implementation of electronic consultations (e-consults) could improve providing specialty care, but their worth changes depending on clinician’s perceptions of the potential benefits of the technology. Findings were published in the February issue of Health Affairs.

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Blacks, Medicaid users see fewer annual wellness visits

In 2011, as outlined in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicare began offering wellness visits at no cost to fee-for-service beneficiaries. The goal of the annual checkup was to introduce preventative care and address specific risks such as depression and risk of falling.

lifeIMAGE Launches Clinical Connector, Increasing Healthcare Interoperability to Benefit Patients, Hospitals and Radiologists

lifeIMAGE announced today the release of Clinical Connector, powered by lifeIMAGE, a high-performance, scalable, and secure health care application. It connects patients to their care delivery ecosystem while simultaneously simplifying administrative burdens for caregivers. Clinical Connector was built from the ground up using U.S. and international standards to enable a growing and broad set of interoperability needs across clinical and non-clinical applications, including medical imaging platforms that can now share data seamlessly between clinicians and patients. In the interest of patient continuity, lifeIMAGE is making the Clinical Connector available to all clearinghouse users of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Image Share pilot program, which is coming to a successful completion on March 31, 2018.

Researchers develop edible QR code for personalized medicine

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and Åbo Akademi University in Finland have developed an edible QR code that could advance the development of personalized medicine. Findings were published in International Journal of Pharmaceutics.

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CMS cancels Direct Decision Support Model

A model first proposed under the Obama administration to involve outside organizations in engaging sick Medicare beneficiaries about their overall health has now been canceled by CMS.

Around the web

Bridgefield Capital, founded in 2015, has previously invested in such popular brands as Cirque Du Soleil, Del Monte and Quiksilver. This transaction is expected to be completed in the second half of 2025. 

Given the precarious excitement of the moment—or is it exciting precarity?—policymakers and healthcare leaders must set directives guiding not only what to do with AI but also when to do it. 

The final list also included diabetes drugs sold by Boehringer Ingelheim and Merck. The first round of drug price negotiations reduced the Medicare prices for 10 popular drugs by up to 79%.