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Uninsured stroke patient sues Maine Med over alleged denial of emergency care

Jamaica resident Edwin George Duffus, 65, claims the hospital discharged him after learning he didn’t have medical coverage. A federal court ruled his lawsuit can move forward.

prior authorization claim deny denial insurance insurer payer Medicare Advantage

House bill aims to bring parity to Medicare reimbursement

The Prompt and Fair Pay Act would require Medicare Advantage insurers to reimburse providers at traditional Medicare rates, effectively closing the payment gap between public and private plans.

Federal lawsuit in Texas marks first wrongful death case involving interstate abortion

A conservative lawyer is using the Comstock Act of 1873, which bans the mailing of obscene materials, to challenge the practice of sending abortion pills to states that have passed bans.

New drug candidate for AFib fails in first-in-human trial—in fact, it made matters worse

Researchers had thought 2-HOBA might reduce the risk of AFib recurrence after catheter ablation procedures. What they found, however, was that treatment with the compound was actually harmful for patients instead of helpful.

Jobs hiring talent people human resources

Multiple imaging modalities face rising shortage of qualified technologists

New survey results from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists reveal that the vacancy rates in some modalities are nearing all-time highs.

Edwards Lifesciences loses TAVR leader to robotics firm, announces replacement

The change comes at a momentous time for the company's TAVR portfolio, which made history in May by receiving the very first FDA approval for treating asymptomatic severe AS.

How drinking habits influence heart health

Prior studies have already evaluated how individual drinks affect the heart—but what about a person's beverage choices over an extended period of time?

John D. Puskas, MD, MSc, PhD., FACS, FACC, professor of surgery, and chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University Hospital Midtown, explains when patients are best served with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery rather than percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

How to choose between CABG and PCI when treating coronary artery disease

John Puskas, MD, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Emory University Hospital Midtown, noted that both treatment options have their own benefits. It often depends on the patient's age and comorbidities, though there are other factors to consider as well.

ACC.24: Self-expanding Evolut valves offer superior performance for TAVR patients with small annuli

The SMART trial included one-year data from TAVR patients randomized to receive either a self-expanding Evolut valve or a balloon-expandable Sapien 3 valve. All patients presented with symptomatic severe aortic stenosis and a small aortic annulus. A whopping 87% of participants were women.

semaglutide wegovy Novo Nordisk major adverse cardiovascular events

Weight loss drug semaglutide benefits obese patients presenting with HFpEF, type 2 diabetes

The new research, based on data from more than 600 patients, was presented at ACC.24 in Atlanta and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Semaglutide is sold by Novo Nordisk under the brand name Wegovy.

ACC.24, the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), kicked off on Saturday, April 6, with a series of late-breaking clinical trials focused on testing the safety and effectiveness of new treatment strategies.

Day 1 at ACC.24: Late-breakers examine potential new heart attack, heart failure treatments

ACC.24 in Atlanta began Saturday, April 6, with a series of late-breaking clinical trials exploring brand new treatment strategies.

M&A mergers and acquisitions business deal

Shimadzu Medical Systems acquires imaging products and services provider

Founded in 1992, Vacaville-based California X-ray Imaging Services Inc. is an authorized distributor for several leading manufacturers.

Around the web

Health Exec

Uninsured stroke patient sues Maine Med over alleged denial of emergency care

Jamaica resident Edwin George Duffus, 65, claims the hospital discharged him after learning he didn’t have medical coverage. A federal court ruled his lawsuit can move forward.

Health Exec

House bill aims to bring parity to Medicare reimbursement

The Prompt and Fair Pay Act would require Medicare Advantage insurers to reimburse providers at traditional Medicare rates, effectively closing the payment gap between public and private plans.

Health Exec

Federal lawsuit in Texas marks first wrongful death case involving interstate abortion

A conservative lawyer is using the Comstock Act of 1873, which bans the mailing of obscene materials, to challenge the practice of sending abortion pills to states that have passed bans.