The FDA has issued a safety communication urging healthcare providers and patients to exercise caution when turning to robotically-assisted surgical devices for mastectomy and other cancer-related surgeries.

Health insurers selling their services through Healthcare.gov denied nearly one-fifth of claims in 2017. And only a tiny fraction of the affected consumers—less than one-half of one percent—appealed the decisions.

Nearly 30 million individuals of all ages in the U.S. were uninsured during the first nine months of 2018. This figure represents a little over 9 percent of the population, and it’s similar to the uncovered headcount from 2017. Still, it’s a notable improvement from 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was nascent and 19 million more people lacked coverage.

As more of the Democratic party comes on board with the idea of Medicare for all, a new bill was introduced in the House this week to make universal healthcare a reality. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) introduced the bill on Feb. 27. The bill has more than 100 co-sponsors.

"The takeaway here is that screening does matter, and the expansion of Medicaid has increased usage of colon cancer screening for many Kentuckians who otherwise wouldn't have had access," wrote authors of a Feb. 22 study published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

As hospitals start to publish prices of their services, patients should theoretically be able to save money by shopping around. However, out-of-pocket costs to patients have little correlation with the amount insurers pay or the overall price of a procedure, according to a recent study of 14 representative Massachusetts hospitals by Pioneer Institute.

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) has announced its support of a new licensure bill for radiologist assistants (RAs) being considered by the California Senate.

Physicians are major drivers of hospital revenue, generating about $2.4 million each year, according to a new survey from Merritt Hawkins.