Return Of Medical Device Tax Causing A Stir
The failure of Republicans in Congress this year to repeal the Affordable Care Act means that a controversial tax on medical device sales will return in 2018 unless legislators intervene in the next...
View ArticleBaker Administration Preparing To Stretch CHIP Dollars As It Waits For Congress
Unless Congress acts, Massachusetts will run out of money for the Children's Health Insurance Program by the mid-January.
View ArticleHow One Family Tackled The 'Team Sport' Of Tough Prostate Cancer Choices
Cancer experts say the rise of "active surveillance" for some tumors is a major step forward, but one family's reaction is a reminder that for many, cancer is still the bogeyman.
View ArticleMass. General Hospital Raises Red Flag About National Shortage Of I.V. Fluids
"We spend a ton of money on the national strategic oil reserves, but there’s no such thing in health care, and maybe we should think about that," says Massachusetts General Hospital Chief Medical...
View ArticleNurses And Tufts Medical Center Agree On Contract
If all goes as planned, nurses at Tufts will start 2018 with a new contract in hand, after 20 months without one.
View ArticleMass. Researchers Seek Funding To Keep Testing Diphtheria Treatment
Diphtheria is a respiratory disease that thickens the membrane in the nose and throat, and that can result in suffocation.
View Article'People Really Want To Live': Samaritans Volunteers Guide Callers, Texters...
What does it take to volunteer to answer the suicide hotline at Samaritans? A kind word, an open mind -- and the ability to listen.
View ArticleBeyond 'Man Flu': There May Be Real Differences In How Men And Women Respond...
A recent medical journal article about "man flu" is mostly a joke -- but the differences in how men's and women's immune systems respond to infection are worth serious study.
View ArticleThe Biggest Cancer News Of 2017? 'CAR-T Cells, Hands Down'
The FDA this year approved two "CAR-T" treatments that re-engineer the patient's own T cells to fight cancer, adding a new weapon to the anti-cancer arsenal -- though at this point they can help only...
View ArticleBefore You Resolve To Lose Weight In 2018, Consider These Reality Checks
A New Year's sampling of food for thought about weight loss and how very hard it is -- and what we now know about the difficulty.
View ArticleMass. Employers Face New Health Care Assessments In 2018
The new year will bring with it mixed financial news for Massachusetts employers, with $200 million in new health care assessments and unemployment insurance rate relief both scheduled to take effect.
View ArticleOpioid Epidemic Continues As Major Issue In 2017
Looking back on 2017, the opioid epidemic was again a major issue. And there were some significant developments this year.
View ArticleWhy So Many Fat Cats And Dogs? Pet Obesity Specialist Points To Human-Animal...
Over half the dogs and cats around the world are overweight, a pet obesity specialist writes, and the key lies in the relationship between pet and owner.
View ArticleWBUR Invitation: Ask Leaders Your Big-Picture Questions On Cancer
To cap our year-long cancer series, This Moment In Cancer, we'll host a free event on Jan. 11 in which two cancer leaders answer your lingering questions.
View ArticlePromise Seen In Personal Vaccines Made Just To Treat Your Cancer
Researchers are developing a new weapon against cancer: a "personal vaccine" made just for you. It trains a patient's immune system to respond to a tumor's specific DNA.
View ArticleCancerphobia: Our Changing Emotional Relationship With 'The Big C'
Cancerphobia has been with us for a long time. David Ropeik, an author on the gaps between how risky things are and how much we fear them, says it's time to put it to rest.
View ArticleCancer Patients Asking Doctors About Marijuana Still Get Little Help
Although medical marijuana has been legal in Massachusetts for six years, most doctors aren’t able to guide cancer patients navigating the system and using it for their symptoms.
View ArticleQ&A With A Cannabis Clinician: What Cancer Patients Should Know
It can be hard for cancer patients to find guidance on using marijuana, so we asked Dr. Jordan Tishler, who runs two Boston-area cannabis clinics, for advice.
View ArticleAG Healey Sues Mass. Mental Health Center For 'Unlicensed' Staff
The suit claims South Bay Mental Health Center Inc. fraudulently billed the state's Medicaid program by "employing unlicensed, unqualified, and unsupervised staff."
View ArticleRadiology Lab In Framingham Loses Medical Records Of About 9,400 People
Charles River Medical Associates says it has lost a portable hard drive that may contain the personal information and X-ray images of almost 9,400 patients.
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