January 2025 - BioMedWire (BMW)

ThursdayJan 16, 2025 10:00 am

Gale Unveils New Integration to Ease Healthcare e-Commerce Payments

Health savings accounts are basically savings accounts that allow people to allocate funds for future healthcare expenses, like physician visits and prescription medications. A recent analysis found that millions of Americans have access to these tax-advantaged accounts but aren’t well-informed on how to utilize them. Tom Griffiths, founder of Gale, explains that these funds aren’t used a lot because of confusion surrounding their products and services. To reduce this confusion, the firm focuses on allowing merchants to accept payments from consumers who are well-informed of what products they can purchase with their flexible spending account and health savings account cards.…

TuesdayJan 14, 2025 10:00 am

Why the Need to Protect Healthcare Data Has Become More Imperative

Reliance on technology in the healthcare industry is growing day by day, a positive, as it has greatly increased efficiency. However, the increasing use of software has also made the industry a target for cyberattacks, which poses a huge threat to healthcare providers. For instance, clinics and hospitals may be forced to cancel appointments, postpone surgeries, and even send ambulances to other facilities to avoid putting patients at risk. In most cases, attackers encrypt information then threaten to release it if the ransom isn’t paid. An analyst of cyber security threats at Vercara, Richard Wallace, reveals that in the last…

FridayJan 10, 2025 10:00 am

Chinese Research Team Suggests Common Drug for Blood Pressure Could Treat Invasive Brain Tumor

A team of researchers from the Chinese Academy of Scientists has discovered that a common high blood pressure medication may be useful in treating a certain brain tumor. The tumor, a craniopharyngioma, is a non-cancerous growth that usually develops near the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. There are two sub-types of craniopharyngioma; papillary and adamantinomatous, with papillary craniopharyngiomas being more likely to develop in grownups. Despite being benign, it may cause complications as it grows, resulting in hormone dysfunction and metabolic disorders like hypothyroidism and diabetes. Other symptoms include headaches, mood swings, issues with balance, nausea and vomiting, vision problems, and…

WednesdayJan 08, 2025 8:45 am

Adageis, at the Forefront of AI-Driven Transformation in Healthcare

AI promises to revolutionize patient care by improving efficiency, reducing costs and enabling value-based care models. AI-driven risk engines enable providers to pinpoint high-risk patients and proactively address health issues. Combining advanced AI-driven analytics with flexible EHR integration through its ProActive Care Platform, Adageis helps providers meet revenue and care quality metrics in a value-driven healthcare landscape. The Adageis platform facilitates real-time patient oversight, improving outcomes beyond traditional visits. Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping healthcare by enabling precision medicine, predictive analytics and operational efficiency. As the industry transitions toward value-based care, AI plays a crucial role in meeting quality metrics,…

TuesdayJan 07, 2025 10:00 am

Study Sheds Light on How Mitochondrial Changes Contribute to Muscle Aging

As an individual grows older, they experience continued loss of strength and skeletal muscle mass. Once an adult reaches 40, they start losing roughly 8% of their muscle mass every 10 years. By age 70, this often rises to 15% loss in muscle mass every 10 years. Muscle loss, commonly referred to as sarcopenia, is linked to a heightened risk of disability and mortality in the elderly. It causes frailty, which significantly reduces an individual’s quality of life. While the main cause of sarcopenia isn’t known, researchers posit that mitochondrial dysfunction could help explain its development. Prior studies have determined…

TuesdayJan 07, 2025 8:45 am

Adageis Is Already Positioned to Support Healthcare Shift to a Value-Based Care Model

Transition to a value-based care approach prioritizes quality outcomes over service volume, but calls for a dramatic overhaul of infrastructure, culture and operations. Shifting to value-based care means significant changes in mindset and practice among clinicians, while also disrupting traditional revenue models, creating initial financial risks. Leadership, data analytics, care coordination, and payer collaboration, are key to successful implementation. Adageis is structured to support providers during this transformation, with its unique offering of tools and solutions to simplify the necessary moves, including AI-driven analytics and patient-focused care solutions. The company’s platform is designed to help healthcare organizations optimize care delivery…

FridayJan 03, 2025 10:00 am

Analysis Reveals Many MA Plans Offer Inadequate Dental Coverage

Traditional Medicare doesn’t cover most dental care, which leaves consumers with the option to enroll in Medicare Advantage that provides dental care as a supplemental benefit. Previous studies have observed high out-of-pocket costs and low dental utilization rates for beneficiaries under traditional Medicare as well as Medicare Advantage. A recent analysis has determined that Medicare Advantage offers poor-quality dental coverage. Only about 8% of plans under this privatized form of Medicare provided dental benefits that met the study's quality standards. A team of researchers from Mass General Brigham conducted the analysis. For their study, the researchers assessed Medicare data from…

ThursdayJan 02, 2025 10:00 am

Study Uncovers Link Between Gut Infection and Alzheimer’s Disease

Cytomegalovirus is a type of herpes virus that most humans are exposed to in their lives. This virus is normally spread from one individual to another through bodily fluids but isn’t considered a sexually transmitted illness. Prior studies have determined that the virus may remain active in the gut, sometimes travelling to the brain through the vagus nerve. Once there, the virus can alter the immune system and contribute to changes linked to Alzheimer’s. One study found that brains of Alzheimer’s patients were likely to have CD83 microglia, with the researchers noting that antibodies found in the intestines of these…