How COVID has affected the opioid crisis

About 1 in 3 U.S. adults avoid or delay blood tests, leaving physicians without results that inform most clinical decisions. Here's how easier scheduling, less-invasive collection options and clearer results communication can help patients complete ordered testing.

CKD is growing as a global health problem, but screenings and treatments aren't reaching patients who need them.

Why advance directive conversations should not wait for the emergency department

Unfilled prescriptions and skipped referrals often reflect hidden logistical, financial and emotional work, not a lack of motivation. A behavioral scientist explains where patients drop off and how practices can close the gap in the first days after a recommendation.

Primary Care Collaborative leads first major study of uptake of new Advanced Primary Care Management codes.

The top news stories in medicine today: At least 125 health professionals are on today's ballots as California votes on a clinic spending rule; a California doctor gets 15 years for $45 million in Medicare Botox billing; Medicare's prior authorization pilot curbs targeted services.

After private equity firms bought for-profit hospices, Medicare paid $993 more per hospice encounter and stays ran 6.3 days longer, with no increase in visits.

New patients in big metros wait about a month to see a physician, and shortage areas, coverage losses and a proposed Medicare pay cut are adding pressure ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms.