Columbia University and its affiliated hospitals will pay $165 million to 147 patients who reported instances of sexual abuse or misconduct by former gynecologist Robert Hadden.
Driving the news: The agreement established a compensation fund to be distributed among the former patients, the university announced Friday.
A deadly Ebola outbreak in Uganda has led to dozens of cases and deaths so far, prompting international response and containment efforts.
The big picture: This is the first time in more than 10 years that the rare Sudan strain of Ebola has been found in Uganda. There is no vaccine available for this specific variant yet.
Medicare administrators released Medicare Advantage plan star ratings Thursday, revealing the average rating for the private plans has fallen compared to last year.
Why it matters: The Medicare enrollment period kicks off Oct. 15 and roughly half of the 59 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries are expected to enroll in private Medicare plans.
Despite newly enacted drug pricing measures, the Biden administration hasn't ruled out more sweeping actions to lower the cost of medicines, including asserting control over the patents of treatments developed with the government's help.
Why it matters: The Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in August for the first time allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices for some drugs. But Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra on Thursday left an even bigger sword hanging over the pharmaceutical industry, saying so-called march-in rights are not "off the table."
Flights arriving from Uganda will be redirected to five U.S. airports for "enhanced screening" of the Ebola virus, the U.S. Embassy in Uganda said Thursday.
Driving the news: No cases of Ebola have been discovered outside of Uganda, "and the risk of Ebola domestically is currently low," the embassy said in the Thursday health alert.
More than 2.5 million middle and high school students in the U.S. currently use e-cigarettes, according to a new study published Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Why it matters: "Adolescent e-cigarette use in the United States remains at concerning levels, and poses a serious public health risk to our nation's youth," Brian King, director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products, said in the press release.
Cases of Hepatitis B and C, upticks in alcohol consumption and excess body weight and diabetes are expected to drive the number of liver cancer deaths around the world 55% higher by 2040, according to an analysis published in the Journal of Hepatology.
By the numbers: The research, led by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, found about 906,000 people were diagnosed with liver cancer and about 830,000 died from liver cancer globally in 2020.
More than 80% of abortion clinics in 15 states with strict abortion bans have stopped offering the procedure in the 100 days since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a new report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that support abortion rights.
Why it matters: The findings bear out predictions that access to the procedure would rapidly decline in conservative-led states after justices effectively ended all federal protections on abortion. Some clinics have moved operations to states where abortion access is protected.
Of the nearly 24 million adults in the U.S. who currently have long COVID, more than 80% are having some trouble carrying out daily activities, according to CDC data released Wednesday.
Why it matters: Nearly three years into a pandemic that has left millions newly disabled, medical researchers continue to search for an effective treatment.
Almost two years after a Trump-era cost transparency rule took effect, many hospitals are flouting a requirement that they post the pricesfor common goods and services online — with little risk of facing penalties.
Driving the news: A new report from a patient advocacy group first shared with Axios shows continued industry resistance to a rule some believed could lead to more price competition or further regulation.
