Nearly $500M a year in Medicare costs goes to 7 services with no net health benefits

FINDINGS A UCLA-led study shows that physicians frequently order preventive medical services for adult Medicare beneficiaries that are considered unnecessary and of “low value” by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — at a cost of $478 million per year. The researchers analyzed national survey data over a 10-year period, looking specifically at seven preventive…

Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 94 percent effective at preventing hospitalization in older adults, a study finds.

The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines are 94 percent effective at preventing hospitalization in fully vaccinated adults 65 or older, according to a small study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. The findings, which are consistent with the clinical trial results, are the first real-world evidence from the United States…