Healthcare and Insurance


KU Health reports fewer active COVID-19 patients on Friday

There has been a drop in the number of active COVID-19 patients at The University of Kansas Health System, according to a Friday morning media briefing held by the hospital’s medical officials. Seventy-eight people with the active virus are hospitalized,… more

Coping with COVID: Rapid at-home COVID-19 test approved by FDA, no prescription required

A U.S Food and Drug Administration-approved rapid COVID-19 home test can send results back within 20 minutes. Australia-based company Ellume developed the test, which may hit store shelves soon. Consumers will be able to buy the take-home test over the… more

Report explores insurance climate in post-COVID world

Just two short weeks left in December and the rest of the year still leave questions regarding what the impact of COVID-19 will have on businesses and individuals in a (hopefully) post-COVID 2021. A newly released 2021 Insurance Industry Outlook… more

Coping with COVID: Survey concludes two-thirds of nursing homes could go under within a year

Respondents of a national nursing home survey conducted by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living show over 60 percent say they won’t be around next year if they have to continue to face higher costs… more

Healthcare IT company Cerner announces $375M acquisition

Health IT giant Cerner plans to acquire the health division of London-based Kantar Group for $375 million. The buy is expected to advance clinical research development. Kantar Health provides data, analytics, and research to the life sciences industry. With this acquisition,… more

Hall Family Foundation, BioNexus award $200K

BioNexus KC is awarding $200,000 in regional grants to promote the One Health initiative, which aims to foster animal and human health innovation. Four researchers each will receive a $50,000 grant. The funding is part of a $750,000 grant that… more

Kansas City VA Medical Center to wait longer for vaccine

The Kansas City VA Medical Center will not be receiving any COVID-19 vaccines during the first round of shipments. Now, local VA hospital workers and patients will have to wait weeks before the facility expects to receive its first doses.… more

UMKC School of Medicine to expand program to St. Joseph, address rural physician shortage

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine is taking a step to help ease the burden of rural physician shortages in Missouri. In a Wednesday news conference hosted by UMKC, the University made an announcement that it will expand… more

Moderna vaccine earns FDA researchers’ endorsement

Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration endorsed the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna as safe and efficacious on Tuesday. The statement arrives just a day after the first doses of a competing vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech were delivered… more

The Doctor Is . . . On

When the dust settles from the public-health storm of 2020, the one aspect of health care that could produce the most significant, lasting change for providers, insurers, employers and patients might well be advances in telemedicine. Across the nation—the developed… more