Consumers are increasingly paying more for drugs through health insurance than they would if they found the best deal on their own, according to an article published jointly by The New York Times and ProPublica.

Edwards Lifesciences has purchased Baltimore-based Harpoon Medical for an initial $100 million, with the potential for up to $150 million more to be disbursed in milestone-driven payments over the next 10 years. Edwards announced the acquisition Dec. 6, hailing the addition of Harpoon’s mitral valve repair device to its product line.

Low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) spend billions of collective dollars each year on healthcare, Journal of the American College of Cardiology editor-in-chief Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, and colleagues wrote in a recent JACC article—but they aren’t necessarily spending those funds effectively.

At a time when chronic disease is eclipsing infectious outbreaks, the United States is working to find its role in the worldwide healthcare conversation.

CMS announced Nov. 30 it has finalized the cancellation of mandatory cardiac bundled payment programs and plans to introduce voluntary bundles soon.

An interim final rule issued Nov. 29 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will allow schools to serve low-fat, flavored milk and ease requirements for sodium reduction and whole-grain offerings beginning with the 2018-19 school year.

Altering the prices of seven major food groups could save more than 23,000 lives a year in the United States by slashing cardiometabolic risks, a study published in BMC Medicine this week reports.

Physicians have increased preventive screening for some cardiovascular risk factors since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect, a new study found, but women remain less likely than men to receive aspirin therapy to guard against heart attack and stroke.