People battling heart failure should make the time to get their flu shots now, a new study suggests. Not only will the shots help prevent influenza in this high-risk group, but it could also reduce pneumonia infections and cardiac complications, researchers report. “If you have heart failure, you should get your flu shot because it…  read on >  read on >

A crowded, overwhelmed emergency department raises the risk of death and suffering for patients throughout a hospital, a new study warns. “The more the emergency room was crowded, the more people were dying throughout the hospital,” said lead researcher Charleen Hsuan, an assistant professor of health policy and administration at Pennsylvania State University. Patients also…  read on >  read on >

In a finding that illustrates just how deeply racial disparities permeate the U.S. health care system, a new government report finds that suicide rates dipped slightly among white Americans while they rose for Black and Hispanic Americans. “Although the recent decline in suicide rates for non-Hispanic white persons is encouraging, the continued increase for non-Hispanic…  read on >  read on >

California’s plan to manufacture its own insulin could be a huge money-saver for state residents with diabetes — and possibly be a model for other states, according to experts. Earlier this year, California announced an initiative to bring its own insulin products to market, in response to the steep costs of the lifesaving drug in…  read on >  read on >