With medical marijuana already legal in 29 states and even more states considering legalization, some believe that the inevitable next step is an increase in recreational marijuana use among adolescents. Dr. Christy Duan reports, in a 2/25/18 ABCnews.com post, that a new study published in Addiction busted that myth.

WIR
The next issue that needs to be addressed is whether or not legalizing recreational marijuana will be associated with an uptick in teen use.

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According to a February 21, 2018 press release posted to bonsecours.com, Bon Secours Health System, a Catholic health ministry serving residents across the East Coast, and Mercy Health, a Catholic health ministry serving Ohio and Kentucky, have announced their intent to merge, creating one of the largest health systems in the country spanning seven states in the eastern half of the U.S. The new entity will serve communities across 7 states and includes 43 hospitals with more than 1,000 sites of care.

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U.S. healthcare merger mania continues.

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In a JAMA Original Investigation posted February 20, 2018, authors Phillip Tseng, MEd, Robert S. Kaplan, PhD, Barak D. Richman, JD, PhD, et al found that in an academic health care system with a certified electronic health record system, the estimated costs of billing and insurance-related activities were substantial and varied depending on the type of clinical encounter.

WIM

The authors point out that administrative costs in the U.S. health care system are an important component of total health care spending, and a substantial proportion of these costs are attributable to billing and insurance-related activities. Specifically, they found that the estimated costs of billing and insurance-related activities ranged from $20 for a primary care visit to $215 for an inpatient surgical procedure, representing 3% to 25% of professional revenue.