Paige Minemyer

There is little evidence that healthcare consolidation improves patient care or lowers healthcare costs, experts told lawmakers at a hearing this week. The speakers, economic and health policy experts from Harvard, Duke University and Carnegie Mellon, don’t expect healthcare’s drive for mergers to slow down, however.

Hospital patients are still interested in chaplain services, even as fewer people identify as religious; seniors may recover from surgery more quickly if they mentally and physically “train” for it; plus more healthcare news from around the web.

Healthcare spending growth grew at a slightly faster rate in 2017, and Medicare spending is expected to climb substantially over the next decade as more baby boomers qualify for coverage, according to new estimates from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Between 2018 and 2026, the actuary projects spending to increase by 5.5% on average each year.