Sunlight provides the energy that powers all life on earth. However, those radiant waves also have a darker side. They are a leading suspect in cellular changes that lead to melanoma, a cancer that can rapidly become lethal as it moves into surrounding lymph nodes and beyond.

"We have a problem with patients disregarding their medical provider, and that shows in many ways," says Maddox Casey, CPA, MBA, with Warren Averett healthcare division.

Only 4,177 rural health clinics (RHCs) exist in the entire U.S. A little over one hundred of those reside in Alabama.

CMS is proposing big changes in the physician fee schedule and quality payment program for 2019

On July 23, 2018 the United States House of Representatives passed HR 1676 approving grants to improve educational programs, research and workforce development in palliative medicine.

If you are wandering the halls of the University of South Alabama's School of Medicine, hear music and someone counting to the beat, it's probably Dr. Fun and her colleagues.

If you ask a healthcare provider to state the healthcare laws and regulations that give them a headache, you are likely to receive a range of responses.

We recently reported that Michael Granston, Director of the Civil Fraud Section of the Department of Justice (DOJ), made comments during a November 2017 healthcare compliance conference suggesting that in cases where the DOJ has determined allegations in a qui tam (or "whistleblower") lawsuit lack merit, the government may more aggressively exercise its statutory authority - rarely used in the past - to dismiss such cases.

The battle over 340B continues as hospitals serving some of the nation's most vulnerable patients worry what will happen if $1.6 billion in cuts go through.

Physician-scientists from UAB using big-data recently summarized in the Journal of the American Heart Association the prevalence of cardiovascular manifestations, rates of defibrillator placement (ICD) and predictors of in-hospital mortality in sarcoidosis -- a disorder that affects multiple organs.

Adults who are 45 years old or older and who consume large amounts of sugary beverages, including soft drinks, fruit drinks and fruit juices, may have a higher risk of dying from heart disease or other causes, compared to those who drink fewer sugary drinks, according to new research.

A study by researchers at the UAB School of Health Professions published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the official journal of the American College of Sports Medicine, connects aerobic physical activity -- like walking -- to better sleep for post-primary treatment breast cancer survivors.

There is growing evidence showing a connection between Parkinson's disease and the composition of the microbiome of the gut.

Millions of children use digital devices - computers, cell phones, televisions - for three or more hours a day for education and recreation. Studies show that too much screen time is causing physical and psychological issues in young people.

As an associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UAB and practicing physician at Children's of Alabama, Shannon Ross, MD has seen her share of patients with antibiotic resistance.

Local emergency rooms are becoming front and center in what health care providers are calling a mental health crisis for children and adolescents.

From adverse traumatic experiences to ongoing toxic stress, childhood traumas often play a role in adult physical, mental and emotional health.

In a new report from the de Beaumont Foundation, health system executives weigh in on working outside their facilities' four walls to impact community health.

Surgical site infections cost the health care community billions of dollars each year in the United States and account for approximately 22 percent of all hospital-acquired infections.

Looking forward to living longer is one of the great things about life in the age of modern medicine. However, most of us probably hope to look younger longer too.

The Association for University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) named Samford University's Department of Healthcare Administration in the School of Public Health the 2018 New Program of the Year.

John L. Parks, MD has joined Birmingham Heart Clinic from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Michael Bartell, MPH, FACHE, has been appointed as chief executive officer of Encompass Health Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital, formerly known as HealthSouth Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Alabama Hospital Association recently recognized several Birmingham-area hospital leaders.

Several new physicians have joined the Grandview Medical Center medical staff.

DCH Regional Medical Center is now offering the UroNav system, which produces a targeted biopsy of the prostate.

The Rainmaker Companies, a consulting group for professional services leaders, recognized a number of accountants and accounting firms for excellence at their annual conference.

Jayme Locke, MD, director of the UAB Incompatible Kidney Transplant Program, has been awarded the Distinguished Investigator Award for Translation into Public Benefit and Policy.

Herbert Walker, Jr., MD and his Cahaba Heights practice recently joined the St. Vincent's Primary Care network of locations in the greater Birmingham area.

Ed Hutchins, an analyst who works in Information Technology at the DCH Health System, has been named a recipient of the DCH Excellence Award.

Walker Baptist Medical Center has received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines®-Heart Failure Gold Quality Achievement Award.

Alaina Odom, CRNP has joined Southeast Gastro where she will practice collaboratively with Bradley Rubery, MD. She will care for patients at the Southeast Gastro Grandview and Alabaster clinics.