Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare announced Wednesday, June 14, that it has reached an agreement with BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee regarding its employer-based and marketplace coverage.

A recent poll reports that people in Tennessee and the U.S. wait a month, on average, before they can get an appointment with a doctor, and patients spend on average eight hours each month coordinating health care for themselves and their family. 

The local St. Francis Hospitals held a cereal-eating contest Friday as part of the effort to furnish food banks and provide for children who otherwise might go hungry.

During the Hamilton Eye Institute’s 52nd annual Alumni/Residents’ Day on Friday, June 9, the school’s ophthalmologists will get to see something new.

“It’s been in the last couple of decades — particularly with children treated with brain tumors — that the survival rates have improved so much. And the focus is now not only just on a cure, but also on quality of life after,” said the study’s lead researcher. 

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris talks about the defeat of his wheel-tax proposal on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast and has harsh words for Shelby County Commissioners.

Ethylene oxide, or EtO, has been on the community’s radar since the Environmental Protection Agency identified a Florida Street business as one of 23 high-risk polluters. 

Dr. Reginald Coopwood said the hospital’s aging infrastructure does not match the quality of care it provides. 

St. Jude Heroes have raised more than $100 million since the event started in 2002. The goal for 2023 is to raise $15 million to help St. Jude advance its six-year, $12.9 billion strategic plan, which includes tripling its global investment to annually help more children with cancer from across the globe. 

The new center honors the legacy of internationally known nurse theorist Margaret A. Newman, a native Memphian and UTHSC alumna and former faculty member who died in 2018. 

“When we say we have the highest concentration of Black talent in health care and life science, the companies we’re recruiting to Memphis sit up and pay attention,” said Gwyn Fisher, chief economic development officer of the Greater Memphis Chamber. 

He helped perfect the early science of lipids, the fats in the blood that cause high blood pressure and strokes. The clinic he started at the VA Medical Center in 1985 is busier than ever. 

Officials envision the new entity — the name UT Health was floated — as a hub of innovation that would attract top medical talent, grow research opportunities and offer new therapies, specialized surgeries and access to clinical trials.

“This shortage is causing oncologists to make difficult decisions. Treatments are being skipped and delayed, doses are being reduced, treatments plans are being changed, and sequences of usual treatment are being altered.”

The report from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth found Shelby County ranked low in health, education and economics. 

Previous guest speakers in the luncheon’s 21-year history include Barbara Bush, Leslie Odom, Jr., Andie MacDowell, Octavia Spencer, Rob Lowe, Sally Field and Michael Douglas. 

Patients will have the opportunity to host their own radio and TV shows, play games, watch live musical performances and interview celebrity guests. 

Memphis Jewish Home & Rehab launched a new Wishmakers program with residents being granted wishes from going to the top of the Bass Pro Pyramid to visiting Crosstown Concourse to enjoying a trip to Herb Parsons Lake.

What causes long COVID in some people and not others?

Nearly half a million people contract Lyme disease annually nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Otis, a highly-trained Bernese Mountain dog, delights staff and patients alike as he makes his rounds at the hospital.

The mobile health unit is 24 feet long and 8 feet wide with a clinical space of 117 square feet that features a check-in area and one exam room, as well as telemedicine equipment, computer stations and clinical assessment equipment. 

The increase in patients at Methodist Olive Branch Hospital reflects the growth in the community and better access to care.

Tennessee, where residents suffer from high rates of chronic conditions, ranks 41st in health outcomes, according to America’s Health Rankings Report from the United Health Foundation. 

Baptist Memorial Rehabilitation Hospital can move ahead with its planned expansion near Germantown’s northern border. The board also updated its tree mitigation ordinance.