Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
In a few hours, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will address a keynote speech to graduates at Georgetown University. This is a controversial appearance. One provision of the health of the Health Reform (i.e., the ACA) mandates that employer cover contraception coverage. Although Georgetown University has agreed to provide these benefits, other…
In honor of National Women’s Health Week, U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.), and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) hosted a briefing on the text4baby program today. What is Text4Baby? Text4Baby is a free national health texting service that promote senrollment in both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and provide pregnant…
Is tele-medicine/internet-medicine the wave of the future? Or do these alternative treatment methods just make it easier for patients and providers to engage in fraudulent and/or unsafe behaviors? In response to concerns about tele-medicine’s effect on patient safety, many states have begun prohibiting physicians from prescribing drugs without conducting a prior physical examination. In fact,…
How much does it cost to insure your family? Should your doctor be using Facebook? Can the Facebook IPO save California’s budget? Britain: “the clearest failure seemed to be health care.” Less is more. NBA Playoffs: Advanced Box Scores and the Troxler Effect. Cavalcade of Risk #157.
China standard is living as funds from export industries eventually trickle down into the earnings of (some) ordinary Chinese. Where are the Chinese spending their newfound wealth? In part, the answer is self-beautification procedures. According to the Economist: “China performs more cosmetic surgery than any country except America and Brazil. Almost 1.3m licensed procedures were…
Antibiotics such as penicillin have helped to fight numerous diseases such as syphilis, and infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci. However, overuse of antibiotics is a problem. Physicians sometimes prescribe antibiotics to fight viral infections even though antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. Because of this overuse, more and more strains of drug-resistant bacteria are appearing.…
Governor Chris Christie vetoes a bill today that would form have created a health exchange in New Jersey. “While I appreciate the Legislature’s attempt to find steady policy footing in these shifting legal sands, I am concerned that a hastily created exchange in New Jersey will impose unnecessary obligations upon the state’s citizens,” Christie said…
For patients with osteoarthritis, the answer is not at all. A paper in the New England Journal of Medicine examined 180 patients 75 years old or younger, that had osteoarthritis of the knee, and reported at least moderate knee pain on average despite medical treatment. The researchers randomized this individuals into three groups: Surgery Group #1 (Lavage): The…
The latest edition of the health work review is up at InsureBlog.
Some medical procedures and tests are unnecessary. Others can even be harmful to patients. In an effort to reduce the frequency of these services, Consumer Reports is teaming with the ABIM Foundation and nine medical specialty societies to develop evidence-based lists of tests and procedures for patients and physicians to question as part of Choosing Wisely. According to their website: “The…