When it comes to approving medical devices for patients to use, the Food and Drug Administration is handcuffed by conflict of interest rules that it says slow the process. A bipartisan trio of senators have introduced a bill that would ease the rules in favor of getting devices approved quicker, possibly at the expense of medical ethics. [More]
healthcare
Businesses Try To Cut Insurance Costs By Coaxing Workers To Get Healthy
By 9.29.11
With health insurance premiums rising fast, businesses are looking to keep expenses down by encouraging employees to improve their health, thus cutting down on the cost of care they’ll use. More companies are offering on-site gym access and check-ups, discounts on healthy cafeteria food and incentives to get workers to quit smoking. [More]
4 People Get Pot From Government In Old Federal Program
By 9.29.11
At one point, 14 people in the United States received medical marijuana regularly from the government. Started in a 1976 court ruling, the program that facilitated the unorthodox treatments stopped accepting applicants in 1992, but four surviving patients still count Uncle Sam as their drug dealer. [More]
Rite Aid Sells Video Chats With Doctors
By 9.27.11
Drugstores are fast becoming outlets for quick, relatively cheap medical care. Many CVS stores have MinuteClinics inside, and now Rite Aid has started offering video chats with doctors in a service called NowClinic Online Care. For $45, customers get 10 minutes of virtual face time with medical pros. Patients can also opt for voice chats or instant messages. [More]
For At-Risk Women, MRIs May Be Better Than Mammograms
By 9.21.11
Mammograms have long been standard breast cancer detection tools, but researchers say magnetic resonance imaging may be more effective at finding tumors in women who are more at risk of contracting cancer and are medically underserved. [More]
Kids' Flu Shots Cut Emergency Room Visits
By 9.20.11
Parents who get their kids flu shots cut down on their chances of having to haul them in to the emergency room. According to the results of a study by American and Canadian researchers, recommendations that preschoolers receive the vaccinations have caused ER visits to drop by more than a third. [More]
Study: Diabetes Sufferers More Likely To Get Dementia
By 9.20.11
Those who are afflicted with diabetes are apparently more at risk of suffering dementia than others. A study confirmed the link between the conditions that researchers had long thought to be true. [More]
Nearly 50 Million Americans Lacked Health Insurance In 2010
By 9.14.11
Unemployment and an erosion in employer-provided benefits are some of the major reasons the amount of uninsured American rose to 49.9 million last year. That’s 900,000 more than in 2009, according to Census data. Gone are the days that it was a given that your workplace handed you an insurance plan. In 2000, 64.1 percent of the population were covered by employer-provided insurance, but those ranks slipped to 55.3 percent last year. [More]
Nasal Spray Gives Hope To Alzheimer's Patients
By 9.13.11
Researchers have found the daily dose of an insulin nasal spray may hinder the progression of Alzheimer’s disease in patients. A four-month study in Seattle found that the treatment improved memory and protected cognition and functional abilities of patients. [More]
COBRA Subsidies Expire, Leaving Unemployed To Scramble For Healthcare
By 9.1.11
Laid-off workers who relied on COBRA subsidies to help pay for health insurance saw the benefits end Wednesday. Under the program, the government paid 65 percent of COBRA costs with federal stimulus dollars. Wednesday saw the end of 15 months of extended subsidies for those who lost their jobs between September 2008 and May 2010. [More]
Late-Stage Melanoma Sufferers Have More Treatment Options Thanks To Drug Approval
By 8.18.11
The Food and Drug Administration is bringing in reinforcements for those who suffer inoperable forms of melanoma. Zelboraf, which was recently approved by the government, joins Yervoy — approved in March — as new drugs that doctors believe will help patients live longer after treatment. [More]
Justice Department Says North Carolina Fails At Caring For Mentally Ill
By 8.15.11
According to gripes from the U.S. Department of Justice, the state of North Carolina is mishandling mental health patients, violating the Americans With Disabilities Act by failing to provide adequate housing. The DOJ may sue the state and force 1,200 mental health patients out of adult care homes — inadequate facilities which it says are operating as mental health care facilities. [More]
Medicare Drugs Should Cost A Little Less Next Year
By 8.5.11
Good news for Medicare enrollees who are on fixed incomes and counting pennies as well as pills: The price of prescription drug premiums in the program are expected to slightly dip next year. [More]
Ads On Widely-Used Medical App May Wield Dangerous Influence On Doctors
By 7.29.11
Nearly half of American doctors rely on virtual assistants that fit inside their pockets. They’re smartphone apps made by Epocrates, and they help guide healthcare professionals through drug dosing and insurance information, but they also pimp out suggestions for sponsored medications. Some worry the apps may hinder doctors’ work by urging them to place sponsor dollars over patients’ needs. [More]
Company Accused Of Wasting Medicine To Take Money From Medicare
By 7.26.11
A whistle-blower lawsuit filed by a doctor and nurse accuses a kidney dialysis provider of intentionally wasting medicine in order to qualify for hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicare. According to the employee, the company used over-sized vials for medicine, intending to have the excess amount deemed to be waste that Medicare pays for. [More]
3 Medical Tests Men Need To Take
By 7.21.11
It’s tough to psych yourself up for medical exams, but lugging your body into the doctor’s office for preventative maintenance is more effective than shunning professional medicine in hopes that you’re healthy. [More]
Tips For Spending Less At The Pharmacy
By 7.15.11
When you’re in the market for crucial, life-improving medication, saving money may not be your top priority. But keep a level head, know what to look out for and you can avoid being gouged when you’re at your weakest. [More]
Medicaid Providers Face Funding Cuts From States
By 7.5.11
Medicaid providers have taken hits in reduced state funding, potentially making health care more difficult to come by for the 60 million low-income patients covered by the program. Federal stimulus funding of $50 million in 2010 and $60 million in 2011 to beef up the program went away July 1, making it tough for states to maintain funding levels. [More]
