Planning for your care in the event of a long-term or serious illness can involve more than giving a loved one a health care directive, a living will or health care proxy, and a power of attorney. If you have questions about what choices you have, you can ask your doctor as well. One way… Continue reading Discussing Financial and Life Changes with Your Doctor
Tag: cost
Urgent Care Visits Increase as Emergency Room Visits Fall
Thanks to convenience and cost, more and more people are visiting urgent care centers for non-critical illnesses or conditions, while far fewer people are going to hospital emergency departments, according to new research. The study, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, was conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers. The analysis looked at patterns among private… Continue reading Urgent Care Visits Increase as Emergency Room Visits Fall
End-of-Life Conversations with Non-Clinical Workers Bring Patient Satisfaction
Patients with advanced cancer who spoke with a trained nonclinical worker about personal care goals were more likely to subsequently talk with doctors about their preferences, report higher satisfaction with their care and incur lower health costs in their final month of life, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers report. The findings, from a pilot… Continue reading End-of-Life Conversations with Non-Clinical Workers Bring Patient Satisfaction
Breast Cancer Places Greater Financial Burden on Black Women than White Women
Having breast cancer placed a significantly greater financial strain on black women than white women, according to study by researchers at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The researchers, who published their findings in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, surveyed women who were diagnosed with breast cancer in North Carolina between 2008… Continue reading Breast Cancer Places Greater Financial Burden on Black Women than White Women
Should You Get A Mastopexy? Everything You Need to Know about this Body-Altering Lift
As we age, our bodies give into gravity and parts start to sag – including our breasts. While exercise can help strengthen the muscles underneath breast tissue, a surgical procedure may be needed to achieve the perkiness our breasts had at a younger age. Now more than ever women over 60 are going under the… Continue reading Should You Get A Mastopexy? Everything You Need to Know about this Body-Altering Lift
New Report Reveals Sharp Increases in Alzheimer’s Prevalence, Deaths and Cost of Care
A new report from the Alzheimer’s Association reveals the staggering cost of that illness and other dementias, while an accompanying study emphasizes the personal benefits and long-term cost savings of an early diagnosis. The report also cited a sharp increase in Alzheimer’s deaths – 123 percent – even as deaths from other major causes decrease.… Continue reading New Report Reveals Sharp Increases in Alzheimer’s Prevalence, Deaths and Cost of Care
Alcohol-Related Emergency-Room Visits Rise Sharply
The rate of alcohol-related visits to U.S. emergency departments (ED) increased by nearly 50 percent between 2006 and 2014, especially among women and drinkers who are middle-aged or older, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. Such… Continue reading Alcohol-Related Emergency-Room Visits Rise Sharply
The Medicare-Related Cost of A Cancer Diagnosis
Medicare beneficiaries who don’t have cancer and develop cancer will be faced with out-of-pocket expenses that average one quarter of their income and could reach as high as 63 percent, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center… Continue reading The Medicare-Related Cost of A Cancer Diagnosis
5 Ways to Be Smart About Prescription Drugs
With 4 in 10 Americans regularly taking a prescription medication and nearly $260 billion spent by consumers on prescriptions in 2014, expert pharmacist Dr. Linda Bernstein, a spokesperson for FamilyWize, a price-comparison tool for prescription drugs, is offering the following tips to help consumers get healthier with their medications this year: Know what medicine you… Continue reading 5 Ways to Be Smart About Prescription Drugs
Older Patients and Implantable Defibrillators
Fewer one in 10 heart attack patients over 65 get an implantable defibrillator within a year of their heart attacks, according to a study from Duke Medicine. The most likely reasons for the low rate included advanced age, transitions in care between the hospital and an outpatient clinic, and a mandatory waiting period to… Continue reading Older Patients and Implantable Defibrillators
Brain Circuits and Decision-Making
A discovery by scientists at MIT could point the way toward possible therapies for mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression, that are characterized by difficulty in decision-making. “In order to create a treatment for these types of disorders, we need to understand how the decision-making process is working,” said Alexander Friedman, a research scientist… Continue reading Brain Circuits and Decision-Making
Are Costlier Prostate Treatments Really Better?
The cost to treat a benign prostate condition can vary as much as 400 percent, researchers say, and the results were no different. The finding has important implications for health-care costs. Investigators from UCLA analyzed the cost of treatment for a common condition benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). “The rising cost of health care is unsustainable,… Continue reading Are Costlier Prostate Treatments Really Better?
Hospital Report Cards Have No Impact on Surgery Outcomes
If you’re an older person having a major operation these days, it is very likely that your hospital is receiving a “report card” on their performance. These reports are designed to prompt hospitals to improve in areas where they perform poorly. Unfortunately, those “report cards” do not seem to be making things better for patients.… Continue reading Hospital Report Cards Have No Impact on Surgery Outcomes
Considering a Breast Lift to Look Younger? Read This First!
There are many factors that can alter the shape, size, and feel of your breasts, including breastfeeding, weight gain or loss, and worst of all, the natural aging process. As you get older, your breasts will naturally start to look less full and feel less firm, thanks in most part to hormone changes in your… Continue reading Considering a Breast Lift to Look Younger? Read This First!
Cheaper Remedies Should Rule for Diabetes Nerve Pain
Millions of people with diabetes take medicine to ease the shooting, burning nerve pain that their disease can cause. Research suggests that no matter which medicine their doctorS prescribe, they’ll get relief. However, some of those medicines cost nearly 10 times as much as others, apparently with no major differences in how well they ease… Continue reading Cheaper Remedies Should Rule for Diabetes Nerve Pain
More Injuries with Robotic Surgery – At Least for Now
Robotic surgery for some procedures may be more expensive than conventional surgery – and, at least for now, result in more complications as well, according to researchers from Columbia University Medical Center. The finding, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, focused on surgery for benign gynecological conditions. The researchers in this study looked at… Continue reading More Injuries with Robotic Surgery – At Least for Now