12/13/17

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Could ultrasound scans detect breast cancer?

A new type of ultrasound scan is being tested to see if it's as effective as mammograms in detecting breast cancer, especially in women with dense breast tissue. CBS News' Danielle Nottingham reports.

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/could-ultrasound-scans-detect-breast-cancer/

Womens Wellness - Reproductive organ transplantation

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hsbWHw3gyg

USDA Boots to Business PSA

From: USDA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzTPl-EzT7s

McCain hospitalized for side effects of cancer treatment, office says

Earlier in the day, McCain's daughter, Meghan, tearfully interviewed former Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died from the same cancer, glioblastoma

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-mccain-cancer-treatment-normal-side-effects-hospitalized-walter-reed-medical-center/

Infectious Diseases A-Z: Food safety tips

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMOegk1Y4hM

Nearby Fracking Linked to Low Birth Weights

Newborn babies face a greater risk of health problems if they live close to a "fracking" site, a new large-scale study contends.

From: https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20171213/nearby-fracking-linked-to-low-birth-weights?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Ritalin During Pregnancy May Raise Risk of Heart Defect in Baby

A new study found a small increased risk of having a baby with a heart defect if Ritalin/Concerta (methylphenidate) was taken by the mother-to-be.

From: https://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20171213/ritalin-during-pregnancy-may-raise-risk-of-heart-defect-in-baby?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Dental research receives $1.35M grant to study 'dark matter of biology'

The University at Buffalo announced Nov. 21 that a multi-school team of researchers received a $1.35 million grant to study glycans, a common but little understood class of biomolecules that help bacteria attach to host surfaces, including in the mouth, according to a news release.

From: http://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2017-archive/december/dental-research-receives-1-35m-grant-to-study-dark-matter-of-biology

Dinosaurs Dealt With Pesky Ticks, Too

Researchers say they've found a 100-million-year-old piece of Burmese amber that contained an extinct type of tick grasping a dinosaur feather.

From: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20171212/dinosaurs-dealt-with-pesky-ticks-too?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Regenerative Medicine and Surgery Course Highlights

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_SOYUesQrQ

Researchers test ultrasound to detect breast cancer

If proven to be effective, the new type of scans could eventually be used in addition to annual mammograms

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/researchers-test-ultrasound-technology-detect-breast-cancer/

Is Spice Rack Staple Turmeric a Health Star?

The common spice, found in many Indian dishes, has properties that can help fight cancer and inflammation, researchers say.

From: https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/news/20171213/is-spice-rack-staple-turmeric-a-health-star?src=RSS_PUBLIC

ROME ENDOGRAFT MEETING

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLGjRka9E0g

Drug May Help Surgical Patients Stop Opioids Sooner

When patients received a non-opioid medication called gabapentin before and after surgery, the need for continued opioid painkillers was reduced by 24 percent, said researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine.

From: https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20171213/drug-may-help-surgical-patients-stop-opioids-sooner?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Recall: Crib Mattresses Don't Meet Fire Standards

Cribs, sold by major retailers online, did not meet federal flammability standards.

From: https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20171213/recall-crib-mattresses-dont-meet-fire-standards?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Meningitis suspected in 2 kids' deaths at day care

Both deaths happened within seven days of each other in the first week of December

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/meningitis-suspected-in-2-childrens-deaths-at-miami-day-care/

5 years after Sandy Hook, mental health care worries linger

The massacre sounded alarms about gaps in mental health care, but some key reforms depend on funding that has yet to be delivered by Congress

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/sandy-hook-mental-health-care-worries-linger/

World Bank and WHO: Half the world lacks access to essential health services, 100 million still pushed into extreme poverty because of health expenses

World Bank and WHO: Half the world lacks access to essential health services, 100 million still pushed into extreme poverty because of health expenses

From: http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/news/releases/2017/half-lacks-access/en/index.html

Tips for avoiding holiday hazards

From: Mayo Clinic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfujvx8zhyY

Whooping cough outbreak grows to dozens of cases

Health department says about 1,000 people in the community had close contact with someone who has the highly contagious respiratory disease

From: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/whooping-cough-outbreak-north-carolina-county/

Are you getting the most out of your high-deductible health plan?

Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling

Picking a health insurance plan can be maddeningly complicated. It may seem that no matter what you do, you’re picking the wrong plan. Should you go with the one with high monthly premiums that covers just about everything and even pays for medications? Or maybe it’d be best to go with one with lower premiums but that covers fewer expenses. Picking the one that’s best depends on your medical conditions, the medications you take, and, to some degree, your ability to predict future medical expenses. And it only gets more difficult as costs rise and medical care gets more complex.

Enter the “high deductible health plan” (HDHP). While these health insurance plans have relatively low monthly premiums and cover catastrophic illness, they have high deductibles — the out-of-pocket payments charged before the insurance plan kicks in. For example, a typical HDHP might require you to pay out of pocket for health care expenses up to $1,300/year (or $2,600/year for families), in addition to your monthly premiums, before insurance covers most medical expenses.

HDHPs are often chosen by young, healthy people who don’t anticipate the need for a lot of healthcare or medications. Of course, anyone’s healthcare needs can change; a new illness or injury can make what seemed like a good choice at the time even more expensive than traditional healthcare insurance.

Do high deductible health plans lead to more cost-conscious use of healthcare?

It’s long been assumed that having to shoulder more of the financial burden for doctors’ visits or treatments would encourage people with HDHPs to become more cost-conscious and careful about their use of healthcare services. Not so, according to a new study.

Researchers surveyed more than 1,600 people enrolled in an HDHP about their use of healthcare services (such as seeing doctors or filling prescriptions) over the prior year, including efforts to plan ahead and limit their own out-of-pocket expenses.

Here’s what they found:

Only 40% saved in advance for healthcare expenses.
Just 25% talked to a healthcare provider about the cost of services.
Only 14% compared prices of healthcare providers or services in advance of receiving care; a similar proportion compared quality.
Only 6% tried to negotiate the price of healthcare services with the provider.
While a minority of people took these measures to lower their healthcare costs, those who did were often successful — about half of the time, they were able to get help receiving a needed service, or paid less for it.

These results suggest that people with HDHPs are not doing all they can to lower their own healthcare expenses.

Not the last word

The results of this study may not apply to everyone. The researchers “over-sampled” people with chronic conditions who have the most to gain by trying to lower their healthcare expenses; about half of the study sample had at least one chronic condition. In addition, more than 80% of the study sample was employed and had an employer-sponsored healthcare plan. Finally, this study relied on self-reported information from an internet-based survey. For people who are healthier, don’t have healthcare benefits at work, or do not have access to the internet, results could have been different.

So what?

If you have an HDHP, you may be able to cut the costs of your healthcare by taking the results of this study to heart. Not so long ago, many considered talking about the cost of healthcare with their healthcare provider taboo. Those days are long gone. And saving in advance only makes sense, since unforeseen healthcare expenses can be hefty.

While the landscape of American healthcare and payment programs continues to evolve, as long as healthcare costs are high and rising, HDHPs are likely to be a common option. And that means more financial risk than with traditional plans. So it’s important to speak up, ask questions, and recognize that when it comes to healthcare, it’s often possible to save money without sacrificing quality.

The post Are you getting the most out of your high-deductible health plan? appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.

From: Robert H. Shmerling, MD https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/getting-high-deductible-health-plan-2017121312918

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