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☆ Pay first, deliver later: Some women are being asked to prepay for their baby
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Renuka Rayasam | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“So, I paid it.”On online baby message boards and other social media forums, pregnant women say they are being asked by their providers to pay out-of-pocket fees earlier than expected. In some cases, they may cause women to forgo prenatal care altogether, especially in places where few other maternity care options exist. When a pregnancy ends, OB-GYNs typically file a single insurance claim for routine prenatal care, labor, delivery, and, often, postpartum care. In addition, many people are opting for high-deductible health insurance plans, leaving them to shoulder a larger share of the costs. Of the 100 million U.S. people with health care debt, 12% attribute at least some of it to maternity care, according to a 2022 KFF poll.

Persons: Kathleen Clark, Clark, that’s, “, ”, Caitlin Donovan, Lisa Satterfield, it’s, Pamela Boatner, isn’t, Boatner, Peterson, Joy Burkhard, Erin Duffy, Jamie Daw’s, GYN, Daw, Sabrina Corlette, Lacy Marshall, Marshall, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, —, Peter, “ I’m Organizations: Health, OB, Patient Advocate Foundation, American College of Obstetricians, Maternal Mental, University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health, Columbia University, Center, Georgetown University, Medical, Rapha Health, CNN, CNN Health, KFF Locations: Cleveland , Tennessee, U.S, Georgia, Los Angeles, New York, Texas

☆ Unwashed poppy seeds: Opioid overdose from tainted tea prompts proposed bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-03 | by ( David Hilzenrath | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

People have died after drinking tea brewed from unwashed poppy seeds. Members of the House of Representatives and Senate have proposed legislation “to prohibit the distribution and sale of contaminated poppy seeds in order to prevent harm, addiction, and further deaths from morphine-contaminated poppy seeds.” The bill was one of several on the agenda for a September 10 House hearing. On the other hand, tea made from large quantities of unwashed poppy seeds could lead to addiction and overdose, doctors said. The US Drug Enforcement Administration said unwashed poppy seeds can kill when used alone or in combination with other drugs. The US Department of Justice has brought criminal prosecutions over the sale of unwashed poppy seeds.

Persons: “, “ It’s, Elke Scholiers, ”, Steve Hacala, Courtney Rhodes, CSPI, Eva Greenthal, It’s, Irving Haber, Benjamin Lai, Lai, ‘, Steve Hacala’s, Stephen Hacala, Stephen Hacala’s, Betty, David Rousseau, Jamie Silakowski, Silakowski, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, Joe’s, Sen, Tom Cotton, Steve Womack Organizations: Health, Marshall, US Department of Defense, Doping, Workers, for Science, Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Mayo Clinic, Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, KFF Health, Restaurant Brands, Burger, Washington Post, US Drug Enforcement Administration, US Department of Justice, Senate, Republican, KFF Locations: Chittorgarh, India, Rochester , Minnesota, Arkansas, South Korea

☆ Trump leads, and his party follows, on vaccine skepticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Darius Tahir | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Campaign spokespeople have previously said that pledge would apply only to schools with covid mandates. And skepticism about covid vaccines is blossoming into suspicion of vaccines generally among that group, he said. “It follows from this rebellion against the covid vaccine mandates.”Vaccine opposition has divided the GOP. “You suffered the consequences.”Onder “has never done covid vaccine research” and opposes covid vaccine mandates, his campaign manager, Charley Lovett, told KFF Health News. It also calls for enshrining a patient’s ability to opt out of vaccine mandates in the state’s Bill of Rights.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, what’s, Republicans don’t, ” Trump, Trump, Matt Motta, —, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Tucker Carlson, Kennedy, “, Judith Winston, Obama, ” Winston, Tom Frieden, ”, Robert Blendon, Ron DeSantis, Bob Onder, ” Onder “, Charley Lovett, Lovett, Onder “, Onder, Wise, Bill Gates, ” Wise, Roger Severino, Severino, Lawrence Gostin, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Kevin Roberts, JD Vance —, Roberts Organizations: Health, Republican, Trump, Republicans, KFF Health, Politico, Boston University, Texas GOP, Fox News, NIH, CDC, Department of Education, Centers for Disease Control, ”, World Health Organization, Republican Party, GOP, Florida Gov, Congress, AstraZeneca, Facebook, Texans, Vaccine, Rights, Department of Health, Human Services ’, Civil Rights, Heritage Foundation, Georgetown University, Get CNN, CNN Health, Heritage, KFF Locations: statehouses, Texas, New Jersey, Oregon, U.S, Wyoming, Missouri

☆ She was accused of murder after losing her pregnancy. SC woman now tells her story
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( Lauren Sausser | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Orangeburg, South Carolina KFF Health News —Amari Marsh had just finished her junior year at South Carolina State University in May 2023 when she received a text message from a law enforcement officer. South Carolina state Rep. Seth Rose, a Democrat in Columbia and one of Marsh’s attorneys, called it a “really tragic” case. But at the hospital, Marsh learned that her infant, a girl, had not survived. Historically, birth outcomes for Black women in Orangeburg County, where Marsh lost her pregnancy, have ranked among the worst in South Carolina. She is taking classes at a local community college and hopes to reenroll at South Carolina State University to earn a four-year degree.

Persons: Amari Marsh, ” Marsh, Marsh, ”, Amari's, Herman Marsh, Regina, “, ’ ” Sam Wolfe, KFF, James Clyburn, ’ ” Clyburn, ‘, ’, “ I’ve, I’ve, Seth Rose, Zipporah, Amari, ” Sumpter, Sam Wolfe, Marsh “, y’all, David Pascoe, Pascoe, Dana Sussman, Court’s Dobbs, Dobbs, Holly Gatling, Michele Heisler, ” Chelsea Daniels, ” Daniels, Sumpter, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, God, Daniel Chang Organizations: South Carolina KFF Health, South Carolina State University, Calhoun Regional Detention, KFF Health, U.S, Supreme, Jackson, Health Organization, White, Rep, Carnegie Hall, Democrat, Regional Medical, South Carolina’s Republican, South, Judicial, Pregnancy, Local, The Times, South Carolina Citizens, Life, National, Physicians, Human Rights, Medical University of South, CNN, CNN Health, Health News, Health, KFF Locations: Orangeburg, South Carolina, Calhoun, “, Columbia, South, South Carolina’s, Miami, Florida, Montana , Missouri, Maryland, Medical University of South Carolina, Orangeburg County, Health News Florida

☆ Decades of national suicide prevention policies haven’t slowed the deaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Cheryl Platzman Weinstock | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Globally: The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide have contact information for crisis centers around the world. But, Mehta said, “we act like we know everything there is to know about suicide prevention. During the past two decades federal officials have launched three national suicide prevention strategies, including one announced in April. Without accurate statistics, researchers can’t figure out who dies most often by suicide, what prevention strategies are working, and where prevention money is needed most. Similarly, the fledgling 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline faces similar, serious problems.

Persons: Pooja Mehta’s, Raj, “, ”, Mehta, —, Michael Schoenbaum, ” Schoenbaum, Schoenbaum, Jane Pearson, Kim Deti, Janet Lee, haven’t, Anita Everett, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Lena Heilmann, ” Mehta, Cheryl Platzman Organizations: KFF Health, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, Mental Health, Alaska Natives, Centers for Disease Control, CDC, National Institute of Mental Health, NIMH, Wyoming Department of Health, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, National Alliance, Mental, Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health, CNN, CNN Health, state’s, Colorado Department of Public Health, Environment, KFF, National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation Locations: Arlington , Virginia, Alaska , Montana , North Dakota, Wyoming, SAMHSA, Colorado

Many mental health advocates worry whether the Georgia community will receive the mental health support it is likely to need in the wake of the shooting. Andy Miller for KFF Health NewsSo health providers worry that in the coming days, months, and years the community will struggle to find help for their mental health needs. Georgia ranks nearly last among states in access to mental health care resources, according to Mental Health America, a nonprofit that advocates for increased mental health spending. The lack of mental health care remained a top concern in the region during a follow-up assessment in 2022. But immediately following the shooting, mental health providers across the region still had to cobble together free resources for area residents.

Persons: ” Amanda McKee —, Asa Deslonde, Apalachee —, “, Howard Liu, Andy Miller, ”, Sean Couch, Barrow, Roland Behm, Behm, Tamara Conlin, William Smith, Paul Soost, Conlin, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, McKee, Asa ., Richard Aspinwall, ” McKee, “ They’re Organizations: Health, Apalachee High School, Northeast, Northeast Georgia Medical, International Association for Suicide Prevention, Befrienders, Apalachee, Communications, American Psychiatric Association, KFF Health, Georgia Health, Georgia Mental Health, Partnership, Mental Health America, U.S Census Bureau, Behavioral Health Systems, Health Survey, Barrow County School System, Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Lutheran Church Charities, Atlanta Center, CNN, CNN Health, KFF Locations: WINDER, Ga, Northeast Georgia, Barrow, Atlanta, Georgia, Barrow County, Athens, Gainesville, Northeast Georgia Medical Center Barrow, Winder , Georgia, Nebraska, , Texas

☆ Traveling to die: The latest form of medical tourism
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-23 | by ( Debwaldman | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

At that point, she would have had to travel to Switzerland — or live in the District of Columbia or one of the 10 states where medical aid in dying was legal. (Montana effectively allows aid in dying through a 2009 court decision, but that ruling doesn’t spell out rules around residency. In Oregon, 23 out-of-state residents died using medical assistance in 2023, just over 6% of the state total, according to the Oregon Health Authority. She would’ve preferred to travel from her home in Pennsylvania to neighboring New Jersey for medical aid in dying, but it is allowed there only for state residents. Instead she has arranged to die in Vermont, one of two states that explicitly allow medical aid in dying for nonresidents.

Persons: Francine Milano, she’d, ”, “, Milano, Oncologist Charles Blanke, he’s, ” Blanke, Peg Sandeen, Kris Brackin, would’ve, nonresidents, Eric Harkleroad, Diana Barnard, there’s rescheduling, “ It’s, Anita Hannig, Sandeen, Barnard, Blanke, Airbnbs, Milano hasn’t, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, That’s, she’ll, it’s Organizations: Health, District of Columbia, Vermont Department of Health, Oregon Health Authority, KFF, Craigslist, CNN, CNN Health, KFF Health Locations: Pennsylvania, Vermont, Lancaster, Switzerland, District, Oregon, Montana, New York, California, Portland, U.S, Carolinas, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, America, . Delaware, Burlington, When Oregon

☆ Black people with Parkinson's are underdiagnosed, miss treatment
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Elizabeth Cohen | Elizabeth Cohen Is A Contributor For Kff Health News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

A few years ago, the organizers of one of the largest U.S. exercise programs for people with Parkinson’s disease realized they had a problem: Most of the students were white. But people who run Parkinson’s exercise programs in a handful of U.S. cities describe great difficulty in recruiting Black people. Johnson said his Chicago-area initiative offered a free six-month exercise program for Parkinson’s patients and increased marketing in the Black community but got little traction. When a white person shows up at the doctor’s office with such symptoms, a doctor would likely recognize them as signs of Parkinson’s, said Bernard Coley, an advocate for people with Parkinson’s disease, especially those in underengaged communities. After his less-than-successful efforts to recruit Black Parkinson’s patients into his exercise program in Chicago, Johnson concluded that the fact that he’s not Black is an “important factor.”Leventhal, who runs the Parkinson’s exercise program in New York, has come to the same conclusion.

Persons: “ We’re, who’s, ”, David Leventhal, Mark Morris, New York City . Leventhal, Leventhal, it’s, ” Leventhal, Eddie Marritz, Parkinson’s —, Eric Johnson, Johnson, “, Bernard Coley, Coley, Amber Star Merkens, ” Coley, Wendy Lewis, Tammyjo, Black, he’s, puller Organizations: Mark Morris Dance Group, New York City ., Mark Morris Dance, Yale, Movement, Parkinson’s, Nature, Parkinson’s Foundation, Parkinson Council, Emory University, KFF Locations: U.S, New York City, Chicago, California, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York

☆ Woman posing as her therapist wife counseled patients online, investigations found
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Brammhi Balajaran | Fabiana Chaparro | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A person made an unsettling discovery on social media in February 2023 – the woman she’d been seeing for online therapy sessions wasn’t actually a therapist. CNN tracked down an online obituary for 58-year-old Tammy Heath-Randolph that lists Peggy Randolph as the deceased’s wife. Randolph “denies knowing” Heath-Randolph had been conducting therapy sessions using her Brightside Health Therapist Portal log-in credentials, the settlement agreement states. Brightside Health took “swift and decisive action” once it learned of the breach, a statement provided to CNN. The impacted patients were fully reimbursed, Brightside Health said.

Persons: she’d, ”, Peggy Randolph, Randolph, Tammy Heath, Heath, Randolph “, ” Heath, “, Brightside, “ We’re, Hannah Changi, Randolph’s, ” Randolph Organizations: CNN, “, Florida Department of Health, Health, Randolph, Brightside, KFF Health Locations: Tennessee, Florida, Randolph, Heath

☆ Turning 26 and Struggling to Find Health Insurance? Tell Us About It.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Elisabeth Rosenthal | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A hard-won provision of the Affordable Care Act allows young adults to stay on their family’s insurance until age 26. But after that, those without employer-based insurance face an array of complicated choices, including whether to shop on the insurance plan exchanges, apply for Medicaid or roll the dice and go uninsured. Are you a young adult confused about navigating the exchanges used to pick plans? Have you married or taken a job just to get insurance? I’m a longtime health journalist who has worked at both The New York Times and KFF Health News, an independent news organization covering health policy.

Persons: I’m Organizations: Affordable, Medicaid, New York Times, KFF Health

Blum turned to programs mostly in states where abortion access — and, by extension, abortion training — is likely to remain protected, like California, Colorado, and New Mexico. The AAMC analysis found the number of applicants to OB-GYN residency programs in abortion ban states dropped by 6.7%, compared with a 0.4% increase in states where abortion remains legal. For internal medicine, the drop observed in abortion ban states was over five times as much as in states where abortion is legal. The AAMC analysis notes that even in states with abortion bans, residency programs are filling their positions — mostly because there are more graduating medical students in the U.S. and abroad than there are residency slots. Stulberg and others worry that this self-selection away from states with abortion restrictions will exacerbate the shortages of physicians in rural and underserved areas.

Persons: — Isabella Rosario Blum, Blum, —, “, ”, Atul Grover, ” Jack Resneck Jr, Wade, Resneck, Beverly Gray, Gray, Duke, Rohini Kousalya Siva, Kousalya Siva, “ We’re, Debra Stulberg, Stulberg, Hannah Light, Olson, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: Health, —, Association of American Medical Colleges, KFF Health, OB, Research, Action Institute, American Medical Association, Duke University School of Medicine, MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Washington , D.C, D.C, American Medical Student Association, Department of Family Medicine, University of Chicago, University of California, CNN, CNN Health, Residents, KFF Locations: Arizona, California , Colorado, New Mexico . Arizona, Seattle, Midwest, U.S, North Carolina, Washington ,, Maryland , New Hampshire , New York, Washington, Virginia, Tennessee, San Francisco, California, New York

James Lemons was carrying daughter Kensley on his shoulders at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade when he felt a bullet enter the back of his right thigh. In the chaos of being shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, then hospitalized, Sarai Holguin lost her purse and cellphone. In the chaos of being shot at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade, then hospitalized, Sarai Holguin lost her purse and cellphone. A bullet went through the jaw of Mireya Nelson during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14, 2024. Erika NelsonMireya Nelson, who was shot during the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade on Feb. 14, 2024, undergoes her first physical therapy session while still in the hospital.

Persons: James Lemons, Sarai Holguin, Mireya Nelson, it’s, ” Lemons, Nelson, Lemons, Kensley, Detectives, ”, —, Jaxson, “ I’m, Brandie, I’m, “ I’ve, I’ll, Leslie Carto, Brendan Campbell, Campbell, Louis, ” Punch, Bram Sable, “, They’ve, ’ Sarai Holguin, Holguin, she’d, Cesar, Christopher Smith, Lisa Lopez, Galvan, Lopez, didn’t, ” Holguin, “ It’s, ” Campbell, Holguin isn’t, Erika, Mireya, ” Mireya, ” Erika, aren’t, Punch, Erika Nelson Mireya Nelson, Erika Nelson Mireya, ’, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Erika doesn’t Organizations: CNN, Kansas City Chiefs Super, Chiefs, University Health, ” University Health, Surgeons, Connecticut Children’s, Control, American College of Surgeons, Trauma, KFF, Union, KFF Health, Mexican Consulate, Centers for Disease Control, Get CNN, CNN Health, KC Locations: Mexico, U.S, Holguin, Harrisonville , Missouri, Kansas City, Connecticut, St, Puebla, Missouri, Mexican, Jackson, Belton , Missouri, downtown, KCUR

☆ Pulitzer Prizes: 2024 Winners List
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

PUBLIC SERVICEProPublicaThe Pulitzer committee honored ProPublica for the work of Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski and Kirsten Berg, citing their “groundbreaking and ambitious reporting that pierced the thick wall of secrecy surrounding the Supreme Court.”Finalists KFF Health News and Cox Media Group; The Washington PostBREAKING NEWSStaff of Lookout Santa CruzLookout Santa Cruz won for “its detailed and nimble community-focused coverage, over a holiday weekend, of catastrophic flooding and mudslides that displaced thousands of residents and destroyed more than 1,000 homes and businesses.”Finalists Staff of Honolulu Civil Beat; Staff of The Los Angeles TimesINVESTIGATIVE REPORTINGHannah Dreier of The New York TimesMs. Dreier was honored for “a deeply reported series of stories revealing the stunning reach of migrant child labor across the United States — and the corporate and governmental failures that perpetuate it.”Finalists Staff of Bloomberg; Casey Ross and Robert Herman of Stat

Persons: ProPublica, Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy, Alex Mierjeski, Kirsten Berg, Hannah Dreier, Dreier, “, Casey Ross, Robert Herman of Stat Organizations: Cox Media Group, Washington, Staff, Santa, ”, Staff of, Staff of Honolulu Civil Beat, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, United States —, Bloomberg Locations: Santa Cruz, Staff of Honolulu, United States

KQED/KFF Health News —A much-awaited treatment for postpartum depression, zuranolone, hit the market in December, promising an accessible and fast-acting medication for a debilitating illness. Miriam McDonald, who developed severe postpartum depression and suicidal ideation after giving birth in late 2019, battled Kaiser Permanente for more than a year to find effective treatment. Her doctors refused to prescribe brexanolone, the only FDA-approved medication specifically for postpartum depression at the time. Insurers’ policies for zuranolone will be written at a time when the regulatory environment around mental health treatment is shifting. In the meantime, Burkhard said, patients suffering from postpartum depression should not hold back from asking their doctors about zuranolone.

Persons: “, Meiram Bendat, ”, Joy Burkhard, KP’s, Kaiser, Miriam McDonald, ” McDonald, KP, Nico, Keith McDonald, brexanolone, “ Kaiser Permanente, ” “ Kaiser, Burkhard, “ It’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Burkhard Organizations: KQED, KFF, brexanolone, FDA, zuranolone, OB, Center, Maternal Mental, Kaiser Permanente, NPR, Department of Labor, Maternal Mental Health, Medicaid, Cal, U.S . Department of Labor, CNN, CNN Health, KFF Health Locations: ”, “ Kaiser, California

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Times was honored Monday with George Polk Awards for Foreign Reporting and Photojournalism for its coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas. They were among Polk Awards winners announced Monday in 13 categories. In all, five of the prestigious journalism prizes were for coverage of the Israel-Gaza and Russia-Ukraine wars. The winners will be honored in April as the university marks the 75th anniversary of the awards. That prize was established by journalist Jane Freiman Schanberg to honor long-form investigative or enterprise journalism and comes with a $25,000 award.

Persons: George Polk, Photographers Samar Abu Elouf, Yousef Masoud, “, ”, John Darnton, Elon Musk, Osher, Julia Cardi, Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Alex Mierjeski, Brett Murphy, ProPublica, Clarence Thomas, Jason Motlagh, Jane Freiman Schanberg, Luke Mogelson, Anna Werner, Brett Kelman, Fred Schulte, Holly K, Hacker, Daniel Chang, Julie Pace, Bob Woodward, Christiane Amanpour, Dean Baquet Organizations: New York Times, Foreign, Hamas, Photographers, University, Polk, CBS, Tesla, SpaceX, Supreme, New, The Gazette, Colorado Springs, Sydney Schanberg, Reuters, Yorker, CBS News, KFF Health, Food, Drug, Long, Long Island University, Journalism, Digital Media, Associated Press, Julie Pace , Washington Post, CNN Locations: Israel, Gaza, Long, Russia, Ukraine, New York, Haiti, Long Island, Manhattan, Julie Pace ,

☆ Do we simply not care about older adults in the US?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

KFF Health News —The Covid-19 pandemic would be a wake-up call for America, advocates for the elderly predicted: incontrovertible proof that the nation wasn’t doing enough to care for vulnerable older adults. Around 900,000 older adults have died of Covid-19 to date, accounting for 3 of every 4 Americans who have perished in the pandemic. Many seniors at high risk aren’t getting antiviral therapies for Covid, and most older adults in nursing homes aren’t getting updated vaccines. The pandemic made things worsePrejudice against older adults is nothing new, but “it feels more intense, more hostile” now than previously, said Karl Pillemer, 69, a professor of psychology and gerontology at Cornell University. But as a society, we don’t value older adults or the people who care for them,” said Robert Kramer, 74, co-founder and strategic adviser at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care.

Persons: —, ”, Alice Bonner, I’m, Karl Pillemer, “, ’, ’ ”, Andrew Achenbaum, Achenbaum, Covid, Edwin Walker, Robert Kramer, Kramer, John Rowe, Anne Montgomery, Allen Power, ” Power, it’s “, ” Pillemer Organizations: Health, America, CDC, Institute for Healthcare, gerontology, Cornell University, Texas Medical Center, Aging, Department of Health, Human Services, National Investment Center, Seniors Housing & Care, ”, Columbia University’s Mailman, of Public Health, National Committee, Preserve Social Security, Schlegel, University of Waterloo Research Institute, National Academy of Medicine’s, Healthy, University of Southern, Cornell, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Houston, Canada, University of Southern California

☆ Mammography AI can cost patients extra. Is it worth it?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Michelle Andrews | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

In recent years, AI software that helps radiologists detect problems or diagnose cancer using mammography has been moving into clinical use. This extra review has enormous potential to improve the detection of suspicious breast masses and lead to earlier diagnoses of breast cancer. With RadNet’s AI tool, “it’s as if all patients get the benefit of our very top performer.”But is the tech analysis worth the extra cost to patients? The health system has developed AI models and is testing the technology with mammograms but doesn’t yet offer it to patients, she said. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, “computer-assisted detection” software promised to improve breast cancer detection.

Persons: “, ”, Etta Pisano, RadNet, Gregory Sorensen, Sorensen, generalists, ” Sorensen, Laura Heacock, NYU Langone Health’s, Heacock, it’s, Constance Lehman, ” Lehman, RadNet’s, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Christoph Lee, mammography, Robert Smith, ” Smith, Smith, we’re Organizations: Health, American College of Radiology, NYU, Cancer, “, National Cancer Institute, FDA, Medicare, Services, CMS, Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Imaging Research, Mass, Get CNN, CNN Health, Screening, Research, University of Washington School of Medicine, American Cancer Society, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Manhattan, Baltimore, RadNet, New York, New Jersey, mammograms, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Europe, Sweden, U.S

☆ Native American communities have the highest suicide rates, yet interventions are scarce
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Cheryl Platzman Weinstock | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

He spent more than a week in an inpatient mental health unit, but once home, he was offered sparse mental health resources. Despite decades of research into suicide prevention, suicide rates among Indigenous people have remained stubbornly high, especially among Indigenous people ages 10 to 24, according to the CDC. Experts say that’s because the national strategy for suicide prevention isn’t culturally relevant or sensitive to Native American communities’ unique values. Several tribal communities are attempting to implement a similar system in their communities, said Cwik. Pamela End of Horn, a social worker and national suicide prevention consultant at IHS, said the Department of Veterans Affairs “has a suicide coordinator in every medical center across the U.S., plus case managers, and they have an entire office dedicated to suicide prevention.

Persons: Amanda MorningStar, “, ”, MorningStar, Ben, Ben MorningStar, Mary Cwik, ” Cwik, Joseph P, Gros, Stephen O’Connor, Teresa Brockie, Brockie, Fort Belknap, It’s, Cwik, Pamela, Department of Veterans Affairs “, Robert Coberly, Coberly, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Ben MorningStar Organizations: Health, Blackfeet, Centers for Disease Control, Montana Budget, Policy, . Montana, CDC, Indian Health Service, IHS, Center, Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Harvard University, Division of Services, Intervention, National Institute of Mental Health, ”, NIMH, National Institutes of Health, Mental Health Services Administration, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, American Public Health Association, Department of Veterans Affairs, Oglala Lakota, Rural Behavioral Health Institute, CNN, CNN Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: Heart Butte , Montana, United States, Heart Butte, Baltimore, Montana, Fort, Aaniiih, Fort Peck, Peck, Arizona, U.S, South Dakota, Tulalip, Washington

☆ Big Profits in Caring for the Elderly
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( David Leonhardt | More About David Leonhardt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The main reason is that almost every form of care in the U.S. costs more: doctor’s visits, hospital stays, drug prescriptions, surgeries and more. The American health care system maximizes the profits of health care companies at the expense of families’ budgets. Dying brokeYou can find a poignant example in a series that The Times and KFF Health News (a nonprofit) have been publishing in recent weeks. It’s called Dying Broke, and it examines the long-term care industry. “That is far higher than the money made in most other health sectors.”

Persons: — Gerard Anderson, Uwe Reinhardt, Peter Hussey, Varduhi, —, It’s, ” Jordan Rau Organizations: KFF Health Locations: U.S

☆ Methodology for Analysis of the U.S. Health and Retirement Study
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( The New York Times | Kff Health News | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Times/KFF Health News data analysis was based on the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative longitudinal survey of about 20,000 people over age 50. The analysis defined people ages 65 and above as likely to need long-term care if they were assessed to have dementia, or if they reported having difficulty with two or more out of six activities of daily living. The analysis’ definition of needing long-term care assistance is conservative and is in line with criteria most long-term care insurers use in determining whether they will pay for services. The analysis was developed in consultation with Norma Coe, an associate professor of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The financial toll on middle-class and upper-income people needing long-term care was examined by reviewing data that the H.R.S.

Persons: Norma Coe Organizations: KFF Health, Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

☆ Who will care for older adults? We’ve plenty of know-how but too few specialists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Research suggests each geriatrician should care for no more than 700 patients; the current ratio of providers to older patients is 1 to 10,000. In some respects, geriatrics has been remarkably successful in disseminating principles and practices meant to improve the care of older adults. Under this model, older adults with acute but non-life-threatening illnesses get care at home, managed closely by nurses and doctors. In July 2019, the American College of Surgeons created a program with 32 standards designed to improve the care of older adults. The bright lights, noise, and harried atmosphere in hospital emergency rooms can disorient older adults.

Persons: Jerry Gurwitz, “, ” Gurwitz, What’s, “ There’s, ”, geriatrician Gregg Warshaw, geriatrics, Michael Harper, Thomas Robinson, geriatricians, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Lisa Walke, Harper Organizations: CNN, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, American Geriatrics Society, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of California, Seniors, American College of Surgeons, Initiative, Geriatric, American College of Emergency Physicians, Centers, Medicare, Medicaid Services, UCLA, Indiana University, Johns Hopkins University, UCSF, Get CNN, CNN Health, Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, KFF Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: United States, San Francisco

☆ Doubts abound about a new Alzheimer’s blood test
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Judith Graham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Quest Diagnostics blood test, AD-Detect, measures elevated levels of amyloid-beta proteins, a signature characteristic of Alzheimer’s. But Alzheimer’s researchers and clinicians aren’t convinced the Quest test is backed by sound scientific research. Though blood tests for Alzheimer’s are likely to become common in the years ahead, the Alzheimer’s Association said it’s premature to offer a test of this kind directly to consumers. Because the science behind blood tests for Alzheimer’s is still developing and because “patients may not really understand the uncertainty of test results,” Edelmayer said, the Alzheimer’s Association “does not endorse the use of the AD-Detect test by consumers.”Quest’s blood test is one of several developments altering the landscape of Alzheimer’s care in the United States. The bottom line: Before taking a test, “older adults need to ask themselves, ‘Why do I want to know this?

Persons: aren’t, Alzheimer’s, Michael Racke, ”, there’s, Suzanne Schindler, St . Louis, That’s, ” Schindler, Racke, Meera Sheffrin, —, Rebecca Edelmayer, ” Edelmayer, Eric Widera, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Emily Largent, ’ ”, Munro Cullum Organizations: Health, Diagnostics, Alzheimer’s Association, Quest, University of Michigan, International Conference, Washington University School of Medicine, Senior, Stanford Healthcare, The University of Michigan, FDA, National Institute, Aging, University of California, Get CNN, CNN Health, University, Pennsylvania’s Perelman, of Medicine, HIPAA, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: U.S, San Diego, St ., United States, San Francisco

☆ In older adults, a little excess weigh may be OK
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Judith Graham | Kff Health News | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

For years, experts have debated what to advise older adults in this situation. Only 27% to 44% of older adults meet these guidelines, according to various surveys. Epidemiologic research suggests that the ideal body mass index (BMI) might be higher for older adults than younger adults. The study’s conclusion: “The WHO healthy weight range may not be suitable for older adults.” Instead, being overweight may be beneficial for older adults, while being notably thin can be problematic, contributing to the potential for frailty. Indeed, an optimal BMI for older adults may be in the range of 24 to 29, Carl Lavie, a well-known obesity researcher, suggested in a separate study reviewing the evidence surrounding obesity in older adults.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Mitchell Lazar, we’re, John Batsis, Anne Newman, —, Carl Lavie, Lavie, “, ” Lavie, Newman, you’re, Dinesh Edem, Dennis Kerrigan, Katie Dodd Organizations: CNN, US Centers for Disease Control, Institute for Diabetes, University, Pennsylvania’s Perelman, of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Center for Aging, Health, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, BMI, World Health Organization, WHO, University of Pittsburgh, University of North, University of Arkansas, Medical Sciences, Henry Ford Health, Kaiser Health, KFF Locations: —, Chapel Hill, New Orleans, University of North Carolina, Michigan

☆ County with high rate of overdose deaths doesn’t use opioid settlement funds for addiction program
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Aneri Pattani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Greene County, Tenn., resident Nancy Schneck wants opioid settlement funds to be used for addiction and mental health treatment. In Tennessee, 15% of the state’s opioid settlement funds are controlled by the legislature and another 15% by local governments. Greene County, Tenn., is directing some of its opioid settlement money into the county's capital projects fund. Pack, from East Tennessee State, urges them to increase access to medications that have proven effective in treating opioid addiction. Some Greene County residents want to see opioid settlement funds go to local initiatives that are already operating on the ground.

☆ More people with Down syndrome are living longer, but medical systems aren’t keeping up
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Tony Leys | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Marilyn researched online and learned the University of Kansas Health System has a special medical clinic for adults with Down syndrome. The clinic Marilyn found is in Kansas City, Kansas, 80 miles northwest of the family’s cattle farm in central Missouri. A directory published by the Global Down Syndrome Foundation lists just 15 medical programs nationwide that are housed outside of children’s hospitals and that accept Down syndrome patients who are 30 or older. But she has felt treated like a child by other health care providers, who have spoken to her parents instead of to her during appointments. Advocates and clinicians say it’s crucial for health care providers to communicate as much as possible with patients who have disabilities.

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