Drug and alcohol treatment is expensive

The Washington Times is running an article that states employer-sponsored health plans in 2006 provided limited coverage for substance-abuse treatment and did not provide the same level of benefits for substance abuse as those given for medical and surgical benefits.

The declining coverage rates are a concern, as alcoholism and dependency on illegal drugs remain a serious problem. In 2005, approximately 22.2 million Americans age 12 or older were “dependent” or “abused” illicit drugs or alcohol.

Misdiagnosing vets

Thousands of troops have been afflicted with traumatic brain injury. This occurs when on the battlefield when brain rattling explosions tear brain cells apart. What veterans are facing at home is misdiagnoses. Read the full article at the Boston Globe site. Follow the link below.

Officials at the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs say that misdiagnosing mild TBI as PTSD is especially problematic because the two conditions are treated differently. Stress disorders are usually treated with counseling and anti anxiety or anti depression medications, while brain injuries typically require some combination of occupational, physical, and cognitive therapy.

Hospital acquired conditions not to be paid for by medicare

In 2008, Medicare plans on not paying for six hospital acquired conditions.  In 2009 another seven conditions could be added to the list.  The initial six conditions are: pressure ulcers, catheter-associated urinary tract infections,  Staphylococcus aureus septicemia and three so called never events (air embolism, blood incompatibility and object left behind in surgical patient). 

This new payment system is going to put the pressure on hospitals and staffing.  Follow the article to amednews.com by clicking this link.

Autism-vaccine link court hearing

Researchers and physicians suggest no link exists between autism and vaccinations. As the court proceedings heat up, I am sure the media is going to flood the airwaves with both sides of the story. This is definitely one to keep tuned into. There is so much at stake. From the parents end of the spectrum; finding justice and being vindicated.  At the other end of the spectrum, physicians, researchers and manufactures of the vaccinations are defending their work and research…and let’s never forget about the money involved.

Follow this link to an ABCnews.com article with a view point of physicians and research.

States are moving on HPV vaccine

I have linked to a summary of current/recent legislation that relates to the HPV vaccine.  States such as Alaska, Colorado and Oregon are making it easier and less costly to get the vaccine.

Follow this link to the Medical News Today article.

Health care costs

This is a really insightful and thoughtful op-ed piece about the cost of health care. The New York Times does it again and again. The article uses a popular procedure, a disk fusion, as a reference. The author weaves the story through the 2008 election and the Obama vision of universal health care and the way Americans view health care.

Well done!

In a saner world, the place where you live wouldn’t have much effect on how doctors treated your back problems. In our world, it can make all the difference.

Nurse working conditions linked to patient infections

Insurance companies and hospital administrators would replace every nurse on hospital floor with a tech or an aid if they could. Colombia University School of Nursing once again reported as to why it is so important to have high nurse to patient ratios.

A review of outcomes data for more than 15,000 patients in 51 U.S. hospital ICUs showed that those with high nurse staffing levels (the average was 17 registered nurse hours per patient day) had a lower incidence of infections. Higher levels of overtime hours were associated with increased rates of infection and skin ulcers. On average nurses worked overtime 5.6 percent of the time. These findings, reported in the June issue of Medical Care, one of the leading health care administration journals, support the notion that a systematic approach aimed at improving nurse working conditions will improve patient safety.

The cost of constipation

I found this little article at MedPageToday. The headline pulled me in, “Constipation Costs may Be Staining the Health Care System“. O.k., the author has a sense of humor, I like it.

Get this, annual health care costs for a California Medicaid patient with chronic constipation costs $23,000 to treat in 2002. That is up from $14,500 in 1997. Drug costs for the treatment of constipation in 2002, have an annual cost of $5000 a year. All this fun was presented at the Digestive Disease Week Conference being held this week in Washington DC.

What ever happened to prune juice, a bran muffin and a cup of coffee??

Patients are returning to their doctors repeatedly when treatments fail. Evidence for this explanation includes the fact that outpatient health care costs, which include physician visits, increased the most from 1997 through 2003 ­- from an average of about $4,500 annually to nearly $12,000, he said. Costs for controls during this period decreased slightly, from $453 to $383.

Effects of katrina

The wrath of hurricane Katrina is still hitting Louisiana. Apparently doctors are not getting reimbursed by the State for uninsured patients. I wish I had access to the entire article. I linked to the intro.

New Orleans-area general surgeon Todd Belott, MD, recently operated on a man who had waited six days before he went to the emergency department, seeking treatment for appendicitis. The uninsured patient delayed seeking help because Hurricane Katrina destroyed his usual source of care — Charity Hospital.

The following is a L.A. Times article:

Residents are returning to New Orleans faster than healthcare workers. The shortage of doctors — on top of fewer and overcrowded hospitals, lost or destroyed medical records, and delays in everything from getting an appointment to lab test results — has contributed to a sense that medical care here is still not recovering.

 

Equal insurance coverage for mental illness

This Yale research indicates that state regulations requiring equal insurance coverage for mental illness does not increase usage, but does reduce out-of-pocket expenditures for families. It took me a few minutes to process this research. Policymakers have historically designed health plans to provide less coverage for mental illness. This was done to reduce health plan expenditures.

Health plans typically provide less insurance coverage for mental health compared with other medical care. Many states have passed mental health parity laws in an effort to improve equity in private insurance and reduce financial risk for those with mental illness.