A new study of Medicare patients found that people who were hospitalized with a heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia did much better at busier hospitals that treat these problems all the time. “Busier hospitals on average tended to have lower rates of death from these three common conditions than smaller hospitals,” states Alicia Chang from the Associated Press.
The study showed that the risk of death within a month of a patient’s admission to a large hospital was 11 percent lower for heart attacks, 9 percent lower for heart failure and 5 percent lower for pneumonia.
The study showed that the risk of death within a month of a patient’s admission to larger hospitals was 11 percent lower for heart attacks, 9 percent lower for heart failure and 5 percent lower for pneumonia.
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Amanda Bennet lost her husband of 20 years to a grueling battle with kidney cancer December 14, 2007. Bennet’s husband, Terence Bryan Foley, fought for seven years, and had been told several times that he was going to die, yet somehow made it through. Bennet and her husband were forced to make several difficult decisions throughout the seven years, and every choice they made was made to save Terence’s life regardless of the price. They had “robust” medical insurance, which allowed them to keep on fighting. Bennet says, “We didn’t have to think about money, allocation of medical resources, the struggles of roughly 46 million uninsured Americans, or the impact on corporate bottom lines.”
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A report that focused on finding the best hospitals in America was just released by HealthGrades.com; the full list of the best ranked hospitals is available on their site. The study revealed that “164,964 lives may have been saved and 18,900 major complications avoided during the three years (2006 – 2008) studied, had the quality of care at all hospitals matched the level of those distinguished as America’s 50 Best Hospitals.”
According to HealthGrades.com, the hospitals are ranked by mortality and complication rates across 26 procedures and diagnoses, from heart attacks to total knee replacement.
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Medical providers have asked the question of whether offering cash discounts for certain health services jeopardizes their insurance contracts- especially regarding Medicare/Medicaid, as they have the most complex rules and regulations. Unfortunately, after reviewing various documents on the matter, there are no clear and absolute answers; but certainly there are prevailing opinions and recommendations. A pertinent review of the issues and opinions for health facilities offering discounts to uninsured patients can be found at this link.
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A big worry for moms is choking, it kills more than 100 kids per year and another 15,000 are hospitalized. The most common forms of food that choke children are hot dogs, popcorn, gum, coins, candy, crayons and balloons.
According to MomLogic.Com, the journal of “Pediatrics” and The American Academy of Pediatrics are asking producers of these choke-causing foods to re-design them in a way that will lessen a child’s chance of choking.
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Much applause goes out to a campaign encouraging parents to put babies to sleep on their backs – it has cut the number of babies who die suddenly in half over the past 20 years. Unfortunately, sudden infant death syndrome is still the leading cause of death in babies between 30 days and a year old. In 2000 the number of deaths hit a plateau, despite a higher amount of awareness of the risk factors for the astonishing disorder.
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A while ago Congress came up with a solution to control Medicare spending; however, the solution only solves the problem temporarily. “It sets spending targets. If they’re not met, fees paid to doctors, hospitals and nursing homes automatically are cut,” reports the Houston Chronicle. If targets aren’t met, these fees are supposed to be cut, but a majority of the time “those cuts have been triggered, Congress has stepped in at the last minute to soften or repeal them — usually with the provision that even larger cuts would take effect at some undetermined future date,” states the Houston Chronicle.
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Botox is no secret to the public; it is a cheaper way to smooth out those wrinkles than going under the knife.
According to everydayhealth.com Botox is facing several clinical trials with incontinence treatment and even though FDA has yet to approve this new idea some military hospitals and private physicians have started using Botox to treat those who suffer from lack of bladder control.
Doctors are becoming certain that Botox could properly interfere with the contractions in the muscles surrounding the bladder which would help the muscles relax, preventing spasms.
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