Medical Treatments

Screening blood for high blood sugar may become more common now that an influential panel has recommended it for many overweight people.

Health & Safety

Guidelines Give A Boost To Diabetes Screening For Overweight Adults

12:07pm December 04, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Guidelines say that patients with high blood sugar levels be referred to nutrition and exercise counseling. Under the health law, the services would be covered by insurance without cost sharing.

Overdoses of hydrocodone and other opioid painkillers caused more than 16,000 deaths in 2013, according to the CDC.

Is Prescription Opioid Abuse A Crime Problem Or A Health Problem?

4:38pm December 03, 2015

by Nancy Shute

People still think that abuse of opioid painkillers is something that criminals do, a study of news media coverage finds. Options like expanded access to treatment are rarely mentioned.

A recent analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that Medicare recipients taking Revlimid for cancer could end up paying, on average, $11,538 out of pocket for the drug in 2016, even if the medicine is covered by their Medicare Part D plan.

Specialty Drugs Can Prove Expensive Even With Medicare Coverage

10:21am December 03, 2015

by Alison Kodjak

Medicare insurance plans for drugs vary widely in the medicines they cover. For 2016, some patients who pick the wrong plan could pay nearly $12,000 out of pocket annually for a single drug.

In a study of 1.3 million women, ages 40 to 74, having a false positive on a screening mammogram was associated with a slightly increased chance that the woman would eventually develop breast cancer. The extra risk seemed to be independent of the density

False Alarm Mammograms May Still Signal Higher Breast Cancer Risk

4:01pm December 02, 2015

Largest study to date finds women who have abnormal mammograms but negative results from further tests have a somewhat higher risk of developing breast cancer during the next 10 years.

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Expanded Medicaid Coverage Means More Women Get Mammograms

12:14pm December 01, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

Low-income women were 25 percent more likely to get screened for breast cancer in states that expanded their Medicaid programs early under the Affordable Care Act.

Kate and Scott Savett, of Allentown, PA, at an event of the Greater Delaware Valley chapter of the National MS Society, in Philadelphia, PA.

Patients Want To Price-Shop For Care, But Online Tools Unreliable

2:33pm November 30, 2015

by Elana Gordon

Savvy patients want the best medical care for the best deal, and online calculators seem like a great way to compare the cost of common scans and procedures. But many are inaccurate.

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Health & Safety

End Of Medicare Bonuses Will Cut Pay To Primary Care Doctors

7:03am November 28, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

A 10 percent bump in pay under the Affordable Care Act will expire at year-end. The bonus was supposed to help balance the reimbursement discrepancies between primary care providers and specialists.

Inside Each Flu Shot, Months Of Virus Tracking And Predictions

1:55pm November 27, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

Scientists worldwide face a yearly challenge in deciding what goes into the annual flu vaccine to make it effective. The job requires keeping tabs on a massive group of speedy, shape-shifting viruses.

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Many Americans Believe They Don't Need The Flu Vaccine

1:47pm November 27, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

An NPR poll finds nearly two-thirds of adults got this year's flu vaccine or plan to get it. Many of those who are skipping vaccination cite a lack of need and worries about side effects.

What seemed like a burden can become a gift.

After The Cranberries And Pie, Take Time To Talk About Death

8:34am November 27, 2015

by Nancy Shute

Advance directives don't guarantee that a person's wishes for end-of-life care will always be honored. Some states let people use physician orders that override legal requirements to perform CPR.