Health care Archives

Employer health insurance premiums increased in US

Employer health insurance premiums increased 50 percent in every state from 2003 to 2010 — Employees’ share of premiums increased 63 percent; workers paid more for health insurance and got less protective coverage in years leading up to passage of Affordable Care Act – Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased by 50 percent from 2003 to 2010, and the annual amount that employees pay toward their insurance increased by 63 percent as businesses required employees to contribute a greater share, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report that examines state trends in health insurance costs.

Age for diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children expands 4 to 18

AAP expands ages for diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children — New ADHD guidelines: Kids as young as 4 can be diagnosed – Now it possible to diagnose and manage ADHD in children from ages 4 to 18 (the previous AAP guidelines, from 2000 and 2001, covered children ages 6 to 12). The new guidelines describe the special considerations involved in diagnosing and treating preschool children and adolescents.

Facebook may reveal problem drinking among college students

Social media sites may reveal information about problem drinking among college students – Social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, may reveal information that could identify underage college students who may be at risk for problem drinking. The new study published by Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

AAP updates TDAP recommendations

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) updates tdap recommendations – Pertussis (also known as whooping cough) is a serious, easily transmitted infection that causes severe and violent coughing episodes. The infection primarily affects adolescents and adults, but it can cause severe morbidity and death to young infants who are too young to be immunized.

Cost of cancer care rising worldwide

Unequal access to cancer care can no longer be tolerated — Radical change needed to deliver affordable care in developed countries – Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and its economic burden grows year by year. In 2008, the worldwide cost of cancer due to premature death and disability, excluding direct medical costs, was estimated to be US$895 billion.

Chloroflouorocarbons OTC asthma inhalers will no longer be made or sold in US

FDA: Over-the-counter asthma inhalers containing chloroflouorocarbons (CFCs) will no longer be made or sold after Dec_31, 2011 — Users of Primatene Mist will need a prescription product to treat their asthma – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says users of epinephrine inhalers containing chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) should plan now to get a prescription for a replacement product because these inhalers will not be made or sold after Dec_31, 2011.

One million additional young adults get health insurance in US

Affordable Care Act helps one million additional young adults get health insurance – Affordable Care Act has helped increase the number of young adults who have health insurance, as per data released by the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Local biosurveillance data can improve individual patient care

Think locally when treating individually — A population perspective can improve individual patient care and clinical decision making for communicable diseases – By taking local biosurveillance data into account when assessing patients for communicable diseases, doctors may be able to make better diagnostic decisions, according to researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston. For instance, in the case of strep throat, awareness of local epidemiology at the time of diagnosis could help more than 166,000 people avoid unnecessary antibiotic treatment in the United States every year and catch more than 62,000 missed cases.

Le Bonheur surgeons separated rare conjoined pygopagus twins

Le Bonheur Surgeons Successfully Separate Rare Conjoined Twins — Most complex surgery in hospital history – Doctors at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital successfully separated conjoined twins, Joshua and Jacob Spates, on Monday, Aug_29. The Spates family is from Memphis. Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies do not fully separate in utero. A rare phenomenon, conjoined twins occurs in approximately one in 100,000 births.

Allergan’s BOTOX will be available in European Countries for Urinary Incontinence

Allergan’s BOTOX? Receives A Positive Opinion in Fourteen European Countries for Urinary Incontinence in Patients with MS or Spinal Cord Injury – Allergan is pleased to announce that BOTOX (botulinum toxin type A) has received a positive opinion from the Irish Medicines Board for the management of urinary incontinence in adults with neurogenic detrusor overactivity (NDO) resulting from neurogenic bladder due to stable sub-cervical spinal cord injury, or multiple sclerosis.

Antidepressant use increasing among Americans with no psychiatric diagnosis

Prescriptions for Antidepressants Increasing among Individuals with no Psychiatric Diagnosis – In Americans, there is a marked increase in antidepressant use among individuals with no psychiatric diagnosis, revealed by researchers. Americans are no strangers to antidepressants.

U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding

Majority of U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding — New CDC report shows missed opportunities for preventing childhood obesity beginning at birth – Breastfeeding protects against childhood obesity, yet less than 4 percent of U.S. hospitals provide the full range of support mothers need to be able to breastfeed, according to the most recent Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.