Medicare is a national health insurance program created and administered by the federal government in the United States to address the medical needs of older American citizens. Medicare is available to U.S. citizens 65 years of age and older and some people with disabilities under age 65.
Research shows rapid adoption of newer, more expensive prostate cancer treatments – With 180,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, it is one of the most common types of cancer in US. For this reason, it has been cited as a good marker for health care spending in general, reflective of the greater trends across the United States.
Nursing Home Closures Clustered in Poor, Minority Areas – Nursing home closures eliminated about 5 percent of available beds between 1998 and 2008, with closures concentrated in minority and poor communities in US.
Clostridium Bacteria Infecting Increasing Numbers of Hospitalized Children – Hospitalized children in the United States are more frequently becoming infected with the bacteria Clostridium difficile. A report about this study will appear in the May print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Cost of prostate cancer care varies with initial treatment choice – A new analysis has found that short-term and long-term costs of prostate cancer care vary considerably based on which treatment strategy a man initially receives.
For heart failure patients, risk of in-hospital death has decreased; readmission rate has increased – An analysis of Medicare data from 1993 through 2006 for older patients hospitalized for heart failure indicates that along with a decrease in hospital length of stay, the rate of in-hospital and 30-day mortality has decreased, while the rate of hospital readmission and discharge to skilled nursing facilities has increased, according to a study in the June 2 issue of JAMA.
In the battle against childhood obesity, review effectiveness before implementing policies – Before developing specific anti-obesity strategies, lawmakers and advocates should review the evidence on program effectiveness and costs in order to avoid policies that either won’t work or will waste money.
Delaying post-surgical radiation increases risk of breast cancer recurrence in older women – Older women who have had breast cancer surgery have a greater risk of the cancer returning if they delay their post-surgical radiation treatment, report Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.
IOM report declares high blood pressure a neglected disease — Calls for strategies to change Americans’ lifestyles and diets to curb hypertension – Public health officials and health care providers need to step up their efforts to reduce Americans’ increasing rates of high blood pressure and better treat those with the condition.
Diabetes cases to double and costs to triple by 2034 – In the next 25 years, spending on diabetes will almost triple, rising from $113 billion to $336 billion, even with no increase in the prevalence of obesity.
Uninsured Americans have a higher mortality rate after trauma. Treatment delay, different care (via receipt of fewer diagnostic tests), and decreased health literacy are possible mechanisms. – Americans without health insurance appear more likely to die following admission to the hospital for trauma than those with health care coverage, revealed by researchers.
Study outlines strategies to test new payment models for health care – A new RAND Corporation study outlines methods that might be used to test a novel payment system for medical care that would provide doctors, hospitals and other health providers a set fee for treating an ailment such as hip replacement surgery.
Retail medical clinics can provide care at lower cost, similar quality as other settings – Retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other stores can provide care for routine illnesses at a lower cost and similar quality as offered in physician offices, urgent care centers or emergency departments, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
