Cost concerns keep older adults from seeking emergency care

Worries about what emergency care might cost them have kept some older adults from seeking medical attention even when they felt they might need it, a new study shows. In all, 22% of older adults who may have needed care from the emergency department didn’t go because of concerns about what they might have to pay.

UAlbany-led study finds exposure to sun, heat and humidity can exacerbate symptoms of mental disorders

New research links information on New York weather and hospital emergency department visits to assess how summer weather conditions impact people living with mental disorders. Findings can inform strategies to mitigate severe symptoms and improve patient care.

Virtual “urgent care” may lead to higher rates of downstream follow-up care, study suggests

Even before the pandemic made telehealth a hot topic, people with minor urgent health needs had started to turn to companies that offer on-demand video chats. Some insurers and employers support this, hoping it might reduce in-person care, including emergency department visits. But a new study casts some doubt on whether that will actually happen.

Costs, COVID-19 risk and delays top older adults’ concerns about seeking emergency care, poll finds

Even before the pandemic, older Americans had concerns about seeking emergency care because of the costs they might face, the amount of time they might spend in the waiting room and more. But the risk of catching the novel coronavirus in the emergency department added to those worries, according to a national poll of people ages 50 to 80.

Sky-high surprise bills from air ambulance flights possible for many patients

When an emergency dispatcher calls for a helicopter to fly a critically ill patient to a hospital, they don’t have time to check whether they take the patient’s insurance. But after those patients land, 72% of them could face a potential “surprise bill” because their ambulance provider isn’t “in network” with their insurance, a new study of people with private insurance finds. So could 79% of those transported via ground ambulance.

FAU Finds Simple Solution to Make Thousands of Face Shields for Baptist Health South Florida

A disposable face shield developed by FAU only requires clear polyester plastic, elastic fabric bands, and a laser cutter. Unlike 3D printed solutions, this process is simple and quick. FAU re-tooled their facilities to leverage the opportunity to make face shields much faster than are currently being manufactured. They plan to share the blueprint for this PPE broadly with other academic institutions as well as industry.

Bayshore Medical Center Foundation Raises More Than $138,000 at Annual Benefit for Bayshore Oktoberfest Celebration

Hackensack Meridian Health Bayshore Medical Center Foundation hosted the fourth annual Benefit for Bayshore Oktoberfest Community Celebration on Friday, October 11, raising more than $138,000 in support of the future Dr. Robert H. Harris Emergency Care Center at the Holmdel-based medical center. More than 265 guests attended the soiree, which took place at Stillwell Stables in Colts Neck.