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UrduAccording to new research looking at every U.S. state, programs that deliver medically tailored meals (MTMs) to people with diet-sensitive conditions such as diabetes and heart disease along with limitations in the ability to perform daily activities could lead to substantial savings in healthcare costs.
Tag: Healthcare Costs
NUTRITION 2024 Press Materials Available Now
Press materials are now available for NUTRITION 2024, the annual flagship meeting of the American Society for Nutrition (ASN). Top nutrition scientists and practitioners from around the world will gather to share the latest research findings on food and nutrition during the meeting in Chicago from June 29–July 2.
Surgical Scorecards May Cut Cost of Surgical Procedures Without Impacting Outcomes
A tool for evaluating the overall cost of a surgical procedure, called a scorecard, helps reduce costs of surgical procedures between 5% and 20% without adversely affecting clinical outcomes.
U.S. States Maintain Outdated Laws That Create Barriers to Screening and Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder
Eighteen U.S. states have laws that allow insurance companies to deny health care payments to treat people who were intoxicated when they sustained an injury, despite evidence showing that these laws prevent people from receiving treatment for alcohol use disorder and shift costs from insurance companies to the health care system, the government, individuals and families.
Even with insurance, many patients with diabetes turn to GoFundMe to offset high cost of care
An analysis of medical crowdfunding campaigns reveals the types of expenses that patients with diabetes may struggle to afford. The data showed that even insured patients with diabetes used GoFundMe to offset the excess costs of treatment beyond insulin, such as uncovered co-pays, indirect care, and alert dogs. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
UCLA-led research suggests no difference in health outcomes, care costs for patients treated by traditional MDs or osteopaths
New UCLA-led research suggests that patient mortality rates, readmissions, length of stay, and health care spending were virtually identical for elderly hospitalized patients who were treated by physicians with Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degrees.
Study Finds Computer-Based Intervention Is Cost-Effective at Reducing Binge Drinking among Adolescents
A computer-based intervention associated with reduced binge drinking episodes among high school students could yield a cost savings of eight thousand euros, according to a Spanish study published in Alcohol: Clinical and Experimental Research. The study found the computer-based intervention cost-effective, resulting in societal savings of €8,000 for each binge drinking episode averted. Computer and web-based interventions can potentially reach a far larger number of students than face-to-face screening and intervention.
Laws Allowing Insurers to Deny Alcohol-Related Claims Do Not Deter Drinking, Study Suggests
State laws designed to prevent dangerous drinking behaviors do not appear to have that effect, according to a study published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Alcohol exclusion laws allow insurance companies to deny payment for injuries caused by alcohol consumption and were adopted more than seventy years ago to prevent problem drinking and related insurance costs. But a rigorous analysis of drinking behaviors found no evidence that repealing these laws increases alcohol consumption or binge drinking. Previous reports have found these laws to be a barrier to screening and treatment for alcohol issues, resulting in billions of dollars in added healthcare costs.
High costs of nonoperative treatment in the year before total knee replacement
In the year before total knee arthroplasty (TKA), patients incur considerable costs for nonoperative treatments and other procedures for osteoarthritis (OA) – raising questions about the value of those procedures, reports a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio in partnership with Wolters Kluwer.
UCLA-led Evaluation Shows Improved Outcomes for Medi-Cal Patients Under a Demonstration Program for Public Hospitals
An evaluation led by Dr. Nadereh Pourat, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health professor of health policy and management, found a decreased use of emergency department visits and hospitalizations and slower growth in estimated Medi-Cal payments found in public hospitals compared with other hospitals
Novel stent, from Ureteral Stent Co. and invented by University Hospitals Cleveland’s Dr. Lee Ponsky, secures FDA clearance
Relief™ Stent, a new urinary stent invented by Lee Ponsky, MD, in collaboration with Dean Secrest, secured FDA 510k clearance, which means it can be marketed in the U.S. for patients suffering from kidney stones and other issues causing difficulty with drainage of the kidney.
Helping people save for health costs: Poll finds tax-free accounts used less by those who may need them most
Most older adults are not using tax-advantaged savings accounts to save for future health expenses, a new poll of people age 50 to 80 suggests, and those who do are more likely to have high incomes and education levels, and to be in good health and under Medicare eligibility age.
Longer Hospital Stay and Greater Medical Costs in Patients Undergoing Laminectomy Late in the Week and Discharged to Specialty Care
Researchers found that elective laminectomies performed late in the workweek, and those culminating in discharge to a specialty care facility, are associated with higher costs and unnecessarily longer stays in the hospital following a common elective spine surgery.
Neurology Patients Faced with Rising Out-of-Pocket Costs for Tests, Office Visits
Just like with drug costs, the amount of money people pay out-of-pocket for diagnostic tests and office visits for neurologic conditions has risen over 15 years, according to a new study published in the December 23, 2020, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
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.
Do Accountable Care Organizations Reduce Kidney Failure–Related Healthcare Costs?
• A recent analysis indicates that Accountable Care Organizations may reduce the cost of medical care for patients undergoing dialysis.
• The cost savings were seen only for patients who regularly received care from primary care physicians.
Study: 34% of older adults in the U.S. are prescribed potentially inappropriate drugs, raising health care costs by hundreds
The prescription of potentially inappropriate medications to older adults is linked to increased hospitalizations, and it costs patients, on average, more than $450 per year, according to a new University at Buffalo study.
Proactive Steps Linked To Reduced Medical Costs, Hospital Visits for Children With Asthma
A new study looking at data from tens of thousands of children with asthma finds that several widely available interventions are associated with both reduced medical costs and a reduced likelihood that the children will need to visit an emergency room or stay in the hospital.
NCCN Policy Summit Explores How to Lower Costs for Cancer Care
NCCN Virtual Policy Summit features congressional staffers and representatives from CMS, COA, BIO, and others, discussing legislative and regulatory approaches for reducing health care costs.
Call to action for stronger, better-funded federal nutrition research
A paper from research, policy, and government experts provides a compelling vision to strengthen existing federal nutrition research and improve cross-governmental coordination in order to accelerate discoveries and improve public health, food security, and population resilience. A coalition of organizations is standing in support of the paper and the need for greater investment and coordination in federal nutrition research.
Middle-Aged Adults Worried About Health Insurance Costs Now, Uncertain for Future
Health insurance costs weigh heavily on the minds of many middle-aged adults, and many are worried for what they’ll face in retirement or if federal health policies change, according to a new study. More than a quarter of people in their 50s and early 60s lack confidence that they’ll be able to afford health insurance in the next year, and the number goes up to nearly half when they look ahead to retirement.
High-Risk Patients Benefit from Undergoing Surgery at Teaching Hospitals
Patients with a high risk of dying after surgery, including those with multiple chronic diseases, benefit from undergoing general or vascular procedures at a major teaching hospital as opposed to a non-teaching hospital, according to a study from researchers at Penn Medicine and CHOP.