The full-year cost of care for U.S. patients with obesity two years after starting on Novo Nordisk's Wegovy or similar GLP-1 drugs was $18,507, on average. That represents a 46% jump over the average annual medical cost of $12,695 prior to taking the medication, data provided by pharmacy benefits manager Prime Therapeutics show. The costs for a similar control group of patients not taking the drugs grew by 14% for the same period.
Women in labor can now be tested more specifically for risk of preeclampsia— a leading but preventable cause of maternal death. The ratio of two blood proteins, fibrinogen and albumin (FAR), can be measured in routine blood tests to indicate risk of the condition. But there has been no universally recognized normal value for FAR in preeclampsia. Now, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai may have found one.
Patient decision aids are evidence-based tools that help individuals make informed decisions about their healthcare. These tools help patients understand the benefits and risks of each option while clarifying their personal values. Often, decision aids include visual tools such as charts or diagrams to simplify complex medical data, making it easier for patients to grasp the implications of their choices.
As more hospitals aquire doctors' offices and clinics, patients are having to pay "facility fees" in nonhospital settings. But unlike in other New England states, New Hampshire doesn't require consumer notices about them.
Surgery schedules around the country may be washed out for several more weeks while a crucial IV and sterile fluids factory remains shut down for hurricane-related damage. People often plan non-emergency surgeries in the fall and early-winter months when their insurance coverage will pick up more of the bill, but they may have to wait while health systems preserve supplies for emergencies. The federal government and medical suppliers have taken several steps to help ease the supply crunch created by Hurricane Helene, which forced Baxter International to close its North Carolina plant late last month.
New research led by Florida State University College of Medicine faculty quantified the association between loneliness and dementia by analyzing data from more than 600,000 people around the world — the largest study of its kind.