More than 14,000 emergency patients were rejected by hospitals in Japan at least three times before getting treatment in 2007, according to a government survey. At least 3.5 percent of cases in serious condition were rejected three times or more by hospitals, according to a report. The results came amid reports of Japanese patients being rejected because doctors are not available or hospitals lack adequate facilities.
In just 30 days since its announcement, 91,675 Oregonians have signed up for a chance at some openings in the state's healthcare plan. Winners of the "lottery" will receive a postcard notifying them that they can apply for the Oregon Health Plan. Budget limitations capped the Oregon Health Plan standard benefit package in mid-2004, but now the plan has room for a few thousand people.
In light of widespread failings in a California-run treatment program for substance-abusing doctors, a California senator is calling for audits of similar programs for nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals. The Medical Board of California abolished its confidential addiction program in 2007 after five audits found that it was not working. Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles) said he was troubled that reviews had never been conducted on the seven other healthcare boards that offer so-called diversion programs.
After doctors questioned the accuracy of information, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has put on hold plans to share quality of care and cost data about individual doctors with its members. Doctors had been given 60 days before the planned rollout to review their profiles, and some pointed to inaccuracies that included reports saying they didn't perform certain tests when their own records showed otherwise. BlueCross did not say how long the publication schedule would be delayed.
Republican Senate candidate Steve Sauerberg says families should get tax rebates to help pay for health insurance and be allowed to buy coverage from any company in the United States. Sauerberg, a physician, is also calling for an end to tax incentives that encourage companies to insure their workers, and creating a new system to handle malpractice lawsuits and cracking down on fraud.
Many private health plans cap prosthesis coverage at $2,500 or $5,000 a year, or pay for just one device per limb in a lifetime. But now amputees and prosthetic-device makers are pushing state legislatures throughout the United States to pass laws that mandate prosthesis coverage. Prosthetic devices are among the biggest-ticket items affected by the effort to curb rising health costs by asking patients to pay a bigger percentage of their medical bills.
The Chinese government is considering shifting emphasis from the country's large, state-run hospitals to a parallel system with thousands of smaller primary-care clinics. The plan on the table would expand and boost funding for the myriad clinics, offering primary care to people in both rural and urban areas. One of the biggest questions has been what to do with the state hospitals, many of which have thrived almost as independent businesses.
Shares of WellPoint plummeted more than 16 percent in after-hours trading March 10 after the company lowered its profit forecast due to higher medical costs and lower-than-expected insurance enrollments. After the WellPoint news broke, shares of other big health insurers fell. Humana was off by more than 10 percent, Aetna declined by about 10 percent and UnitedHealth Group was down nearly 9 percent.
Online personal health records began as password-protected templates for storing basic medical information, accessible from any computer connected to the Web. Many PHRs now automatically link to hospital Web sites; some upload data from medical devices; and others allow doctors to access your medical history even if you're unconscious and far from home. Internet giants Microsoft and Google have now upped the ante, developing sites that combine PHRs with search engines and other services.
Geriatricians provide specialized care to the elderly, and until recently their numbers have been growing. Despite attempts to convince the medical profession and the public of their worth, the number of practicing geriatricians in the United States is falling seriously behind needed levels. One estimate shows the nation's teaching hospitals are producing one or two geriatricians for every nine cardiologists or orthopedic surgeons.
