medications

A new study has found that even when they have private financial coverage, many multiple sclerosis patients struggle to pay for medical care and medications. The study, which was led by Drs. Lisa Iezzoni and Long Ngo of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), was commissioned by the National MS Society and published an online release of the journal Multiple Sclerosis. To conduct the study, …

Patients lie. They lie about how much they eat, drink, smoke, exercise; they exaggerate or downplay illnesses. When patients lie, it can interfere with how their doctor treats them. It can lead to higher expenses, such as unnecessary tests or unneeded medications. It can also put patients in danger if a physician doesn't know certain critical information when making a diagnosis or prescribing a medication.

Given the risks involved, why do patients lie? According to psychiatrist Dr. …

Sometimes, even well-insured patients can't afford the co-pays imposed by their health plan--and of course, some people don't have insurance to begin with. But doctors don't usually ask patients whether they can afford needed drugs, and patients rarely admit to the problem on their own, according to a new study published in the The American Journal of Managed Care. As a result, rather than working with their physician to find generic drug alternatives or make use of physician …

Earlier this month, noted schizophrenia specialist Wayne S. Fenton was found dead in his suburban Washington, D.C. office. He had been killed by a 19-year-old schizophrenic patient. A New York Times essay notes that Fenton's death has raised new questions on how best to treat mental health patients while still protecting the doctors who treat them. Some states already have laws in place that require these patients to take medications for their condition whether or not they've had a …

There's nothing like a captive audience to show that high quality and cost containment can go together. A "managed care" program at two county jails in Texas has slashed costs up to 60 percent while keeping prisoners just as healthy. The physician in charge of the program has ended the practice of sending patients to the ER for every little thing, and he's instituted competitive bidding for things like medications and dental care. The county EMS screens the patients and calls a physician …

Medication errors harm 1.5 million people a year in the U.S., kill several thousand and cost the nation's healthcare system at least $3.5 billion, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. They're so common that patients should expect to experience an average of one for each day they're in the hospital, although most don't cause harm, the report said.

While information technology can play a key role in correcting the problems on the providers' side, with computer systems …

A group of physicians at the University of Chicago has proposed new guidelines to help doctors decide when it is appropriate to discontinue medications for patients with advanced illnesses. The rules, which cover the elderly, appear in today's Archives of Internal Medicine. The authors offer four criteria on which they say decisions should be based including prognosis, potential benefit and goals of care (such as eliminating specific symptoms). Article

A new study finds that Medicare Part D restricts the choice of drugs available to participants in some cases. The research, which looks at California plans, finds that the they offer participants a generally narrower selection of medications than they would be eligible for under Medi-Cal, the state program for low-income residents. The study was conducted by Washington-based Avalere Health for the California Health Care Foundation.

In a press conference yesterday, CMS administrator …

The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations warns that hospitals need to do a better of job of tracking the medications patients are on during transfers and at the time of discharge. JCAHO says more than 2,000 incidents of errors involving patients getting double doses of medications, receiving inappropriate dosages or suffering preventable drug interactions were reported last year. The Commission says more emphasis should be placed on patient medication histories in …

Siemens and Mount Sinai Medical Center said they will collaborate on the Patient Health Smart Card initiative in the New York area. The project builds on a successful pilot at Elmhurst Hospital. In the initiative's first phase of 100,000 patient smart cards will be distributed to area hospitals. The cards, which are issued with a patient's photo on their front, can store medical information, including allergy history, current medications and laboratory results.

- read this press release from Siemens