Options for Increased Coverage for Medicare Patients
As a Medicare patient, do you sometimes wish you had insurance that covered recurring costs such as dental visits and regular prescription …
Medical marijuana and behind the wheel don’t mix
Article written by Delta Driving School Many people are not aware that though you may be legally authorized to use medical marijuana, …
Testosterone gel boosts sexual desire and activity in older men
By Andrew M. Seaman (Reuters Health) – Older men with low testosterone levels and scant desire for sex report more interest and more sexual activity after testosterone therapy, according to a new study. Compared to men using a fake testosterone gel, those using real medication for one year improved on 10 out of 12 measures of sexual activity, researchers found. “There was a notable clinical difference in sexual function and desire,” said lead author Dr. Glenn Cunningham, of Baylor College of Medicine and Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
Hospitals to pay U.S. $28 million to settle false spinal treatment claims
A group of 32 hospitals will pay a total of $28 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare for a type of spinal fracture treatment, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Friday. The hospitals, located in 15 states, frequently billed Medicare for inpatient stays following a procedure known as kyphoplasty, a treatment for certain spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis, the Justice Department said. Hospitals that agreed to some of the largest penalties in the settlement include Citrus Memorial Health System in Inverness, Florida ($2.6 million), Martin Memorial Medical Center in Stuart, Florida ($2 million), and the Ohio-based Cleveland Clinic ($1.74 million).
Missouri AG finds no evidence Planned Parenthood mishandled fetal tissue
Koster, a Democrat, launched the investigation after an anti-abortion group released videos in July alleging that Planned Parenthood illegally sold fetal tissue in other states. The Center for Medical Progress, which released the secretly recorded videos, said they showed Planned Parenthood officials discussing illegal sale of aborted fetal tissue.
Daily pot smoking on U.S. college campuses at 35-year high: study
The number of U.S. college students smoking marijuana every day or nearly every day is greater than it has been in 35 years, according to a study released on Tuesday. Nearly 6 percent of college students reported using pot daily or near-daily in 2014, up from 3.5 percent in 2007 but less than the 7.2 percent recorded in 1980, the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future study found. “It's clear that for the past seven or eight years there has been an increase in marijuana use among the nation's college students,” said Lloyd Johnston, the study's principal author.
South Korea declares end of MERS outbreak: Yonhap
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-Ahn on Tuesday declared the deadly outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was over, Yonhap news agency reported. Thirty-six people died out of the 186 infected in the MERS outbreak, the biggest of the virus outside Saudi Arabia, following the first diagnosis on May 20. “After weighing various circumstances, the medical personnel and the government judge that the people can now be free from worry,” Hwang said in a meeting with government officials, Yonhap reported.
Pilot dies in helicopter crash near St. Louis hospital
(Reuters) – A helicopter pilot died when the aircraft crashed near a St. Louis hospital, fire officials said. The St. Louis Fire Department said on its Twitter account that the helicopter went down on the street behind the St. Louis University Hospital, killing the pilot and causing a fire. The St.
Boston hospital surgeon dies after shooting
A cardiac surgeon at a major Boston hospital died of gunshot wounds on Tuesday evening, hours after he was shot by a man who opened fire inside the medical center and later killed himself, officials said. Dr. Michael Davidson, the director of endovascular cardiac surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, died as a result of the morning shooting that occurred at the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center, the hospital said in a statement late on Tuesday. The city's Police Commissioner William Evans told reporters that the shooter, also male, had asked for his victim by name before the attack. Brigham & Women's, located in downtown Boston amid a cluster of major healthcare facilities, is a teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School.
Worst Ebola outbreak on record tests global response
(Reuters) – Global health authorities are struggling to contain the world’s worst Ebola epidemic since the disease was identified in 1976. The virus has killed at least 5,160 people. Here is a timeline of the outbreak: March 22: Guinea confirms a hemorrhagic fever that killed more than 50 people is Ebola. March 30: Liberia reports two cases; Ebola suspected in Sierra Leone. April 1: Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warns Ebola’s spread is “unprecedented.” A World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman calls it “relatively small still. …