Is Avastin for Breast Cancer Coming Back?
In November 2011, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) removed the drug, Avastin (brand name for Bevacizumab), as a treatment for breast cancer.
The FDA cited a lack of benefit for using the drug for metastatic breast cancer (cancer that spreads to other parts of the body). The FDA ruled the potential for serious and life-threatening risks could not justify its use.
The FDA approved Avastin for certain types of cancer related to the colon, lung, kindeys and brain.
Two studies recently reported in the New England Journal of Medicine show the Avastin discussion is not over. Continue Reading »
Stress Study Shows More Words Than Action
We know we’re stressed. We know we should do something about it, but are we doing what we should?
Apparently not.
The American Psychological Association (APA) recently released Stress in America: Our Health at Risk. You probably won’t be surprised about the results. Continue Reading »
Are Baby Boomers & Their Parents Playing Health Care Roulette?
It’s probably a young person’s nightmare – a world overrun by old people.
According to a 2010 report from the U.S. Census Bureau, the older population is growing at a faster pace than the younger generation.
Good to know we still do some things faster than the younger set.
As good as that might sound, some of our baby boomers and their parents are neglecting their health care to save money. That’s according to a report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), a private, non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Continue Reading »
Healthfinder Dot Gov Likes Facebook
Healthfinder.gov hopes you like them – you really, really like them.
The U.S. government website for information and tools for staying healthy has joined the 800+ million users of Facebook in search of a community.
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its own Facebook page – Be Healthy Your Way. Continue Reading »
Americans Drop-Kick Healthy Behaviors During Holidays
The holidays sabotage healthy behaviors for many Americans.
- Exercise decreases – except for the hand to mouth motion
- Fruits and vegetables go missing – unless you count pies
The November report of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index revealed the lowest Healthy Behavior score (62.6 percent) since 2008′s low of 61.4 percent. Not so coincidentally, the previous low also occurred in November. Continue Reading »
Are Health Reform’s Essential Benefits Not So Essential?
It’s one of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act where everyone seemed to have an opinion.
What health care services deserve essential benefits status?
- There are 10 categories
- Individual/small group health plans in state Exchanges must offer them
- All Medicaid plans must offer them
- The provision is effective in 2014
The tricky part was what services should be included in those categories. HHS sought the opinion of the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Continue Reading »
Insurance Brokers At a Loss Over Medical Loss Ratio
It sounded like a good idea – require insurance companies to spend most of its premium dollars on health care and quality improvement.
Insurance brokers and agents are not feeling the love from the Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision of healthcare reform’s Affordable Care Act. Continue Reading »
Mobile Workforce’s Ringing in Ears is 24/7
Forget sugarplums, today’s mobile workforce has images of smartphones dancing in their heads.
At least that’s the picture painted by a recent report released by iPass, a provider of enterprise mobility services.
For many of us, the results are hardly surprising. Continue Reading »
Health Poll Draws a Line for Unhealthy Behavior
Individuals with healthy behavior should reap rewards beyond good health.
At least that is the majority opinion of participants in the Thomson Reuters-NPR Health Poll.
- 84.8 percent of respondents believe individuals with healthy behavior should receive discounts on health insurance premiums
- 58.5 percent think smokers should pay more for health insurance premiums
Even the majority of smokers (75.9 percent) agreed that healthy behavior should deliver discounts, but only about a third (32.9 percent) felt smokers should pay higher insurance premiums. Continue Reading »
Mid-level Providers-Threat or Good Idea?
It’s a problem I have heard before – fear over using a mid-level provider.
What is a mid-level provider?
You probably know the answer, even if you have not heard the term. It is a health care professional who provides care under the supervision of a physician. Examples of medical mid-level providers include: Continue Reading »
