I began my career in health care as a staff accountant for a nonprofit hospital. At the time the prices didn’t seem that outrageous. Prices were high, but not seize your house to pay for a hangnail high. How times have changed.
Category: Consumer-Driven Health Care
Tuesday Links – 11 April 2023
- The FDA approves some drugs other nations don’t want.
- Study: After St. George’s Hospital in The UK ended its mask mandate for staff and visitors for some, but not all, wards, there was no difference in Covid infections between the two settings.
- Meta analysis of 2,168 studies finds that wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic led to negative health consequences, including itching, headaches, and restriction of oxygen.
NYT: Veterinary Telemedicine is Growing
When Covid began to spread in 2020 veterinary clinics were closed to walk-in traffic across the country. On one occasion we took our dog Clementine to the vet and waited in the car while they examined her inside. On another occasion we pulled into the parking lot and talked to the vet on a cellphone, who sent out a vet tech to examine Clementine who was in our backseat.
Clementine is an anxious dog. She hates being separated from us, especially when she’s away from her familiar territory at home. Besides our regular vet, we also see a veterinary behaviorist who treats Clementine’s anxious behavior. She too was closed to walk-in traffic during Covid. She conducted Clementine’s annual visit over Zoom in the spring of 2020. After that first Zoom annual, she now always meets with Clementine on Zoom. I suspect the vet does that with many of her patients. Everyone is happier with the arrangement, including Clementine.
Monday Links
- Humans living in the Bronze Age used hallucinogens.
- AEI: work requirements for welfare benefits actually work.
- AI is assisting doctors, not replacing them. It produces better diagnoses and helps avoid prescription errors. (WSJ)
- Anti-Covid measures didn’t keep people from getting Covid; but they did almost wipe out the flu. (WSJ)
- Health Affairs study: From 21–61 percent of enrollees in ACA plans paid for preventive services that are supposed to be free.