Telemedicine got a tremendous boost during Covid when Americans were isolating in their homes and many doctors were afraid to see patients face-to-face. In addition, many people were stressed from social isolation with kids attending schools online while parents tried to work from home. As a result, mental health services also went online. Experts are…
Category: Public Insurance
Wednesday Links
- Study: a brisk walk is healthier that an slow walk. Brisk walkers had a 35 per cent lower risk of dying, a 25 per cent lower chance of developing heart disease or cancer and a 30 per cent lower risk of developing dementia, compared with those whose average pace was slower.
- Evidence: since we know green tea is good for you, matcha (a jade-colored powdered green tea might be even better.
- Marriage researchers can tell whether a relationship will last and be happy by observing a couple for just 15 minutes.
- Discrimination in hiring: the USA has one of the lower rates of discrimination while France and perhaps also Sweden have very high levels.
Do You Want Your Test Results Before Your Doctor?
The Cures Act signed into law in 2016 by then President Obama included many provisions. One was medical test results must be available for patients to review without delay. While doctors and patients universally think this is a desirable outcome, The New York Times found reasons to criticize it.
Its intention was to bring health care into the modern era. And the provision has successfully given patients easy access to their medical records, empowering them to play a more active role in their care by eliminating the doctor as gatekeeper.
But it has also led to experiences like mine, in which patients are confronted with material they never wanted to see. Some have learned about life-altering diagnoses and developments — from cancer to chronic illness to miscarriage — through emails and online portals, left to process the information alone.
Friday Links
- Health Execs behaving badly.
- The increase in mortality among middle-aged, non-Hispanic whites is almost entirely driven by the bottom 10% of the education distribution.
- University of Rochester study: the main arguments against telemedicine are all wrong.
- Why can’t the media tell the truth about climate change?
- Study: The overall use of the twenty-three “low-value” medical services across all fifty-one states amounted to $3.7 billion over 10 years. At less than 1/10 of 1% of overall spending, not clear why we should be worried.
- Federal advisory group recommends that all Americans 19 to 64 be screened for “anxiety.”
- No diversity here: Women who get “long Covid” outnumber men by as much as four to one.