May 2012 - NPR Health Blog - The Network of Care

More Americans Are Checking Prices Before Getting Health Care

Among recent health care consumers, 16 percent said they'd looked for prices beforehand, compared with 11 percent who'd answered that way two years ago. The most common source is a doctor's office, cited by 50 percent of people who checked...

Published Thu, May 31 2012 2:11 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Sick in America: Hispanics Grapple With Cost And Quality Of Care

When it comes to out-of-pocket costs for health care, 42 percent of Hispanics say they're a "very serious" problem, according to a recent NPR poll. The finding runs counter to the widespread impression that African-Americans are worst-off...

Published Thu, May 31 2012 8:57 AM by Shots - Health Blog

As Psychiatric Wards Close, Patients Languish In Emergency Rooms

A study found psychiatric patients waited an average of eleven and a half hours in hospital emergency rooms before being treated or released. That's in part because many hospitals have decided it's not economically viable to keep psychiatric wards...

Published Wed, May 30 2012 11:53 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Old People Smell Different, Not Worse

Old people do have a unique smell. Researchers found that volunteers could reliably distinguish the body odor of the elderly from a whiff of the young or middle-aged. And, it turned out, the aroma from younger men smelled the worst. Read More...

Published Wed, May 30 2012 2:31 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Oregon's Medicaid Experiment Represents A 'Defining Moment'

The federal government is giving the state almost $2 billion to overhaul the health system. Part of the money will provide a new program to aid the sickest patients, and the governor wants to create organizations in each town that will connect health...

Published Wed, May 30 2012 1:46 PM by Shots - Health Blog

As Big Employers Pinch Pennies, Health Savings Accounts Take Off

Enrollment in health savings accounts grew 18 percent last year as employers continued to steer workers into high-deductible medical plans. Read More...

Published Wed, May 30 2012 12:50 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Employers Less Likely To Drop Coverage Than You Might Think

Only 8 percent of U.S. employers surveyed have plans to drop health coverage altogether. But half of the companies questioned by consulting firm Oliver Wyman do plan on make big changes to the coverage they offer. Read More...

Published Wed, May 30 2012 7:33 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Counterfeiters Exploit Shortage To Market Fake Adderall Pills

The FDA says fake Adderall pills are easy to spot: They're white instead of peachy-pink; and the packaging of the counterfeit pills is riddled with typos and misspellings – "aspartrte" instead of "aspartate," and "singel"...

Published Tue, May 29 2012 4:29 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Small Change In Reading To Preschoolers Can Help Disadvantaged Kids Catch Up

Teachers who make small changes in how they read to 4-year-olds can improve kids reading skills later on. Focus children on the words, instead of the pictures, to spur their mastery of reading. Read More...

Published Tue, May 29 2012 11:25 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Psychiatric Manual May Soon Include 'Gambling Disorder'

A change in guidelines for psychiatric diagnoses would add problem gambling as an addictive disorder. The designation would clear a path to add other behavioral problems — such as sex or Internet addiction — in the future. Read More...

Published Tue, May 29 2012 7:34 AM by Shots - Health Blog

With PSA Testing, The Power Of Anecdote Often Trumps Statistics

A federal task force's recommendations against routine blood tests for prostate cancer raises big questions about how to interpret medical evidence and what role expert panels should play in how doctors practice. But those questions aren't easy...

Published Mon, May 28 2012 12:22 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Keep Kids Away From Laundry Detergent Packs

Single-use packages of laundry detergent are causing problems for kids who eat them. There have been at least 250 cases of illness from the packs reported to poison control centers across the country already this year. Read More...

Published Fri, May 25 2012 1:36 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Backers Of Cost-Free Coverage For Birth Control Fault Legal Challenges

Defenders of an Obama administration rule requiring most health insurance plans to offer access to contraception without copays say there's no validity to arguments it violates religious freedom. Read More...

Published Fri, May 25 2012 12:26 PM by Shots - Health Blog

MIT Builds A Needle-Free Drug Injector

Jet injectors have been delivering drugs and vaccines without needles since the Star Trek era, but never caught on widely in real-world medicine. A device developed at MIT promises to change that, with computer-controlled precision and an injection as...

Published Fri, May 25 2012 10:57 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Patients Find Each Other Online To Jump-Start Medical Research

Through their Facebook pages, chat rooms and message boards, patients are recruiting each other to participate in medical research in a kind of virtual word-of-mouth. Patient-initiated research is especially appealing to people with rare diseases whom...

Published Fri, May 25 2012 9:42 AM by Shots - Health Blog

May 2012 - NPR Health Blog

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