2007 was a slightly safer year in Seattle and King County, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s office. According to the Medical Examiners 2007 annual report, deaths due to homicide fell in King County from 91 in 2006 to 76 in 2007 and deaths due to suicide fell slightly, from 227 to 223. Most [...]
Some cancer screening tests can actually help prevent cancers from occurring, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention says, while others help find cancers at an early stage, when treatment can be most effective.
Honey often mislabeled and adulterated The international honey trade is “fire with crime and intrigue” with honey traders “resorting to elaborate schemes to dodge tariffs and health safeguards”, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer senior correspondent Andrew Schneider reports in a two-part investigative series on the honey industry. As a result, Schneider warns, don’t believe the label. “You [...]
Did you know that at Denny’s an order of three slices of french toast with syrup and margarine contains 1,261 calories? Well, these and other shockers will be posted on the menus of local chain restaurants beginning January 1st. The information will include the calorie, saturated fat, carbohydrate and sodium content of the restaurants’ meals. [...]
Parents magazine has ranked Seattle Children’s the 13th top children’s hospital in the country. The ranking was based on a 250-questions survey filled out by 75 children’s hospitals. The survey asked the hospitals about such issues as survival rates, number of complex procedures performed, research studies, staff qualifications, and safeguards to prevent medical errors. Among [...]
West Nile virus is now established in Eastern Washington and is making inroads into the Western Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Health. There were only three confirmed human infections in the state this year, officials report. One case was in King County, but that person had recently travelled to Western Washington and [...]
By Mark Ganz It is encouraging to have President-Elect Obama declare that we cannot allow these tough economic times to postpone health care reform. His position mirrors what a recent Regence poll found: People want health care reform now, especially those who must find their own insurance. Our nation’s mounting job losses are throwing thousands [...]
Washington officials consider adoption of a “Guilty, but mentally ill” plea Both Seattle papers have front-page articles today (Dec. 29) on mental health issues in Washington state. Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Carol Smith writes on the “conundrum” facing society when the mentally ill commit crimes.
Washington bill would require MRSA screening All hospital patients would be screened for the super bug known as MRSA and those at high risk would be tested for the antibiotic-resistant bacterium under proposed legislation, the Seattle Times reports in its Dec. 28th issue. Patients who tested positive for MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, would be isolated [...]
Drug and alcohol abuse on the rise in Washington state “Abuse of drugs and alcohol is on the rise in Washington state, including one of the highest rates of nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in the nation, according to the state Department of Social and Health Services,” the Associated Press reports in the Seattle [...]
When should you go to the emergency room and when is it better to wait and be seen by your regular physician? Sometimes it’s a tough call. In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, provides tips on when and how to use emergency rooms. Calling your doctor’s [...]
Fighting hunger and obesity at the same time The Obama administration intends to use federal food assistance programs to improve the nutrition of the poor, the Washington Post reports. Obesity is a growing health problem with one in four Americans now being dangerously overweight and one in three children being either overweight or obese. Research, [...]
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Seattle Times Health News
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
Out-of-network care is expensive — but a couple of new options help
A new database lets you find out the prevailing rates for medical procedures in your area, and the 2010 health-care reform law provides better protection when people receive out-of-network emergency care.
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