Category: News
A week of sick time may be enough if you get hit with the flu or a cold. But what happens when you have a chronic condition, such as Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis or diabetes, and the time off you need exceeds your number of sick days? What protections do you have if you require major surgery?
As more options for assisted-living arrangements become available, nursing home occupancy is declining. Assisted-living options include a wide range of services including help with everyday tasks in homelike settings, but the shift has both positive and negative implications for seniors.
“Deductibles have gone up. Co-pays have gone up. You see costing-sharing for out-of-network services have gone up . . . . Health care is just continuing to take a bigger bite out of take-home pay.”
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Higher prices charged by hospitals, outpatient centers and other providers drove up health care spending at double the rate of inflation during the economic downturn– even as patients consumed less medical care overall
Washington State Department of Health takes disciplinary actions against health care providers, including suspensions and revocations of licenses, certifications, or registrations of providers in the state — May 21st Update
Many people with asthma avoid exercise because they’re afraid it could trigger symptoms or even a full-blown asthma attack. But a new study finds that not only is it safe for people with asthma to exercise, but doing so could reduce their risk of asthma symptoms and attacks.
mong people who’ve recently required a lot of care, significant proportions say their treatment was poorly managed, with nearly a third complaining of poor communication among their caregivers. One in eight believe they got the wrong diagnosis, treatment or test.
The percentage of kindergarten students entering Washington schools without required immunizations dropped this school year to 4.5%, down from 6.0% for the 2010-2011 school year. Officials credit new rules making it more difficult to obtain exemptions
Washington state will receive a $128 million grant from the federal government to develop and implement the state’s Health Benefit Exchange. The Exchange will create a new marketplace for individuals and small businesses to shop for and purchase private health insurance coverage
More than 4 million Americans have viral hepatitis and an estimated 85,000 become infected each year. Some forms go away on their own, but others, like Hepatitis B and C, can go on to become chronic infections that can lead serious liver damage, cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death. But most people with chronic hepatitis do not know they are infected.
The Obama administration is moving forward with an ambitious agenda to improve the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and unlock a method to prevent it by 2025. The plan also sets up a wide-ranging effort to improve the care that Alzheimer’s patients receive and support families.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Seattle Times Health News
Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
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.
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