A growing number of hospitals nationwide are hiring former drug and device sales representatives to visit doctors’ offices to persuade them to use their services over competing facilities.
In a given week, a primary-care doctor might need to review 360 chemistry test results, 460 hematology results, 12 pathology reports and 40 radiology reports.
In-store medical clinics like those at Walmart – having established a beachhead with relatively healthy patients looking for convenient, low-cost care for simple problems – are eyeing a bigger prize, the millions of Americans with costly illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
96 percent responding that they believe enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill patients is more important than extending life as long as possible.
More and more patients looking for a doctor are going to physician-rating websites. But experts say that these sites are still not as useful as they could be and, in some cases, are misleading potential patients with incorrect or out-of-date information.
Are the brains of autistic children different? Do non-profit hospitals rake in too much money? Should doctors consider other careers?
Walmart — the nation’s largest retailer and biggest private employer — wants to begin to offer a range of primary care services including basic prevention to management of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Electronic health records reveal how well doctors are providing care. Are their patients receiving recommended preventive services? Have they been given unnecessary care? It’s in the record.
Evergreen Healthcare and Virginia Mason will remain two distinct entities. Neither organization foresees any reduction in services or staff as a result of this partnership.
One law requires abortion clinics to have separate dressing rooms for patients and staff, complete with toilets, washing station and storage, in addition to procedure rooms of at least 150 square feet
Your Medical Mind offers a well-sourced, approachable account of the challenges we and our clinicians face when we are truly engaged in making medical decisions together.
What’s a person, exactly? Could Herman Cain get health insurance today? A new approach to caring for the elderly?
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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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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