Report: Medicare Advantage Plans Wrongly Deny Care, Physician Payments
Medicare Advantage plans often denied medically necessary care to beneficiaries and payments to doctors that met Medicare coverage rules, according to a new report from the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG). OIG found that 13% of prior authorization requests that were denied met Medicare coverage rules, as did 18% of physician payment requests […]
How Can I Improve My Winter Mood? Diet & Exercise
What nutrients are essential for beating winter blues? Winter is often associated with certain nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin D deficiency. Addressing these deficiencies and including certain foods in your diet may help beat the winter blues. Vitamin D There are conflicting reports about the link between low vitamin D levels and low mood. However, […]
Ready, set…GO! Scientists discover a brain circuit that triggers the execution of planned movement
Planned movement is essential to our daily lives, and it often requires delayed execution. As children, we stood crouched and ready but waited for the shout of “GO!” before sprinting from the starting line. As adults, we wait until the traffic light turns green before making a turn. In both situations, the brain has planned […]
Children eat what they like, but food intake driven more by what they dislike
It is often said that “children eat what they like,” but the results of a new study by Penn State nutritionists and sensory scientists suggests that when it comes to meals, it is more accurate and more relevant to say, “children do not eat what they dislike.” There is an important difference, according to lead […]
What Is an Example of a Personality Disorder? 10 Types, Treatment
10 types of personality disorders Here are ten types of personality disorders, which often affect a person’s personal relationships and functioning in society. Personality disorders are a group of psychological behavioral patterns that are markedly different from what is considered acceptable or healthy behaviors. These disorders often affect a person’s personal relationships and functioning in […]
8 Signs You’re In A Toxic Friendship (And What To Do About It)
We often talk about toxic relationships in the context of romantic ones. But our friendships can veer into this harmful territory, too. Maybe you were once excited to see a certain friend’s name pop up on your phone screen. Now you get a sinking feeling any time they text you. You used to look forward […]
Initiative to map the cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) landscape in Europe will help improve patient outcomes
Bile duct cancer, also known as cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), is a rare cancer often diagnosed only at an advanced stage. A comprehensive analysis of diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic aspects of over 2,200 patients in Europe now provides a valuable knowledge base for raising awareness and managing CCA to improve outcomes. This study is reported in the […]
13 Vacation Habits That Are Secretly Stressing You Out
Taking a vacation can be a great way to unwind, but often the way we approach travel makes it anything but relaxing. In fact, many of our vacation habits are quite stress-inducing. “It’s important to remove stressors from vacation time when possible because our brains and bodies are not meant to work constantly with no […]
Surveillance testing shown to reduce community COVID-19 spread
Covid-19 is often asymptomatic and can lead infected individuals to spread the disease without knowing it. Yet, regular surveillance testing of a community can catch these cases and prevent outbreaks. In early 2020, Georgia Tech researchers designed a saliva-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and encouraged community members to test weekly to track the health […]
One sea to many oceans: First of its kind study on oxygen flow and its role in sustaining life globally
The Labrador Sea between Canada and Greenland is often referred to as a ‘lung of the deep ocean’ because it is one of only a handful of locations worldwide where oxygen from the atmosphere can enter the deepest layers of the ocean. The ability to sustain animal life in the deep ocean depends directly on […]