Should ‘Site Neutrality’ Be Used to Set Payments? MedPAC Members Disagree
Should “site neutrality” — the idea of paying the same rate for the same service no matter where it is provided — be applied when it comes to setting Medicare payment rates? Nope, says Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) member Lynn Barr, MPH. “I don’t think ‘site-neutral’ is neutral,” Barr, of the Barr-Campbell Family Foundation […]
So THAT’S Why You Feel Sleepy At The Same Time Every Day
Maskot via Getty Images There are a few explanations for why you could be hitting the same afternoon slump each day. Thankfully, there are also several solutions. Several days a week, when the evening comes around, I’m tired. My stomach is full from dinner, I’m relaxing with a good TV show and I could probably […]
My Daughter Told Me She Wanted To Die. To Save Her Life, I Gave Her Permission To End It.
The author and her daughter Faith. “Faith is 9 in this photo, the same age she was the first time she threatened to hurt herself with a knife,” the author writes. Courtesy of Brenda Ferber My daughter, who is now a 28-year-old therapist leading a happy and productive life, almost didn’t make it to adulthood […]
Do You Always Need Background Noise? There’s A Psychological Reason Why.
If you see me in the car not listening to music, you should check on me. Seriously. The same goes for when I’m in the shower, trying to fall asleep, cooking dinner ― you get the gist. I’m not the only one, either: Multiple Reddit users shared similar takes, saying background noise can be calming […]
Some Reassurance That a Cuffless BP Sensor Works Regardless of Body Fat, Skin Color
SAN DIEGO — For a given individual, blood pressure (BP) readings were largely the same coming from a cuffless photoplethysmography (PPG)-based monitor or a traditional cuff-based device — regardless of the person’s sex, BMI, or skin color, a study showed. Calibrated to a cuffed device and used for cuffless wrist- and chest-based BP measurement, the […]
Why Is Shingles Worse Than Chickenpox?
What is chickenpox? Shingles, which is sometimes called herpes zoster, is an illness caused by the same virus that leads to chickenpox. Shingles is more serious than the common childhood illness. Many people think of shingles as chickenpox 2.0, a virus that’s annoying but not serious. Shingles is indeed caused by the same virus that […]
Trichinosis Infection: Pork Symptoms, Treatment & Causes
Heartburn and acid reflux are not the same thing. Heartburn is actually a symptom of acid reflux. Heartburn gets its name because it feels like a burning sensation around the heart. Another symptom that occurs with heartburn is a bitter or sour taste in the mouth, usually when you eat or lye down. Heartburn affects […]
Who Is Eligible for the Shingles Vaccine?
Who is a candidate for the shingles vaccine? Shingles is a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. If you had chickenpox as a child, the virus lives in your body forever. 10% of people who had chickenpox in childhood will get shingles as an adult, often when they are over […]
Can Major Depression Lead to Bipolar Disorder?
What is depression? Depression and bipolar disorder are not the same despite sharing some symptoms. Major depression can’t lead to bipolar disorder. Major depression can’t lead to bipolar disorder. However, someone with an earlier diagnosis of clinical depression might later be rediagnosed with bipolar disorder. Depression and bipolar disorder are not the same despite sharing […]
COVID-19 mixed with flu increases risk of severe illness and death
Adults in hospital who have Covid-19 and the flu at the same time are at much greater risk of severe disease and death compared with patients who have Covid-19 alone or with other viruses, research shows. Patients with co-infection of SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, and influenza viruses were over four times more likely to require […]