Tag: costs

Prior authorization costs radiation oncology clinics more than $40 million each year, study estimates

The time required to secure prior authorization approvals for radiation therapy treatments equates to a financial impact of more than $40 million annually for academic medical centers, according to a new study. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting. Prior authorization is a cost-control process used by

Delaying cancer care costs lives

(HealthDay)—Even as the coronavirus pandemic has postponed the delivery of many kinds of health care, a new study suggests that delaying cancer treatment by even a month can raise your risk of dying by 6% to 13%, and that risk keeps rising the longer treatment is delayed. The increased risk of death for seven types

How changing vaccine schedules can save costs and lives: Findings from South Africa

In 2005, before most low- and middle-income countries started vaccinating children routinely for pneumococcal disease, it caused approximately 1.5 million deaths worldwide annually. About 700,000 to 1 million of these deaths were in children under five years. Pneumococcal disease occurs when Streptococcus pneumoniae invades a normally sterile area of the body, causing meningitis, pneumonia, septicaemia

Yep, Childcare Officially Costs More Than College

A new survey from Child Care Aware of America reports some discouraging (although, are we really surprised though?) stats on the costs of child care across the country. Spoiler alert: they’re hella high. Notably, in 30 states and the District of Columbia, the annual price of center-based infant care is actually more than in-state tuition

Innovative patient-centred lung clinic reduces suffering along with costs

A unique clinic for patients with terminal lung disease is leading to dramatic reductions in hospital deaths, better symptom management and lower costs for the health-care system. The multidisciplinary team at Alberta Health Services’ Kaye Edmonton Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic delivers palliative care and encourages treatment at home for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Brazil sues tobacco companies to recover public health costs

Brazil’s Attorney General’s Office is suing multinational tobacco companies to recover costs by the public health care system in treating smoking-related illnesses. The suit, filed against British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International on Tuesday, seeks to recover costs spent treating 26 diseases with scientifically proven links to tobacco usage in the last five years.

Wearable sensor may cut costs and improve access to biofeedback for people with incomplete paraplegia

A new electromyography biofeedback device that is wearable and connects to novel smartphone games may offer people with incomplete paraplegia a more affordable, self-controllable therapy to enhance their recovery, according to a new study presented this week at the Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting in Puerto Rico. Electromyography (recording electrical activity of muscles) biofeedback

VA MISSION Act May Up Costs, Lower Vet Health Care Quality

TUESDAY, July 24, 2018 — The Veterans Affairs Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks (VA MISSION) Act may increase costs and reduce quality of health care for veterans, according to an Ideas and Opinions piece published online July 24 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Joel Kupfer, M.D., from the University of Arizona

Germany: compensated cirrhosis substantially increases comorbidities and healthcare costs

An analysis of outcomes and costs for German patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) who develop compensated cirrhosis was presented today at The International Liver Congress 2018 in Paris, France. Healthcare costs for this population spiked in the first year after compensated cirrhosis diagnosis. Comorbidities were common and one in five patients

Outcomes-based pricing doesn’t cut costs of PCSK9 inhibitors

(HealthDay)—Outcomes-based pricing does not reduce the costs of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, according to a research letter published online April 3 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Dhruv S. Kazi, M.D., from the University of California in San Francisco, and colleagues examined the effect of outcomes-based pricing on the cost-effectiveness of PCSK9