Dialysis centers hit with financial penalties for poor performance don’t tend to improve afterward, calling into question a set of U.S. federal programs intended to improve health care nationwide, a new report says. Dialysis centers face up to a 2% reduction in their annual Medicare reimbursements if they get a low score on a set… read on > read on >
Hoping to eat your way to a healthier heart? Diets rich in plant foods may beat low-fat eating regimens for cutting the risk of heart disease and stroke, a new study finds. Saturated fat, the kind largely found in animal products, has long been viewed as the enemy of the heart, since it can raise… read on > read on >
COVID-19 could be a much more expensive experience for folks who fall ill this year, thanks to the return of deductibles and copays, new research suggests. Most folks who became gravely ill with COVID last year didn’t face crushing medical bills because nearly all insurance companies agreed to waive cost-sharing for coronavirus care during the… read on > read on >
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine may be linked with rare cases of low blood platelet levels, a new study suggests. Platelets are blood cells that help prevent blood loss when vessels are damaged. Low platelet levels may cause no symptoms, but they can lead to an increased risk of bleeding or clotting. Researchers analyzed data from… read on > read on >
WEDNESDAY, June 9, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — It can literally be as easy as a walk in the park. Just 30 minutes of movement – anything that gets your heart beating faster – five times a week is all it takes to meet federal guidelines for physical activity. In fact, the goal is… read on > read on >
Norman Mayer, 86, walks around with a computer chip in his chest and doesn’t think a thing about it. Doctors implanted a tiny heart monitor chip in Mayer’s chest after he suffered a mini-stroke in late 2015, to track his heartbeat and potentially detect an irregular heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation (a-fib). “You don’t even… read on > read on >
After Texas relaxed COVID-19 restrictions, other respiratory illnesses — such as colds, bronchitis and pneumonia — made rapid rebounds. Pathologists from Houston Methodist Hospital found that the rhinovirus and enterovirus infections that can trigger these illnesses started rebounding in the fall of last year after Texas eased capacity limits in bars and restaurants. More recently,… read on > read on >
A combination of poor sleep and diabetes significantly increases a person’s risk of early death, a new study finds. The analysis of data from nearly 500,000 middle-aged adults in the United Kingdom showed that compared to other folks, the risk of death from any cause over nearly nine years was 87% higher among those with… read on > read on >
Smoking cigarettes or using other tobacco products increases heart risks, but that doesn’t stop some Americans with a history of heart problems, new research finds. Many continue to smoke after having a heart attack, heart failure or stroke even though they are aware of the risk. Nearly 30% of adults with a history of these… read on > read on >
People who have Crohn’s disease often seek to ease their symptoms by changing what they eat, and new research suggests the Mediterranean diet may be their best bet. The study evaluated one of the commonly used diets for Crohn’s disease, known as the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD), comparing it with the Mediterranean diet, which is… read on > read on >
