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ACA insurers need low claim volumes to survive exchanges
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationThe Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reports that just 7 percent of the U.S. population get their insurance on the private market — actually a fairly small segment of the population. Though the Affordable Care Act has provided millions of people with health insurance, some insurers have experienced substantial losses and have removed themselves from the exchanges — news most Americans are familiar with. Of course, the stability of the market and willingness of insurers to continue to participate is essential to the ACA's success, if it has any sort of future in the Donald Trump era.
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Getting a good night’s sleep to stay young
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareEveryone has had a sleepless night once in a while, and we all have gone through periods of unwelcome insomnia. But some people have far less good sleep than others. In fact, one-third of adults in the United States report inadequate sleep.
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Medical marijuana conference highlights need for more research
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareAcross the U.S., 28 states allow some form of legal marijuana use, eight allow recreational marijuana use and 14 allow use of the cannabinoid, cannabidiol. With several more states pushing legislation to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, there is an ever-increasing need to study the health impact of marijuana and the cannabinoids it contains.
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Progress in overcoming antibiotic‑resistant bacteria
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareSince the 1940s, antibiotics have been used to treat infectious diseases. With long-term use, however, the infectious organisms have adapted to the drugs designed to destroy them, rendering the drugs much less effective. Simply using antibiotics creates resistance. Up to 50 percent of the time antibiotics are not optimally prescribed. It is not uncommon for antibiotics to be prescribed when not needed or dosed incorrectly.
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Don’t get nursed into a corner
Keith Carlson Medical & Allied HealthcareIn nursing, a professional trajectory can take many forms. A nurse's career can be like a long straightaway across the open plains or a meandering trek across the mountains. No matter how many choices a nurse may have at her fingertips, she may feel like she's nursed herself into the proverbial corner with no idea how to change course. This is a spell that needs to be broken so the nurse can expand her vision and find a more satisfying path.
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New study examines why firefighters have higher risk for heart attack
Lynn Hetzler Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityFirefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world — but why? We know sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of a fire fighter fatality, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, coronary heart disease is responsible for about 45 percent of on-duty deaths among firefighters in the United States.
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What does collaborative care look like in action?
Mitch Shuwall Mental HealthcareNo one understands mental health patients and their needs better than the people who work closely with them every day. Frontline staff members are integral to enhancing the patient experience at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks, New York, and collaborative care is key to many of their efforts.
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The brain of a superager: Staying sharp in later life
Dorothy L. Tengler Mental HealthcareIn 2010, 40.3 million people in the United States were 65 and older, accounting for 13 percent of the total population. This age group was larger than in any other decennial census, up from 31.2 million in 1990 and 35.0 million in 2000. And this number will continue to grow. By 2050, the projected population of people 65 and older is 88.5 million. People in this age group would comprise 20 percent of the total population at that time.
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State bills keeping medical marijuana patients on organ waiting lists
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareLegislation in several states is aimed at keeping medical marijuana patients on organ transplant waiting lists. The situation has come to the forefront as more and more states legalize the use of medical marijuana. The most recent bill to come under consideration is in Maine where a hospital deemed a man unsuitable for transplantation surgery because he had used medical marijuana to treat the side effects of Alport syndrome, a genetic condition that causes renal failure. The bill was approved by Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services in a 7-6 vote on April 11.
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Integrating primary and behavioral care
Christina Thielst Healthcare AdministrationMental health and substance abuse treatment have for too long been delivered entirely separate from medical and surgical care. The reality is that medical conditions can contribute to behavioral health; and some mental health conditions co-exist with medical disease.
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