Security and data protection are priorities in any online transaction, especially for healthcare. This pharmacy’s website is equipped with advanced...
Access to affordable insulin remains a challenge for millions of people living with diabetes around the world, particularly in middle-income countries. To bridge this gap, platforms are emerging that connect patients with high-quality insulin at reduced prices. For individuals struggling to afford their life-saving medication, these services offer a convenient and affordable solution, making a significant impact on global health.
As healthcare continues to evolve, more attention is being given to senior health, and wellness programs are increasingly becoming a cornerstone of comprehensive senior care.
Wellness programs focus on improving quality of life and managing chronic conditions through proactive measures such as exercise, nutrition, mental health support, and preventive care.
For seniors, these programs are especially valuable because they address the unique challenges that come with aging. As part of senior health plans, wellness programs are not only a way to treat existing issues but also a way to prevent future problems by promoting healthy lifestyles.
These programs offer a broad range of benefits, from improved physical health to enhanced mental well-being. Seniors enrolled in wellness initiatives often experience better control of conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis.
In addition, wellness programs can help reduce hospital visits, lower healthcare costs, and increase overall longevity by encouraging proactive health management. Seniors who engage in regular fitness activities, for instance, are less likely to experience falls, fractures, and other mobility-related issues, which are common concerns in older age.
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When you’re at the pharmacy, it’s normal to feel a bit of confusion about whether you would like to receive generic or brand-name medication when the pharmacy technician asks you the usual question. While health professionals, from pharmacists to doctors, nurses, and students of RN to MSN programs, will understand the differences between the two, it's important that you, as a patient, know them, too.
In this article, we will break down the differences between generic and brand-name medications so that you will be more aware when you visit the pharmacy.
Individual healthcare experience is greatly dependent on the healthcare payer they choose or rely on. Things like access to certain...
Lisa-Marie Smale, PharmDPhD Candidate Clinical PharmacyRadboud University Medical CenterDepartment of PharmacyNijmegen, the Netherlands
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Cancer drugs are not always fully used by patients, while these drugs are mostly expensive and environmentally damaging, both in production and (waste) disposal. Therefore we investigated whether unused drugs of patients can be collected, verified of quality by a pharmacy, to be redispensed to other patients instead of being disposed of. We were interested whether such an approach ultimately leads to lower environmental impacts and costs.
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John N. Mafi, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What is lecanemab used for and how well does it work?
Response: Lecanemab is a treatment for mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia that was approved in January 2023 as part of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) accelerated approval program. The results from a recent phase 3 clinical trial show a modest clinical benefit: the rate of cognitive decline by 27% in an 18-month study involving participants experiencing the early stage of Alzheimer’s, with an 0.45-point absolute difference in cognitive testing scores. However, due to the risk of brain swelling and bleeding (also known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities), treatment with lecanemab involves frequent MRIs and neurology or geriatrics appointments to monitor for these abnormalities, which can be life threatening. So far, three patient deaths have potentially been tied to lecanemab.
It is likely that the FDA will grant is lecanemab traditional approval later this year, prompting Medicare to reconsider its current coverage restrictions and potentially enabling widespread use.
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Allison Witman PhD Assistant Professor of Economics Economics & Finance Cameron School of Business University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Yu Wang PhD Assistant Professor Congdon School of Supply Chain, Business Analytics, & Information Systems Cameron School of Business University of North Carolina Wilmington David Cho PhD Assistant Professor of Management California State University, Fullerton
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: The COVID-19 pandemic placed tremendous financial pressure on hospitals. Beginning in March of 2020, hospitals cancelled outpatient and elective procedures to accommodate surges in demand from COVID-19 patients. As these procedures account for more than 60% of an average hospital’s revenue, cancellation posed serious challenges to the financial health of hospitals. Revenue from COVID-19 patients may have partially offset these effects, but the American Hospital Association estimated a total loss of $202.6 billion by American hospitals between March and June 2020. In response, the U.S. government created large federal assistance programs aimed to stabilize hospitals’ financial situation as their ability to maintain operations was critical to the health of the nation. Due to differences in hospital characteristics, certain hospitals such as rural hospitals and those serving a higher share of Medicaid and uninsured patients (e.g., safety net hospitals) may have been more financially susceptible to the effects of the pandemic. These hospitals that serve vulnerable patient populations historically have had lower profit margins and were candidates for targeted COVID relief funding (e.g., Safety Net Hospitals Payments, a $10 billion component of the Provider Relief Fund). (more…)
