Cardiology update: Should mRNA vaccine myocarditis be a contraindication to future COVID-19 vaccinations ?
BY ANISH KOKA Myopericarditis is a now a well reported complication associated with Sars-Cov-2 (COVID-19) vaccinations. This has been particularly common with the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines (BNT162b2 and mrna-1273), with a particular predilection for young males. Current guidance by the Australian government “technical advisory groups” as well as the Australian Cardiology Society suggest patients who have experienced myocarditis after an mRNA vaccine may consider a non-mRNA vaccine once “symptom free for at least 6 weeks”. A just published report of 2 cases from Australia that document myopericarditi...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 26, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Anish Koka mRNA vaccine myocarditis Source Type: blogs

Ultrasound is Ultra-Cool
This study is also a major step forward for the exciting possibility of combining focused ultrasound with targeted delivery of medications or antibodies that normally have limited capability to cross the blood brain barrier from the blood to the brain.”  Similarly, researchers at Yonsei University College of Medicine (South Korea) found that focused ultrasound improved the delivery of Alzheimer’s drugs by over eight times.  “While there is no complete cure for dementia, we hope that open BBB [blood brain barrier] surgery using FUS surgery can help give hope to dementia patients,” the lead researcher said. ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 25, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Tech 3D printing ChatGPT DSP Kim Bellard Ultrasound Source Type: blogs

Matthew ’s health care tidbits: My retina & what it tells us about primary care
Each time I send out the THCB Reader, our newsletter that summarizes the best of THCB (Sign up here!) I include a brief tidbits section. Then I had the brainwave to add them to the blog. They’re short and usually not too sweet! –Matthew Holt I had a little scare the other night. I was driving home from a weekend in the mountains and I asked my wife if she saw that flashing light. No it wasn’t the cops, and no she hadn’t seen it. Turns out that I had a bright flash if I moved my eye a certain way. Oh, well I assumed I was tired and a good night’s sleep would fix it. Next morning the flash was sti...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 25, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Matthew Holt The Business of Health Care Included Health Navigators primary care Retina Sarah McDonald The Cancer Channel transcarent Source Type: blogs

Can Missouri Pass The Muster
BY MIKE MAGEE A case has been made that a logical approach to reforming America’s violent and racist leanings would be to adopt the values and practices of Health Care for All. These include a commitment to compassion, understanding, and partnership; extending the linkages between individual, family, community and society; addressing fear and worry for individuals and populations; and promoting an optimistic and equitable future for all Americans.  Nurses and doctors and pharmacists and other health professionals pledge oaths and spend years training to exhibit and practice these values in the course of providing ...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 24, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ryan Bose-Roy Tags: Health Policy Ann Kelley Ashley une Dobbs HB 1462 Healthcare for All Missouri State Legislature Rachel Proud Source Type: blogs

Medicare Advantage UpCoding Has Been Eliminated by CMS Effective 2022
By GEORGE HALVORSON Medicare Advantage now enrolls almost exactly half the people enrolled in Medicare — and has both significant fans and hardline opponents in the health care policy circles who disagree about its performance. The biggest attack point that comes from the critics deals with the issues of coding accuracy by the plans. The payment model for the program is capitation — and that capitation is based on the average cost of fee-for-service Medicare in every county. The people who designed the model believed that the country should use the average cost of fee-for-service Medicare in every county as the b...
Source: The Health Care Blog - January 23, 2023 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: matthew holt Tags: Health Policy CMS George Halvorson Medicare Advantage Source Type: blogs