Among elderly Medicare beneficiaries with limited prior drug coverage, implementation of Medicare Part D was associated with significant reductions in nondrug medical spending, such as for inpatient and skilled nursing facility care, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA. The research was carried out by J. Michael McWilliams, M.D., Ph.D., of Harvard […]
A new study by Geisinger Health System researchers finds a high prevalence of prescription pain medication addiction among patients with chronic pain. In addition, researchers found that the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) new definition of addiction, which was expected to reduce the number of people considered addicts who take these medicines, actually resulted in the […]
Treating chronic migraines with behavioral approaches – such as biofeedback, relaxation training, and hypnosis – can make financial sense compared to prescription-drug treatment, especially after a year or more, a new study found. Longtime behavioral therapy researcher and practitioner Dr. Donald Penzien, University of Mississippi Medical Center professor of psychiatry, coauthored the study.
A side effect of many commonly used drugs appears to increase the risks of both cognitive impairment and death in older people, according to new research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). As part of the Medical Research Council’s Cognitive Function and Ageing Studies (CFAS) project, the study is the first systematic investigation […]
New research from the University of Warwick and the IZA Institute in Bonn shows that 10% of middle-aged Europeans took antidepressants in 2010. The researchers looked in detail at the lives of a randomly selected sample of nearly 30,000 Europeans. The study covered 27 countries. Check the end of this report for a link to […]
Health insurance is not protecting Arizonans from having problems paying medical bills, and having bill problems is keeping families from getting needed medical care and prescription medicines, a new study has found. According to a study published online June 16, 2011, by the American Journal of Public Health, after taking age, income and health status […]
A shift toward more conservative medication-prescribing practices would serve patients better, according to a review article published Online First today by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal’s Less Is More series.
Can we be certain that pain medications considered safe for adults based on extensive clinical data and experience are equally safe for use in young children? Pediatric pain experts discussed this question today in a panel session at the American Pain Society (APS) annual scientific meeting and agreed more short term and long-term clinical data […]
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