Hospital

Caring for older Americans’ teeth and gums is essential, but Medicare generally doesn’t cover that cost

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Friday, April 19, 2024
Dental care, Radiation, Transplant, Attention, Climate change, Child care, Organization, Congress, Dentistry, Cardiovascular disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, Medicine, Pneumonia, Ronald Reagan, Infection, Federation, Diabetes, Risk, Inflammation, Patient, Conditional sentence, Nursing, Stroke, Hospital, HIV-AIDS, History, Tooth decay, Death, Quality of life, Insurance, House, Periodontal disease, Deficit spending, Atherosclerosis, Health, Pain, Dentist, Medicare Advantage, Senate, Fear, Health insurance

As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else.

Key Points: 
  • As dentistry scholars, we believe Koop also deserves credit for something else.
  • Americans who rely on the traditional Medicare program for their health insurance get no help from that program with paying their dental bills aside from some narrow exceptions.
  • This group includes some 24 million people over 65 – about half of all the people who rely on Medicare for their health insurance.

‘Medically necessary’ exceptions

  • The list of circumstances that would lead patients to be eligible is short.
  • Some examples include patients scheduled for organ transplants or who have cancer treatment requiring radiation of their jaws.
  • But we believe that dental care is necessary for everyone, especially for older people.

Chew, speak, breathe

  • While many working Americans get limited dental coverage through their employers, those benefits are usually limited to as little as $1,000 per year.
  • And once they retire, Americans almost always lose even that basic coverage.
  • Rich Americans with Medicare coverage are almost three times more likely to receive dental care compared to those with low incomes.

Connected to many serious conditions

  • Having diabetes makes you three times as likely to develop gum disease because diabetes compromises the body’s response to inflammation and infection.
  • At the same time, treating diabetes patients for gum disease can help control their blood sugar levels.

Chemo can damage your teeth


Many cancer treatments can damage teeth, especially for older adults. As a result, Medicare has started to reimburse for dental bills tied to tooth decay or other oral conditions after they get chemotherapy or radiation treatment.

More than nice to have

  • Doctors and dentists are educated separately, and doctors learn very little about dental conditions and treatments when they’re in medical school.
  • Most dental electronic health records aren’t linked to medical systems, hindering comprehensive care and delivery of dental care to those in need.
  • Medical insurance was designed specifically to cover large, unpredictable expenses, while dental insurance was intended to mainly fund predictable and lower-cost preventive care.

Medicare Advantage plans

  • Until Medicare expands coverage to include preventive dental services for everyone, alternative plans such as Medicare Advantage, through which the federal government contracts with private insurers to provide Medicare benefits, serve as a stopgap.
  • In 2016, only 21% of beneficiaries in traditional Medicare had purchased a stand-alone dental plan, whereas roughly two-thirds of Medicare Advantage enrollees had at least some dental benefits through their coverage.


Frank Scannapieco is affiliated with The Task Force on Design and Analysis in Oral Health Research, and consults for the Colgate-Palmolive Company. Ira Lamster is a member of the Santa Fe Group. He currently receives consulting fees from Colgate, and research support from the CareQuest Institute.

The world’s oldest conjoined twins have died – what we know about this rare condition

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Friday, April 19, 2024
Twin, Brain, Gene, MRI, Growth, Surgeon, Magnetic resonance, Conjoined twins, The Royal Court, Ageing, Abdomen, Hospital, Female, History, Child, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Death, Pregnancy, Life, Royal, Magnetic resonance imaging, Thalamus, Skull, Liver, Medical imaging

The world’s oldest conjoined twins, Lori and George Schappell, recently died, aged 62.

Key Points: 
  • The world’s oldest conjoined twins, Lori and George Schappell, recently died, aged 62.
  • Conjoined twins are incredibly rare, accounting for about one or two in every 100,000 births.
  • Because conjoined twins are so rare, it is difficult to know exactly how they come about.

Types of conjoined twins

  • There are 15 recognised types of conjoined twins, based on the various places their bodies fuse.
  • Conjoined twins are usually picked up on routine ultrasound scans performed during pregnancy.
  • Conjoined twins who are diagnosed by imaging are typically delivered by caesarean section.

Separating twins

  • One of the longest operations to separate conjoined twins, who were fused at the cranium, took more than 100 hours.
  • The earliest recorded attempt at surgical separation of conjoined twins dates back to AD945 in Armenia where conjoined brothers lived until middle age before one of them died.
  • Separating conjoined twins requires a significant amount of planning before surgery can begin, including, of course, lots of imaging such as ultrasound, CT and MRI.
  • Twins who share vital organs – or whose organs are fused – have a lower chance of a successful separation.


Adam Taylor does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Why many policies to lower migration actually increase it

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Friday, April 19, 2024
Corruption, Education, School, Intuition, Research, Hospital, Policy, Doctor of Philosophy, Poverty, Grammatical mood, Safety, World Bank, Family, Work, Refugee, Mining, Weather

Distressing photos and headlines dominate front pages, and politicians stoke negative narratives about migration.

Key Points: 
  • Distressing photos and headlines dominate front pages, and politicians stoke negative narratives about migration.
  • Also popular is the “cash for migration control” approach, turning countries on the edges of Europe into, effectively, “border guards”.
  • One example is the EU’s recent deal with Tunisia, promising €150 million (£128 million) to boost Tunisia’s migration control efforts.
  • But there is not much consensus on what the root causes of migration actually are, and little evidence to show that addressing them actually reduces migration.

Tackling the root causes

  • But which ones are the most important drivers for people to take the enormous step of leaving home for somewhere new?
  • The problem in migration policymaking – which often relies on intuition and guesswork, rather than evidence – is a scatter-gun approach which lists a whole range of issues as root causes.
  • Corruption in hospitals, schools and police forces can be signs of low pay, inadequate management and a lack of accountability.
  • Tackling corruption, therefore, can improve lives and strengthen people’s confidence to build their futures locally, rather than seeking opportunities elsewhere.

Aid and migration control

  • Tackling the root causes of migration is not an easy, short-term fix to prevent migration.
  • Governments allocating aid must separate this from the issue of migration, so that this money can be channelled into what it’s actually meant for: addressing economic, humanitarian, political and security issues.


Jessica Hagen-Zanker does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Why the government’s haste in changing the health system could come back to haunt it

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Thursday, April 18, 2024
District health board, PR, University, Aggression, Partnership, Patient, Hospital, Policy, Death, Seed, Health policy, Breast cancer, Workforce, Ministry, Nursing, Government, Legislation, Violence, Health insurance

However, in the health sector this need for speed entails policy risks that could come back to bite the government before the next election.

Key Points: 
  • However, in the health sector this need for speed entails policy risks that could come back to bite the government before the next election.
  • The biggest such risk comes from the disestablishment of the Māori Health Authority-Te Aka Whai Ora.

More health sector confusion

  • While the parts of the act referring to the Māori Health Authority have been excised, the act retains its primary focus on reducing health inequities.
  • To date, health minister Shane Reti has avoided using the words “equity” or “inequities”, instead preferring a generic focus on improving health outcomes, including for Māori.
  • But the planning and decision making mandated under the legislation still require government health agencies to address health inequities.
  • Despite having misgivings about the re-centralisation of the health system, the government has not reversed the merging of 20 District Health Boards into Health New Zealand.

Health targets rebooted

  • Other changes resemble initiatives introduced during the last National-led government in 2009, including specific health targets.
  • The health targets involve specified performance levels, such as ensuring that 95% of patients visiting emergency departments are seen within six hours.
  • Health New Zealand bears either the cost of continuing to fund security guards or the reputational risk of their reduced presence.
  • The government may have already dented minister Reti’s chances of building positive relationships with health sector leaders and interest groups.
  • The Māori Health Authority had widespread support from health sector groups.
  • While governments often draw criticism from the health sector, few have done so quite this rapidly.


Tim Tenbensel receives funding from the Health Research Council. He is affiliated with Health Coalition Aotearoa.

Infections after surgery are more likely due to bacteria already on your skin than from microbes in the hospital − new research

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Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Research, Bacteria, Pneumonia, Science Translational Medicine, CSI, Fungal infection, Instrument, Infection, Patient, Harborview Medical Center, Accreditation, Hospital, Diarrhea, University, Death, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bloodstream infections, Neurosurgery, Woman, Quality, Agency, Skin, Microbiology, Pharmacy, Spine, Nose, Nursing care plan, Elective surgery, Neck, Dentistry

Genetic data from the bacteria causing these infections – think CSI for E. coli – tells another story: Most health care-associated infections are caused by previously harmless bacteria that patients already had on their bodies before they even entered the hospital.

Key Points: 
  • Genetic data from the bacteria causing these infections – think CSI for E. coli – tells another story: Most health care-associated infections are caused by previously harmless bacteria that patients already had on their bodies before they even entered the hospital.
  • We show that many surgical site infections after spinal surgery are caused by microbes that are already on the patient’s skin.

Surgical infections are a persistent problem

  • Among the different types of heath care-associated infections, surgical site infections stand out as particularly problematic.
  • A 2013 study found that surgical site infections contribute the most to the annual costs of hospital-acquired infections, totaling over 33% of the US$9.8 billion spent annually.
  • Still, surgical site infections occur following about 1 in 30 procedures, typically with no explanation.
  • While rates of many other medical complications have shown steady improvement over time, data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the problem of surgical site infection is not getting better.

BYOB (Bring your own bacteria)

  • Prior studies on surgical site infection have been limited to a single species of bacteria and used older genetic analysis methods.
  • But new technologies have opened the door to studying all types of bacteria and testing their antibiotic resistance genes simultaneously.
  • Over a one-year period, we sampled the bacteria living in the nose, skin and stool of over 200 patients before surgery.
  • In fact, 86% of the bacteria causing infections after spine surgery were genetically matched to bacteria a patient carried before surgery.
  • That number is remarkably close to estimates from earlier studies using older genetic techniques focused on Staphylococcus aureus.
  • They likely acquired these antibiotic-resistant microbes through prior antibiotic exposure, consumer products or routine community contact.

Preventing surgical infections

  • At face value, our results may seem intuitive – surgical wound infections come from bacteria that hang out around that part of the body.
  • If the most likely source of surgical infection – the patient’s microbiome – is known in advance, this presents medical teams with an opportunity to protect against it prior to a scheduled procedure.
  • The fact that most infections don’t actually start with sources in the hospital is probably a testament to the efficacy of these protocols.


Dustin Long receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. Dr Bryson-Cahn receives funding from the Gordon and Berry Moore Foundation and is the co-medical director for Alaska Airlines.

Airdoc Technology (02251.HK) achieved remarkable success in 2023, accelerating its commercialization in an unparalleled way  

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Wednesday, April 10, 2024
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In 2023, Airdoc Technology significantly accelerated its commercialization，while most of its peers were still in the experimental stage or early stages of commercialization.

Key Points: 
  • In 2023, Airdoc Technology significantly accelerated its commercialization，while most of its peers were still in the experimental stage or early stages of commercialization.
  • 2) health risk assessment solutions, covering 55 types of lesions, providing chronic disease management and health assessments for healthcare industry.
  • Airdoc Technology practices the use of AI technology to assist in the prevention and control of myopia among teenagers and the development of eye health.
  • In July 2023, Airdoc Technology participated in the formulation of the "Expert Consensus on Assessing the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases Using Artificial Intelligence Technology Based on Fundus Images."

EQS-News: MEDICLIN plans to buy Reha-Klinik am Sendesaal

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Region, Commercial director, Geriatrics, Bed, Cardiology, Rehabilitation, Hospital

Offenburg, 22 March 2024: MEDICLIN is about to purchase the Reha-Klinik am Sendesaal in Bremen, which currently belongs to the Specht Group.

Key Points: 
  • Offenburg, 22 March 2024: MEDICLIN is about to purchase the Reha-Klinik am Sendesaal in Bremen, which currently belongs to the Specht Group.
  • In a joint staff meeting today, the clinic's employees were informed in person about the expected changes.
  • Kammann, who is also Commercial Director of the MEDICLIN Hedon Clinic in Lingen, will also manage the rehabilitation clinic to be bought in future.
  • Reha-Klinik am Sendesaal is an interdisciplinary clinic for stationary and ambulatory rehabilitation with the indications cardiology, orthopaedics and geriatrics.

Suurstoffi the first site in Switzerland to be recognised with the DGNB Platinum Certificate

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Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Certification, Hospital, CO2, LEED, Renewable energy

The Swiss Sustainable Building Council awarded the Suurstoffi site of Zug Estates – as the first site in Switzerland – the DGNB Platinum Certificate for the planning and construction of sustainable districts.

Key Points: 
  • The Swiss Sustainable Building Council awarded the Suurstoffi site of Zug Estates – as the first site in Switzerland – the DGNB Platinum Certificate for the planning and construction of sustainable districts.
  • The DGNB certification confirms that Zug Estates has delivered a prime example of sustainable site development with the Suurstoffi site in Rotkreuz.
  • However, the Suurstoffi site plays a pioneering role not only in terms of the virtually carbon-free energy concept but also demonstrates its qualities from an economic, socio-cultural, functional and technical point of view.
  • DGNB is an internationally recognised quality seal that – in addition to BREEAM (UK) and LEED (USA) – is one of the three main evaluation systems in the world.

EQS-News: RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG looks back on successful financial year 2023

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Asclepius, Tax, University, Environment, Partnership, COVID-19, Patient, Hospital, Depreciation, Legislation, Person, Renewable energy

RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG has met its financial targets as per forecast.

Key Points: 
  • RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG has met its financial targets as per forecast.
  • Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) stood at 105.9 million euros (previous year: 105.6 million euros).
  • “In the past year as well, RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG demonstrated its financial efficiency and put in a solid performance.
  • RHÖN-KLINIKUM AG is looking to achieve CO2-greenhouse gas neutrality in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by financial year 2040.

Guerbet: Change in Guerbet’s Board of Directors.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Financial management, Supervisory board, Trust, Central nervous system, Patient, GBT, Sanofi, Hospital, Mass meeting, Audit committee, MBA, OTC, BPI, Management

Guerbet: Change in Guerbet’s Board of Directors.

Key Points: 
  • Guerbet: Change in Guerbet’s Board of Directors.
  • Hugues Lecat’s appointment as a director will be submitted for approval at the next Shareholders’ Meeting.
  • The management experience acquired by Hugues in large companies in the pharmaceutical sector will help guide the Group in achieving further success.
  • Hugues was also a member of the Board of Directors of NOVASEP on behalf of BPI between 2012 and 2017.