Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Sudden Infant Death, Health Care Spending, Pelvic Exams And More
American Academy Of Pediatrics: Distinct Populations Of Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Based On Age
In most recent studies, authors combine all cases of sudden infant death syndrome, other deaths from ill-defined or unknown causes, and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed as a single population to analyze sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). Our aim with this study is to determine if there are statistically different subcategories of SUID that are based on the age of death of an infant. (Lavista et al, 1/1)
Health Affairs: National Health Care Spending In 2018: Growth Driven By Accelerations In Medicare And Private Insurance Spending
US health care spending increased 4.6 percent to reach $3.6 trillion in 2018, a faster growth rate than the rate of 4.2 percent in 2017 but the same rate as in 2016. The share of the economy devoted to health care spending declined to 17.7 percent in 2018, compared to 17.9 percent in 2017. The 0.4-percentage-point acceleration in overall growth in 2018 was driven by faster growth in both private health insurance and Medicare, which were influenced by the reinstatement of the health insurance tax. For personal health care spending (which accounted for 84 percent of national health care spending), growth in 2018 remained unchanged from 2017 at 4.1 percent. The total number of uninsured people increased by 1.0 million for the second year in a row, to reach 30.7 million in 2018. (Hartman et al, 12/5)
JAMA Internal Medicine: Prevalence Of Potentially Unnecessary Bimanual Pelvic Examinations And Papanicolaou Tests Among Adolescent Girls And Young Women Aged 15-20 Years In The United States
In this population-based, cross-sectional study using data from 2011 to 2017, an estimated 2.6 million women aged 15 to 20 years in the United States (22.9%) received a bimanual pelvic examination in the past year, and 54.4% of these examinations were potentially unnecessary. An estimated 2.2 million young women (19.2%) received a Papanicolaou test in the past year, and 71.9% of these tests were potentially unnecessary. (Qin et al, 1/6)
CNN: Losing One Night's Sleep May Increase Risk Factor For Alzheimer's, Study Says
A preliminary study found the loss of one night's sleep in healthy young men increased the levels of tau protein in their blood compared to getting a complete night of uninterrupted sleep. Studies have shown that higher levels of tau protein in the blood is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. (LaMotte, 1/9)
Commonwealth Fund: International Survey Of Primary Care Physicians In 11 Countries
A strong primary care system can help prevent illness, manage patient care across multiple providers, and reduce health care costs. Essential to such a system is effective communication. To address patients’ needs, primary care physicians often must communicate and exchange information with specialists, hospitals and other care settings, social service providers — and, of course, the patients themselves. (Doty et al, 12/10)
