Tech-Savvy Docs Get More Time With Patients

Hospital and med bills don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Lower your blood pressure with these tips from MSNBC .

(NEWSER) - Avoid financial injury by following these ten tips from MSNBC:

1. Shop for tests. Different labs may vary widely in costs.
2. Negotiate. Hospitals may waive or reduce a co-pay fee if the patient can prove that it's a hardship.
3. Question the necessity of follow-up appointments, X-rays or MRIs.

Plan will offer bonuses for boosting patients' use of preventive services

(NEWSER) - The country's largest health insurer says it will pay up for good health--offering bonuses to employees who boost patients' use of preventive medical services. WellPoint Inc.'s plan is intended to encourage participation in programs like diabetes management, which helps patients handle their medical needs before they end up in the emergency room. More»

(NEWSER) - For a clear example of our warped health care system, look no further than McAllen, Texas. The border town is second only to Miami in how much it spends on health care per person—$15,000 per Medicare enrollee, twice the national average. The problem? Atul Gawande of the New Yorker finds a town entrenched in the culture of too much medicine—patients get more tests, more hospital care, more surgery, more everything. And while those patients don't necessarily get healthier, hospitals and doctors certainly get richer. More»

Experts search for better, cheaper methods

(NEWSER) - Sure, US hospitals lead the world in the latest technology—but they could learn a thing or two from India’s improving health care system, where pioneers are demonstrating how to give superior care without unnecessary costs, the Economist reports. “In our country’s patient-centric health system, you must innovate,” says a doctor. The result is not only new business models for delivering affordable care but breakthrough techniques that are drawing patients from around the world. More»

Health costs, medical errors scare more than in other rich nations

(NEWSER) - Chronically ill Americans are more likely to forgo medical care because of high costs or bad experiences than counterparts in a number of other rich nations, a study finds. Researchers interviewed 7,500 adults with conditions like cancer, arthritis, depression, and diabetes, and the Americans led the complaints. Dutch patients had the fewest qualms, Reuters reports. More»