Online prescription

Friday, June 16, 2006

lack of insurance difficults access to prescriptions

Children in Large Families May Get Smaller Share of Health Care
Health Behavior News Service - USA
... Effects of family structure on children’s use of ambulatory visits and prescription medications. Health Services Research (online), 2006.

Children living with many siblings or with adults in addition to their parents visit the doctor less often and use fewer prescriptions than children in more typical families, according to a new analysis.

The findings are not due to demographic or socioeconomic factors, parental education, child-rearing experience or children’s health status, say authors Alex Chen, M.D., at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and José Escarce, M.D., at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The authors attribute the results to finite parental resources. “As there are more demands on a parent’s time and money … each child may receive less,” said Chen.

“Policies that provide support for working parents … may enable them to take their children for care,” concludes the study in the current issue of Health Services Research.

The authors analyzed data from a nationally representative survey on the use of medical care. The survey included 26,401 American youngsters under 18 living in two-parent families or single-mother families. There were not enough single-father families to include in the study.

The data indicate that children of single mothers receive less care than those in two-parent families; however, these differences can be explained by other family traits such as poverty and lack of health insurance.

In contrast, children in families with four or more other children make only about four-fifths as many visits to doctor’s offices or emergency rooms as otherwise similar single-parent families. The effect of a large family on a child’s prescription drug use rivaled the effect of being uninsured and was larger than that of poverty.

The presence of nonparental adults — such as grandparents or a single-mother’s boyfriend — is also linked to less health care for children in the household.

The study notes that the data did not shed light on the health consequences of the difficult choices that many parents face. Nevertheless, said Chen, it’s clear that “today’s health care is very complicated, and it takes a lot of time and energy to get what you need.”

More family leave days may enable working parents to take their children for needed care, suggest the authors. They also say that health care providers should also monitor children with many siblings and those in cohabiting households more closely.

Simplified application and income certification processes for Medicaid would also go a long way toward helping overloaded parents, says Matthew Davis, M.D., a University of Michigan pediatrician and internist with additional expertise in public policy. “That’s an arena in which some states have really innovated with regard to online applications and other means of keeping children enrolled,” he said.

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online bird flu remedies

Beware of online bird-flu remedies
Consumer Reports (subscription) - USA
Online sellers of prescription drugs and supplements are trying to cash in on bird-flu fears by promoting treatments that are unnecessary, ineffective, or ...

Online sellers of prescription drugs and supplements are trying to cash in on bird-flu fears by promoting treatments that are unnecessary, ineffective, or potentially harmful. Beware of the following types of sales pitches:


"Stock up on antivirals before supplies run out!" Hoarding supplies of the prescription flu drugs oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) is a bad idea. Private hoarding could worsen current worldwide shortages and hamper efforts to make emergency supplies available to those who need them the most in case of an emerging pandemic. And having a private supply at home could tempt you or your family to take the medicine when it's not needed--when you merely have a bad cold, for example. That exposes you to possible side effects and may help increase resistance to the drug.

"Best Tamiflu prices online, no prescription required!" The chance of buying counterfeit drugs is another reason to avoid Internet pharmacies promoting flu prescriptions. The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency have intercepted shipments of "generic" Tamiflu containing just vitamin C and other ineffective substances.

"Natural virus shield prevents bird flu!" We could not find any published scientific evidence to support claims that herbs or supplements prevent bird flu. The FDA has taken action to stop the manufacturers of more than a dozen products from making misleading and unsubstantiated claims about bird-flu protection. One substance heavily marketed for flu, colloidal silver, has no proven use against any illness, and even low doses can eventually build up to toxic levels in the body. Scanty evidence suggests that black elderberry syrup may ease the symptoms of seasonal flu. Whether it would help with bird flu is not known. And there's no guarantee that herbs or supplements contain what their label says, since these products are virtually unregulated by the government.

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Wednesday, June 14, 2006

online pharmacies

Schumer pushes bill to crack down on illegal online pharmacies ...
Mid-Hudson News - Newburgh,NY,USA
... a new three-point plan that he says will crack down on illegal online pharmacies and combat the growing epidemic of teenagers using prescription drugs to get ...


In light of new reports of rampant prescription drug abuse by teenagers, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer Wednesday announced a new three-point plan that he says will crack down on illegal online pharmacies and combat the growing epidemic of teenagers using prescription drugs to get high. While overall drug use is down, abuse of prescription drugs among kids between the ages of 12 and 19 remains more common than regular use of cocaine, methamphetamine, or ecstasy. Schumer released a report estimating that more than 150,000 upstate New York teenagers have abused prescription drugs.
Of the 236,172 teens living in the Hudson Valley, an estimated 44,873 have used prescription drugs to get high.
According to the Partnership for a Drug Free America, one in five teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 have used prescription drugs to get high. The prescription drugs most frequently abused by teenagers include stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall, and painkillers like Vicodin and OxyContin. Vicodin use in particular is up, with 10 percent of 12th-graders reporting they had used the drug within the last year. While prescription drugs can be very helpful under the care and monitoring of a doctor, non-medical use of these substances can lead to serious health risks, addiction, or death.
In response to this growing epidemic, Schumer announced a three-point plan to crack down on these online pharmacies and improve government drug awareness programs. He is co-sponsoring the Internet Pharmacy Consumer Protection Act (S.399) which counters the growing sale of prescription drugs over the Internet without a valid prescription.
He urged the Office of National Drug Control Policy to launch a new media campaign that would be specifically targeted toward informing teens and adults about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. And he called for $50 million in additional funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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Shopping Medical Guide

Consumer Reports Medical Guide Informs Consumers Shopping for ...
U.S. Newswire (press release) - Washington,DC,USA
... herbs, vitamins and nutritional supplements, and other ingredients that are widely available to consumers without a prescription in stores and online. ...


To provide consumers with the critical information they need when considering natural supplements in a marketplace with little consumer protection, Consumer Reports Medical Guide (http://www.consumerreportsmedicalguide.org) has prepared answers to frequently asked questions about nutritional supplements. With over 50,000 supplements currently on the market and close to 1,000 new supplements introduced each year (1), it can be difficult for consumers to differentiate which products are safe and effective from those that either don't work at all –- or can cause serious harm. These are available free to non-subscribers at consumer reports

Health editors and researchers at Consumer Reports broke down the need-to-know facts on the regulation, ingredients and possible side effects of natural supplements, as well as proven safe and unsafe supplements. Plus consumers will find tips for finding trustworthy brands and easy-to-understand objective answers, helping them face the health-food aisle informed and with confidence. Some take-away tips to keep in mind:

-- Under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, most supplements get less scrutiny from the FDA than a pack of cough drops;

-- Some supplements are anything but 'all natural', with contaminants such as heavy metals, pesticides and bacteria; a few have even been found to contain prescription drugs;

-- No supplement has consistently demonstrated through clinical studies that it can help people lose weight;

-- Many supplements can interfere with prescription or over- the-counter medications or cause dangerous side effects –- be sure to let your doctor know what supplements you're taking -– even if you think they're harmless;

-- Certain supplements may prolong the effects of anesthesia, cause excessive bleeding or raise blood pressure; patients undergoing surgery should discontinue use at least two weeks before a procedure;

-- With the exception of prenatal vitamins, there's simply not enough evidence to predict how dietary supplements could affect a pregnancy. The same kind of logic follows for children. Unless there's a good reason for a pregnant woman or child to take a supplement –- then don't;

-- Consumers may benefit from choosing supplements from a well-known manufacturer or a product with a quality control seal from an organization such as the U.S. Pharmacopeia.

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prescription drug costs

Aetna, CIGNA Telling Their Members More About Doctors Hartford Courant - United States
... and some other states will be able to find information online about doctors ... consumers to pay a percentage of the doctor's charges or prescription drug costs. ...


Aetna's members in Connecticut and some other states will be able to find information online about doctors' prices and quality, starting this summer, as the company expands a program it piloted in Cincinnati.
Aetna and other health insurers, including CIGNA, are moving to get more data to consumers as newer health plans put more decision-making responsibility - and sometimes more of the costs - in their hands.
Effective Aug. 18, Hartford-based Aetna will provide the prices that primary care and specialist physicians in Connecticut have agreed to charge for Aetna members' care. Prices will be given for as many as 30 of the most widely used services by specialty.
Aetna will also give some basic information about care by physicians to help members compare them.
Aetna, which has about 293,000 Connecticut members, said it will have price information here on 8,700 physicians, and clinical quality and efficiency information on 2,400 doctors in the state.
Knowing prices is important because many health plans require consumers to pay a percentage of the doctor's charges or prescription drug costs. The data are especially key for "consumer-directed" plans, which often combine an employer-funded account for the employee with a high-deductible insurance plan.
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vending machine for prescription medicines

Vic town to trial medicine vending machine ABC Online - Australia
The small south-east Victorian town of Minyip will be the first site in Australia to have a remote dispensing machine for prescription medicines. ...


The small south-east Victorian town of Minyip will be the first site in Australia to have a remote dispensing machine for prescription medicines.
The vending-style machine accepts a script and links the patient with a pharmacist in Warracknabeal, via videolink.
When a script is ready the patient can collect the medicine from the machine, which is activated by the pharmacist 30 kilometres away.
Warracknabeal pharmacist John Aitken says the system's trial is due to begin in August.
"We see the most significant advantage is providing the prescription in real time," he said.
"The main problem with the depot is the turn-around time is usually about two to three to four hours depending on the schedule we're working on and the time of day, and sometimes people have travelled perhaps into Minyip 30 or 40 kilometres already and they have to then wait around."
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

comparison shop for health savings

Patients get new tools to price health care
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
... That information was posted online in early June, at hospitalpricing.sd.gov ... prices at individual pharmacies for the 50 most-commonly used prescription drugs in ...

Consumers are finally getting some of the tools they need to comparison-shop for health care the way they do for cars or personal computers, though it's too early to tell whether people will use these new services.


Aetna Inc., which last year in the Cincinnati area became the first major insurer to reveal rates it negotiates with local physicians, is expanding that program to eight more areas. Other major insurers, including Cigna Corp., Humana Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc., are adding or expanding their own online pricing tools. And Medicare early this month posted online the ranges of what it pays hospitals for 30 common procedures and treatments, the first in a series of disclosures the agency says it will make. Several state governments and hospital associations, including in Florida, New Hampshire, Utah and New Mexico, are launching Web services that list hospital charges.


The information provided by these new tools comes with caveats, but the services do show that, in principle at least, comparison shopping can make a difference: While prices of simple services in doctors' offices are fairly consistent according to some online data, hospital costs often vary widely. For example, a Web-based pricing tool offered by Humana shows that at hospitals in a Humana network in southeast Wisconsin, a knee replacement ranges from a minimum of $16,900 at one hospital to a maximum of $34,050 at another, reflecting in part discounted rates that the insurer has negotiated with health-care providers.
The new pricing services are popping up as consumers are being asked to shoulder an ever-greater proportion of their health-care costs. Employer-sponsored and other health plans are shifting more of the cost of health care to consumers by raising co-payments and cutting benefits. That dovetails with efforts by the Bush administration to promote so-called consumer-driven health care, mainly through high-deductible insurance policies paired with health savings accounts that offer financial incentives to shop wisely for care.
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