Healthy Frog

A friend’s dad was in the hospital. The friend was visiting and was sitting there reading a magazine while dad napped. Long time Primary Care doctor, who was NOT an attending physician poked his head in and asked friend how dad was feeling … never read the chart or even approached dad. Dad passed a few days later.

Few weeks later friend gets a Medicare EOB and doctor’s bill that shows doctor billed for the 30 second “examination”. Friend called doctors office to complain. Few days later gets a return call stating it was a mis-communication in the office and the billing was being canceled.

That was when Medicare sent out EOBs as the bills came in. They now send out EOBs every 3 months. It is ridiculous to expect seniors to keep track of office visits and care they did, or did not, receive up to 6 months previous. The fraud is invited under the umbrella of saving money by reducing the amount of EOBs being sent.

I’ve read some stuff that claims it is not uncommon for doctors to bill seniors who have passed in hospitals by reading obits and such.

How’s this for inspiration - the dude is strong!

Survivors of early-stage lung cancer who take part in regular physical activity have a better quality of life, as per a research studyin the recent issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention, available online now. Patients who are more physically active report better mood, more vigor, and greater physical functioning, the study shows.

"The take-home message is that early-stage lung cancer survivors appears to benefit, both mentally and physically, from simple moderate exercise," says the paper's main author Elliot Coups, Ph.D., associate member of Fox Chase Cancer Center's faculty and a participant in the Fox Chase Keystone Program in Cancer Risk and Prevention. "Of course, we're generally not talking marathons here, but smaller, everyday forms of activity like going for a brisk walk several times a week".

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the United States, as per the American Cancer Society, and the disease tends to strike elderly adults who have a history of smoking. Coups and colleagues studied patients diagnosed with early-stage, non-small cell lung carcinomas. These individuals have a five-year survival rate of nearly 50 percent, in comparison to three percent for those diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer.

"With early detection and therapy, more people may live longer following surgery for early-stage lung cancer," Coups says. "For these individuals, the act of surviving cancer will follow them the rest of their days, and we are interested in understanding what we can do to promote their overall health and well-being".

Coups and colleagues at Fox Chase and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center followed 175 people who had completed surgical therapy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer within the prior six years. On average, patients were about 68 years old at the time of the study and did not currently have cancer. Patients were asked to estimate their level of physical activity six months before the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer, during the six months following surgery and their current activity levels. The survey included standardized questionnaires to assess quality of life in terms of a patient's physical, mental and social well-being.

Approximately one in four participants met physical activity guidelines, which call for about 60 minutes each week of strenuous activity, such as jogging, or 150 minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking briskly. Overall, the level of activity for survey participants was comparable to that of the population at large for their age group, Coups says.

Coups and colleagues also observed that those participants who met the guidelines reported fewer depressive symptoms, greater vitality, and less shortness of breath when in comparison to their more sedentary counterparts.

"Unfortunately, we see that most lung cancer survivors do not meet guidelines set for physical activity, particularly in the six months following surgery," Coups says. "While it is certainly understandable that people might not be able to exercise as vigorously as they had done before lung surgery, our study suggests that healthcare providers ought to discuss the potential benefits of moderate physical activity among early-stage lung cancer survivors as a means of increasing their quality of life".


Posted by: Evelyn    Source