Faculty Bibliography

Americans don't sleep enough. Studies show that when they sleep less than six hours on a regular basis they risk diabetes, heart problems, anxiety, depression, and problems thinking clearly. Ambien, Lunesta, and Sonota are sedative-hypnotics, which increase a neurochemical, GABA, that slows the brain down. On the whole, however, Ambien and the other medicines in its group are well tolerated and help many people. Once again the media bluntly attacks a subtle issue -- sleeping pills like Ambien or Lunesta, though frequently overprescribed, are helpful sleeping aids when used appropriately

The general purpose of Antidote is to compensate when the media vilifies a good drug. This time the author wants to take on a test -- the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). The test is best diagnostic tool for prostate cancer, and a large part of the reason that death from prostate cancer has declined. Since prostate cancer is almost always asymptomatic, with over 200,000 new cases and 30,000 deaths in the US every year, the next test after the PSA to diagnose it is the autopsy

The world of HIV in the US just changed dramatically - for the better. In a major development for public health that went almost unnoticed, Orasure Technologies just received FDA approval for an over-the-counter home HIV test, Oraquick. A patient will simply be able to swab the inside of their mouth or gums and know with over 90% certainty whether they are HIV positive within 30 minutes. At the same time, the false positive rate is extremely low, meaning you are very unlikely to be told that you have HIV if you don't

For example, the cost for an exercise echo stress test in Manhattan varies from $2,500 to $5,000. The Weill Cornell Medical Center charges $2,500 for that test, but if a patient is willing to pay cash, the charge is only $1,000. This discounted cash approach is becoming more commonplace, but with a hitch. The cash option is only intended to make care more affordable for the uninsured and not to provide an option to those who are insured. In fact, hospitals are forced to charge private insurers more because of their care of the uninsured and Medicaid patients, who pay a drastically reduced rate. In California, Los Alamitos Medical Center charges more than $4,000 for a CT scan of the abdomen, according to a state website. The negotiated rate that Blue Cross pays is a little over $2,000. The cash price is only $250 - but again to help the uninsured and not to provide an option to those who are insured, according to the California Hospital Association. In fact, many health insurance policies limit the amount you can pay out of pocket in a given year

[...]a new Health Care Cost Institute study found that these bloated charges are, in part, the reason health care costs have risen at double the rate of inflation during the recession, even as patients used less medical care than before

[...]a new Health Care Cost Institute study found that these bloated charges are, in part, the reason health care costs have risen at double the rate of inflation during the recession, even as patients used less medical care than before

For example, the cost for an exercise echo stress test in Manhattan varies from $2,500 to $5,000. The Weill Cornell Medical Center charges $2,500 for that test, but if a patient is willing to pay cash, the charge is only $1,000. This discounted cash approach is becoming more commonplace, but with a hitch. The cash option is only intended to make care more affordable for the uninsured and not to provide an option to those who are insured. In fact, hospitals are forced to charge private insurers more because of their care of the uninsured and Medicaid patients, who pay a drastically reduced rate. In California, Los Alamitos Medical Center charges more than $4,000 for a CT scan of the abdomen, according to a state website. The negotiated rate that Blue Cross pays is a little over $2,000. The cash price is only $250 -- but again to help the uninsured and not to provide an option to those who are insured, according to the California Hospital Association. In fact, many health insurance policies limit the amount you can pay out of pocket in a given year

The FDA, wary of another fen-phen disaster, hasn't approved a weight loss drug since xenical in 1999. Xenical interferes with the absorption of fats in the bowel, causing unpleasant side effects, so it is of limited use. Now along come Qnexa and Lorcaserin, which have just been approved by a panel advising the FDA, which means almost certain FDA approval. Both drugs will likely be approved, but this physician will wait a long while before prescribing them

The PSA screening has been a breakthrough in medical science. Since the early 1990s, when it was first used, death from prostate cancer has decreased 40 percent