Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Is prevention more politically effective than cost effective?
Last week, a study in BMJ pointed out that cervical cancer screening may be overused in young women. According to the researchers, there's probably no need to screen women under 25. They also suggested that women who are screened and have abnormal results don't necessarily benefit from immediate colposcopies.
I'm guessing that most members of Congress were too busy arguing about health reform to catch that journal article, but there may be a valuable lesson in it for them. Preventive health care has been a popular talking point for politicians--it was one of the few things President Obama and Senator McCain agreed on. But does preventive care actually have any relevance to cost-cutting?
No, but that won't stop Congress from making preventive coverage a major part of health care reform, according to new article from Kaiser Health News. "Under the House plan, patients could receive free an initial physical exam, diabetes screening tests, blood tests for heart disease, mammography, pap smears, bone mass measurements, flu and pneumonia vaccines, screenings for colon and rectal cancer, and ultrasound screenings for abdominal aortic aneurysm."
Not to say that covering screenings is a bad thing, but it does seem like a little attention to their effectiveness (cost and outcome-wise) might be worthwhile. After all, just because a pap smear's free doesn't mean it's fun.
Labels: health policy, screenings
posted by Stacey Butterfield at
2:18 PM
2 Comments
Friday, March 20, 2009
Ovarian screening? Nope, nevermind.
Just earlier this week, we reported that a new study showed promise for ovarian cancer screening. A combo of transvaginal ultrasound and a CA125 blood test found early, treatable cancers, according to the research published in The Lancet Oncology. Study authors admitted that they weren't sure how the findings would translate into mortality or balance against the risks of screening.
Now it looks pretty clear that the results aren't going to be good, according to a second study. The new research, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that the predictive value of the tests was only 1 to 1.3% and that a high percentage of the cancers found were late-stage. Scientists need to keep looking for a more sensitive and specific test, the study author told HealthDay.
Not a good week for screening tests.
Labels: screenings
posted by Stacey Butterfield at
1:27 PM
2 Comments
Friday, February 13, 2009
Still doing it the hard way
Medicare is probably not going to pay for virtual colonoscopies, according to a story in today's New York Times. The agency found insufficient evidence to support the alternative technology. Not surprisingly, the endoscopic gastroenterologists cheered, while supporters of the CT scans jeered.
Who's right? Hard to say, since no one knows exactly how many more people would sign up for colonoscopies if they had access to the virtual technology. But based on the preliminary CMS decision, it looks like we won't be finding out anytime soon. The agency is accepting public comment for 30 days before making a final ruling on the subject, which experts expect to be against virtual scans.
An article and video in ACP Internist recently assessed (and offered some solutions to) the challenges of getting patients to submit to colonoscopy.
Labels: medicare, screenings
posted by Stacey Butterfield at
1:47 PM
0 Comments
Friday, January 9, 2009
A good sort of giveaway
Not to be outdone by Wegman's and Giant, Walgreen's is wrapping up its year-long "Take Care Health Tour", for which it dispatched a fleet of med-equipped RVs to provide free health screenings around the nation. When the tour is all finished by this spring, it will have provided on-the-spot blood pressure, BMI, total cholesterol, glucose levels, bone density and waist circumference screenings in 300 cities.
Hard to argue with that, though one hopes there's been some effort to target less priveleged areas, and to direct folks to local clinics where they can get low-cost follow-up. Either way, this is one "giveaway" I can get behind. But maybe I'm missing something-- is there a downside, here? Feel free to weigh in..
Labels: screenings
posted by Jessica Berthold at
9:53 AM
0 Comments
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