Healthy men told to skip prostate test
Panel underscores risks of PSA exam
A government panel recommended Monday that healthy men skip a widely used screening test for prostate cancer, concluding the harm caused by the PSA blood test outweighed its benefits in all age groups.
Based on evidence from two large randomized trials, the lifesaving benefits of screening were “at best very small’’ and were offset by overdiagnosis and overtreatment of nonlethal cancers, the US Preventive Services Task Force determined.
Davita agrees to pay $4.42 billion for HealthCare Partners
DaVita Inc., whose biggest shareholder is billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., agreed to pay about $4.42 billion in cash and stock to acquire HealthCare Partners, continuing an international spending spree on providers of medical care.
DaVita, a U.S. provider of kidney dialysis services, will pay about $3.66 billion in cash, plus 9.38 million shares of its stock, which had a value of $758 million as of May 18, for closely held HealthCare Partners, the companies said.
Dr. Margaret Flowers visits Maine
Posted by PNHP on Tuesday, May 22, 2012More Care Up Front For $54 A Month
By BRUCE JAPSEN
On the road 50 hours a week, the drivers who work for Becker Trucking, headquartered in Seattle, have little trouble finding cheap eats at the all-night diners lining the interstates of the Pacific Northwest.
But many drivers were struggling with chronic poor health, and the company’s health costs were rising fast. What his employees really needed, the company president realized, was better access to doctors.
So he turned to a novel solution. Becker pays $54 per employee per month to a primary care provider called Qliance. Employees get unlimited doctor visits, 24-hour e-mail access to the medical staff, and same-day or next-day appointments. There is no insurance involved in their primary care: no expensive premiums, no complicated claims, no mysterious denials.
“Drivers are notorious for not being the best in using health care,” said Frank Riordan, president of Becker Trucking. “But now they can go into the clinic as many times as they want, and participation is high.” Two drivers no longer need blood pressure medication, Mr. Riordan added.
This type of health care model is called direct primary care, and it is getting a closer look not just from businessmen like Mr. Riordan, but also from researchers and government officials who see it as an effective way to lower costs.
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