healthcare

Unmet MS care needs prevalent among patients in Italy: Survey

Almost all of the nearly 700 people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in Italy who responded to a patient survey reported at least one unmet MS care need ā€” ranging from insufficient access to primary care, social interactions, assistance, doctor-patient relationships, and information about the neurodegenerative disease. More than half…

Dr. Amazon Takes a Third Jab at Medical Care

For the past few years, the company that brings us everything from books to basketballs has been experimenting with doing the same with medical care. Of course, it’s Amazon. In 2018, the company launched a project called Haven in partnership with a pair of financial giants, with the goal…

Dr. Glaucomflecken and Other Healthcare Jokers

This column is being published on April 1. When I was in the journalism profession, that was a day we had to be on guard against pranksters who would try to trick us into reporting phony April Fools’ Day news items. So, I need to be very clear about this…

‘No Surprises Act’ Aims to Rein In Out-of-network Billing in US

Under rules in the No Surprises Act, insured patients people in the U.S., including those with multiple sclerosis, should no longer receive unexpected medical bills for emergency care or for treatment from out-of-network providers at facilities in their network. The act, which became effective on Jan. 1, prohibits…

Canadian Patients Say Their Top Concern Is Access to MS Providers

Accessing healthcare providers knowledgeable about multiple sclerosis (MS) and being able to afford additional services to improve overall health were the most pressing healthcare concerns among Canadians with the condition, a survey suggests. ā€œThese findings provide healthcare planners prioritized concerns and a profile of [people with MS] that have…

Telemedicine Found Effective During Italy’s COVID-19 Lockdown

Telemedicine is a feasible and effective method of remote care for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, an Italian study suggests. The study, ā€œTelemedicine during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic: A Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Outpatients Service Perspective,ā€ was published in the journal Neurology International. The…

Can Amazon Lower Healthcare Costs?

The answer to whether Amazon, in partnership with a pair of financial giants, can make healthcare more accessible and less expensive for its workers is: Apparently, it can’t. About two years after rolling out a project known as Haven, the plug is being pulled. The idea had been for…

RRMS Patients Not Using DMTs More Likely to Have Been Misdiagnosed, Cite Poorer Relationships with Doctors, Survey Says

People with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) who don’t use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are more likely to have been misdiagnosed previously, and to have poorer relationships with their healthcare providers, the results of a new survey suggest. The survey, titled “Multiple Sclerosis In America 2019,” was conducted byĀ …

Ageism in Clinical Trials and Healthcare

The idea, they say, is to keep having birthdays, and I agree. I see aging as a precious gift, and when you live with multiple sclerosis (MS), that gift is even more golden with each passing year. We earn every wrinkle, gain new…

MS Is a Pain, and Doctors Should Know It

Dear Doctor, Why is it that you, or at least some of your colleagues, think that multiple sclerosis isn’t painful? Did you skip the med school class where they discussed MS?Ā Are you not a neurologist, or are you a neurologist who doesn’t specialize in MS? Whatever the reason, this “MS…

#AANAM – Precision Innovative Network and Splice Machine Will Present Predictive Healthcare Application at AAN Meeting

A new clinical application prototype that uses machine learning to help physicians predict the best treatment options for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) will be unveiled at theĀ American Academy of Neurology’s 2019 annual meetingĀ May 4ā€“10, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The prototype is called PIN Population Data Platform. It has been…

Need to Know: The Importance of Self-advocacy

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic, ā€œWith MS I have learned the importance of…