Year: 2022

Has WellCare Put Profits Before Patients?

By Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety) 

This is the question that I recently asked myself – “Has WellCare Put Profits Before Patients?”

In a letter to Ken Yamaguchi, MD, MBA (Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer WellCare Prescription Insurance, Inc.), the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health (together with a coalition of concerned organizations, including the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety) ask Dr. Yamaguchi about a pricing decision WellCare made for seniors that will increase the price of a drug by five times what they had previously paid:

recent formulary change that will drastically increase the price of apixaban for Medicare Part D WellCare participants. By placing apixaban on a higher formulary tier, medically fragile seniors will pay five times as much for their life-saving direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC).

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The Need for Better Opioid Management

By Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

Opioids Can be Deadly

To say that opioids can kill is perhaps to overstate the obvious. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, overdose deaths involving any opioid have steadily risen from 2010 to the present:

“Opioid-involved overdose deaths rose from 21,088 in 2010 to 47,600 in 2017 and remained steady in 2018 with 46,802 deaths. This was followed by a significant increase through 2020 to 68,630 overdose deaths.”  

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Pain Relief vs. Addiction and Overdose: Four Steps to Maintain an Appropriate Equilibrium

By Justina Igwe (Nursing Student in Nigeria at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus)

 OPIOIDS AS EFFECTIVE PAIN RELIEF

Opioids have been one of the world’s most effective pain relievers since Friedrich Serturner of Germany extracted an opioid analgesic from opium in 1803. Extracted from opium papaver (Papaver Somiferus) a species of flowering plant that grows in all temperate regions of the world with its origin being Asia Minor, Opioids are largely used in healthcare facilities to relieve patients suffering from both acute and chronic pain.

THE EUPHORIC PROPERTIES OF OPIOIDS

When consumed, opioids activate the release of endorphins (the feel-good neurotransmitters) which suppresses the perception of pain and intensify the feelings of pleasure, creating a temporary yet powerful sense of well-being.

However, when the dose wears off, the patient feels depressed and wants another dose which will make them feel that sense of well-being again. (This is actually the first point toward potential addiction).

Opioids have now become a substance of concern as the world is fighting to strike a balance between their use as pain relievers and euphoriants necessitating abuse. Tragically, the CDC estimates that about one million people have died of drug overdose since 1999, of which 82.3% were opioid-involved overdose deaths involving a synthetic opioid.

As expected, reducing the burden of suffering from pain and reducing opioid addiction and overdose deaths pose a major public health challenge.

Below are four steps that can be taken to achieve that balance:

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Myths Can Kill You: Know These Six Myths About Atrial Fibrillation

By Trudie Lobban MBE, FRCP (Founder & CEO, Arrhythmia Alliance & AF Association) and Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

Arrhythmia is when the heart rhythm is too slow, too fast, or beating in an irregular manner. The most common arrhythmia is Atrial Fibrillation (AF/AFib) symptoms may include – heart palpitations, fluttering in the chest, pounding heart, irregular heart rhythm or no symptoms at all. Some describe it like a bag of worms in their chest or banging of drums.  If left undiagnosed and without anticoagulation therapy, it can lead to an AF-related stroke and even death.

Anticoagulation therapy helps to reduce blood clots forming in the chambers of the heart due to the irregular rhythm and traveling to the brain causing an AF-related stroke.

Treatments for AF exist to treat the symptoms from drugs to devices or ablation.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

  • 1 million people in the United States will have AFib in 2030.
  • In 2019, AFib was mentioned on 183,321 death certificates and was the underlying cause of death in 26,535 of those deaths

Tragically, misconceptions or myths about AF may prevent people with AF from seeking medical care. Knowing these eight myths about AF can save your life or the life of a loved one and can certainly reduce the risk of an AF-related stroke.

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Better Asthma Control Starts with Correct Inhaler Use

Better Asthma Control Starts with Correct Inhaler Use

By Sara Malik (asthma patient studying to go to medical school)

After getting diagnosed with severe asthma at the tender age of three, friends and family often reassured my parents that I would “eventually grow out of it” and that it was probably just “seasonal allergies.” Yes, it is true that seasonal changes can trigger asthma and that many people may outgrow this condition once they reach or pass adolescence. However, it is crucial to recognize that once an individual has developed a sensitive respiratory tract, their airways remain susceptible to asthma triggers for life.

The World Health Organization defines asthma as a long-term disease in which the “air passages in the lungs become narrow due to inflammation and tightening of the muscles around the small airways.” Asthma is a chronic disease that I have never grown out of it, and at this point, I do not know if I ever will. But, I now recognize this is okay because I have learned to accept this reality. I instead direct my energy toward finding ways to achieve and maintain my definition of a “normal” lifestyle. As a patient dealing with this condition for nearly two decades, I have learned a lot about my body and mind, which have played a significant role in helping me control my asthma.

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Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Internationally Ranked Top-100 Patient Safety Organization: A Personal Perspective on Achieving International Recognition

By Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety) 

Can a Small Organization be Internationally Ranked for Patient Safety?

When one thinks about what organizations could be considered a top-100 patient safety organization, these organizations come to mind:

  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: #1
  • The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT: #6
  • Institute for Healthcare Improvement: top-100
  • Institute for Safe Medication Practices: top-250

Now, admittedly, some organizations that you might think of being ranked internationally don’t have a patient safety ranking because they have other rankings:

  • The UK’s National Health Service: ranked top-250 in healthcare.
  • The US’s FDA: drug development #2

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Infographic – 6 Myths About Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial Fibrillation (also known as “AF” or “Afib”) is a common heart arrhythmia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 12.1 million people in the United States will have AFib in 2030, saying:

More than 454,000 hospitalizations with AFib as the primary diagnosis happen each year in the United States. The condition contributes to about 158,000 deaths each year. The death rate from AFib as the primary or a contributing cause of death has been rising for more than two decades.

To help save lives and reduce the incidence of Afib-related deaths, Brittney Harrell, a legislative law clerk in San Francisco who has a passion for design and patient safety, designed this infographic describing 6 myths about atrial fibrillation.

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Sepsis is the Leading Cause of Death in Children

Sepsis is the Leading Cause of Death in Children

By Michael Wong, JD (Founder & Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

Pediatric Sepsis is a Common and Deadly Problem

According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), pediatric sepsis is a common and deadly public health issue:

Population-based studies of the prevalence of pediatric sepsis estimate 72-89 cases per 100,000 pediatric population in the United States, with over 50,000-75,000 hospitalizations for pediatric sepsis and an associated cost near $5 billion annually. Globally, there are an estimated 22 cases of pediatric severe sepsis per 100,000 person-years and 2,202 cases of neonatal sepsis per 100,000 live births, translating into 1.2 million cases of pediatric and 3 million cases of neonatal sepsis per year. Over 4% of all hospitalized patients younger than 18 years and 8% of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients in the United States have sepsis. Although estimates are challenged by a lack of standardized data collection and inconsistent reporting, these data confirm that sepsis is common in pediatric patients.

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Senior Health & Fitness: 7 Tips For Successful Aging

Senior Health & Fitness: 7 Tips For Successful Aging

By Stella Lincoln (Health & Fitness Specialist, crowdwriter.com)

Getting older doesn’t mean you have a poor medical condition, but knowing what’s normal for your body as you age is crucial. The more you are healthy, active, or fit, the better you will feel in the future.

Exercise is an essential key to successful aging. Many studies have proved that routine exercise has many benefits, and it becomes more important as we age. The advantages of physical activity and exercise help to reduce the impact of heart disease, hypertension, muscle weakness, high cholesterol, depression, and stroke.

Individuals should perform 30 minutes of exercise daily. Doing complete body exercise maximizes heart rate and enhances mood and sleep quality. According to the survey conducted in the United States, the health status of adults aged 65 or older, indicated around 38 percent responded have some disability.

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