Posted on · Health insurer Humana dropped Houston's Baylor College of Medicine from its network back on Aug. 1. Baylor's administrators had been notified in May. Still, they were surprised it wasn't just a negotiating ploy. It also caught some doctors and patients off guard. The move terminated HMO, PPO and point of service plans. As the Houston […]
Posted on · Medicare and Medicaid turn 50 years old today. It was on this date in 1965 that then President Lyndon Johnson signed into law Amendments to the Social Security Act, which established these two federal health programs. We discuss the legacy of Medicare and Medicaid for Houstonians with Helen Valier, a medical historian at the University […]
Posted on · This Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The landmark legislation, signed into law on July 26, 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunities for disabled Americans in "employment, government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation." On this edition of Houston Matters, we talk with […]
Posted on · For most Houstonians, life follows a fairly predictable schedule. Wake up around sunrise, work or go to school during the day, run errands, socialize, or decompress at night, then sleep, and start all over again. But that pattern – and the environment that is Houston – looks and feels very different if you work the […]
Posted on · When something abnormal comes up in a medical test, would you like to hear the news immediately from the lab or later from your doctor? Researchers at the Houston Veterans Affairs Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety recently conducted studies to determine whether patients and doctors agree on how abnormal test results should […]
Posted on · From time to time, we talk with Houstonians who have followed in previous generations’ footsteps about the opportunities and challenges inherent in going into the family business. Today, Maggie Martin talks with a father, Dr. Yochai Birnbaum, a professor of medicine in cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine, and his two sons, Itamar and Gilad […]
Posted on · Rice University is offering a new, free online course that'll explore how technology is changing how physicians diagnose and treat conditions, as well as how technology is changing the curriculum in Houston medical schools. The new course starts on May 5. We learn more about the course from: Kirsten Ostherr, a professor of English at […]
Posted on · Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine say tuberculosis is still prevalent in the U.S. today, including here in Texas. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there were over 12-hundred cases of TB in the state in 2013. Harris County reported the highest number with nearly 300 cases. Experts at Baylor say […]
Posted on · Each year, the nonprofit organization Children at Risk publishes a report ranking public schools in Greater Houston, and across Texas. Their goal: to identify which schools are succeeding, and which are struggling, as a way to encourage parents, teachers, and the community at large to discuss ways to improve public education. The 2015 report is […]
Posted on · The term “hypoallergenic” can be found on a number of skin care products, and it is often used to describe something that's safe for consumers with sensitive skin. But a new study from Baylor College of Medicine says not only can the term be misleading, these products can also contain chemicals that could cause allergic […]
Posted on · Tyler Republican State Sen. Kevin Eltife is working to build support for a combination of bills he believes will provide both a property tax cut and set a path to spend money on deferred road maintenance and paying off some pension liabilities, among other state needs. Eltife argues that while the state is unusually […]
Posted on · Research has been conducted in recent years into how space flight can impact astronautsâ eyesight. It’s the focus of a new initiative launched by the National Space Biomedical Research Institute and the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. The “Vision for Mars Challenge” is meant to help identify and advance medical technologies […]
Posted on · Some researchers say playing video games can actually be a good thing, especially if theyâre designed to change a childâs behavior. Thatâs what Dr. Tom Baranowski with the Baylor College of Medicine is trying to do with the video games that heâs created. He says these games for health are making a difference in the […]
Posted on · It's hard to know for sure just how many Americans are diabetic – that's because millions of us don't know that we are. Various sources suggest anywhere from 22 to 26 million Americans have diabetes. The National Diabetes Education Program pegs the number at just shy of 26 million diabetics; 15.8 million who have been […]
Posted on · It's hard to know for sure just how many Americans are diabetic – that's because millions of us don't know that we are. Various sources suggest anywhere from 22 to 26 million Americans have diabetes. The National Diabetes Education Program pegs the number at just shy of 26 million diabetics; 15.8 million who have been […]