Wellness

Reducing surgical complications could cost hospitals money, according to a study that researchers say may help explain why the medical providers haven’t fully embraced quality improvement efforts.

About 232,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and an estimated 40,000 will die of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The 25,000 square-foot Associates’ Family Health Center offers not just occupational care, but full primary care services for BMW employees and their dependents, as well as some retirees.

Jimmy Flemming, a HealthyWage cofounder, says all of its programs “are well-suited to the workplace because that’s what they’ve been optimized for.” Those programs have a common factor: Participants are betting on their own success.

Wellness programs may suffer or change direction with the arrival of the health care exchange marketplace.

That “skin in the game,” HealthyWage officials say, is significantly more of a motivator than the traditional incentives that employers offer with weight-loss programs.

The substance is called carnitine, and as bacteria in the gut breaks it down, it turns into compound known to harden arteries, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Medicine.

Transforming employees’ experience with their health care can pay big dividends, particularly as the benefits industry moves toward a more consumer-driven model, says one official with a health assistance and advocacy company.

The cost of caring for dementia patients has reached $109 billion annually, exceeding that for heart disease and cancer, and will double by the time the youngest Baby Boomers reach their 70s, according to a study.

A projected cost increase across the more than $13 trillion in pension liabilities in North America and Europe would be about the same as everyone giving up smoking within a generation, a risk-modeling firm says.

The program, available to self-insured employers, offers some diabetes supplies and diabetes-related prescription drugs at no charge, as well as no copays for related doctor visits, at an estimated savings of up to $500 a year for participants.

Freestanding ERs are among the fastest-growing areas of medical care, but many say the facility fees charged by them aren’t justified and lack transparency. Hospitals contend the facilities drain away the privately insured, high-paying patients they need to survive.

Beth Taylor on how to quantify a return on investment for advisers and companies with wellness programs

Called the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of its kind, a vendor management system from Sonic Boom aims to streamline wellness incentive administration.

Eighty-three percent of 800 large and mid-size American employers — representing more than 7 million workers — now use some form of incentive to get employees more aware of their health status, Aon Hewitt polls show.

40% of employers anticipate that their company’s wellness budget will increase in the near future, a recent OptumHealth shows — and many are finding quick, easy ways to incorporate healthy living into the work day.

Diabetes medications are multibillion-dollar drugs and the percentage of Americans diagnosed with the disease continues to grow, but there is evidence that major pharmaceuticals are causing pre-cancerous changes.

An analysis of seven previous studies showed the beverages appeared to disturb the heart’s natural rhythm, which over time may lead to an irregular heartbeat or death and raise blood pressure.

A rising number of injuries linked to robotic surgery has been reported to Massachusetts health officials, spurring the state to call for better oversight on training and more disclosure to patients on potential risks.

About 2% of American school children were diagnosed with autism disorders in 2011 and 2012, a 72 percent increase from the previous five years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.