News
Seattle flat-fee clinics close
Seattle-based Qliance, which was founded in 2007, closed five its clinics on June 15, Kaiser Health News reports. Qliance embraced a buffet approach to primary care, offering patients unlimited services for a flat fee instead of billing them a la carte.
Lead found in 1 in 5 baby food samples
The Environmental Defense Fund examined a decade’s worth of FDA data and found lead present in 20 percent of baby food samples. The rate was higher for some juices and certain foods. Even very low blood lead levels can cause behavioral problems and lower IQ in young children.
After discharge, many older patients resist home help
About a quarter of patients — mostly older adults — decline home health care when they’re being discharged from a hospital, Kaiser Health News reports. That decision can double the odds of older adults being readmitted to the hospital within a month of two, a study found.
Yoga for back pain?
A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that yoga works as well as physical therapy for relieving back pain, The New York Times reports. It’s cost effective and has other benefits as well.
Other news
Knowing the cost doesn’t affect doctors’ decisions
Drones provide speedy delivery of defibrillators
Cancer patients know little about their prospects
The key to good health? Social interactions.