Monthly Archives: February 2020
Healthcare: “2018 Health Care Cost Report” Shows Spending Grew 18% Per-Person From 2014 – 2018
HCCI Releases 2018 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report
Per-Person Health Care Spending Grew 18% from 2014 to 2018, Driven Mostly by Prices
The report examines four groups of health care services and dozens of sub-categories. Of the four major categories, outpatient visits and procedures saw the highest 2018 spending increase (5.5%). Other notable trends include:
- Inpatient services.
- Per-person spending on inpatient admissions rose 11.4% between 2014 and 2018
- Within each sub-category of inpatient admissions, average prices grew steadily between 2014 and 2018 while utilization trends varied. However, the 2.0% price increase in 2018 was lower than the near 4% annual increases from 2014 to 2017.
- Outpatient services.
- Increases in prices and use led to a 16% increase in spending from 2014 to 2018.
- ver that period, ER visit spending increased 32% and spending on observation stays went up 29%.
- Professional services.
- Spending increased 16% and growth accelerated over the 5-year period, driven by office visits and administered drugs.
- Psychiatry also saw strikingly high spending growth of 43% from 2014 to 2018, which was driven mostly by increased use.
- Prescription Drugs.
- Generic drugs accounted for 88% of all prescriptions. .
- Out-of-pocket payments for prescriptions for generic drugs was less than one-fifth of out-of-pocket payments on brand drugs.
Travel Videos: “Myrtle Beach, South Carolina”
Myrtle Beach – This jewel in the string of seaside towns that make up the Grand Strand offers its own spin on South Carolina’s coastal charm. Follow along as we explore the area.
Myrtle Beach has long enticed visitors to laze on its shores, take a swing on its fairways and let loose in its entertainment precincts. Named after the wax myrtle trees along its coastline, Myrtle Beach thrives as a beach vacation destination. Check out the state parks that will showcase the best of Myrtle Beach’s natural beauty. The area is also a dream for golfers and minigolfers, with dozens of courses to choose from. As a family-friendly vacation destination, Myrtle Beach has no shortage of fantastic attractions for the kids to enjoy.
American Cars: “1953 Buick Skylark Convertible”
The Buick Skylark is a passenger car produced by Buick. The model was made in six production runs, during 46 years, over which the car’s design varied dramatically due to changing technology, tastes and new standards implemented over the years.
Created to mark Buick’s 50th anniversary, the Roadmaster Skylark joined the Oldsmobile 98 Fiesta and Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado as top-of-the-line, limited-production specialty convertibles introduced in 1953 by General Motors to promote its design leadership. Of the three, the Skylark’s run of 1,690 units proved the most successful, and an amazing sales feat considering the car’s 1953 list price of slightly in excess of US$5,000 was over 50% more than the well-equipped US$3,200 Roadmaster convertible on which it was based. Nevertheless, many languished in dealer showrooms and were eventually sold at discount.
Production ran for two years. Based on the model 76R two-door Roadmaster convertible, the 1953 Skylark (designated model 76X) had identical dimensions (except height), almost identical appearance, shared its drive train, and had all its standard equipment, plus its few remaining options, including power windows, power brakes, full carpeting, and a “Selectronic” AM radio. Only A/C was not offered, unnecessary in either convertible.
From Wikipedia
News: Latest Research Highlights In Science Magazine (Feb 14, 2020)
Media Infographics: “Radio’s Unparalleled Reach” In U.S. (Statista)
With all the talk about digital media, it’s easy to forget how powerful traditional media such as radio and television still are. Radio in particular rarely gets credited for what it still is: a true mass medium. According to Nielsen, radio even trumps TV in terms of its weekly reach.
According to Nielsen’s measurements, far more than 200 million Americans aged 18 and older listen to the radio at least once a week, equaling a reach of 92 percent of the adult population. Television came in a close second with a weekly reach of 86 percent, while 80 percent of U.S. adults now use apps or browse the web on a smartphone in any given week.
While radio does win in terms of sheer reach, TV remains unparalleled with respect to average daily usage. According to Nielsen’s measurements, U.S. adults spend an average of 4 hours and 27 minutes a day watching TV (live and time-shifted), which is more than 2.5 times the amount of time they listen to the radio (1h 42m).
Interviews: 77-Year Old Actor Harrison Ford On Reprising “Indiana Jones”
In this preview of a conversation with correspondent Lee Cowan to be broadcast on “CBS Sunday Morning” on February 16, Harrison Ford, the actor who has played iconic characters in the “Star Wars” and Indiana Jones franchises, talks about returning to familiar roles.
Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor, aviator, and environmental activist. He gained worldwide fame for his starring role as Han Solo in the original Star Wars Trilogy (1977–1983), eventually reprising the role decades later in the sequel trilogy (2015–2019). Ford is also widely known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones in the Indiana Jones film franchise and as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan in the spy thrillers Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994).
Film critic Roger Ebert described Ford as “the great modern movie everyman”. His career spans six decades and includes roles in many highly successful Hollywood films. Some of his most popular films include Apocalypse Now (1979), Witness (1985), Presumed Innocent (1990), The Fugitive (1993), Air Force One (1997), What Lies Beneath (2000), and (2013). Seven of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry: American Graffiti (1973), The Conversation (1974), Star Wars (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and Blade Runner (1982).
As of 2019, the U.S. domestic box-office grosses of Ford’s films total over $5.1 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $9.3 billion, making him the fourth highest-grossing domestic box-office star of all time.
From Wikipedia
Top New Science Podcasts: NIH Grant Diversity, Post-Traumatic Stress Memory Suppression (ScienceMag)
On this week’s show, senior correspondent Jeffrey Mervis joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant program that aims to encourage diversity at the level of university faculty with the long-range goal of increasing the diversity of NIH grant recipients.
Sarah also talks with Pierre Gagnepain, a cognitive neuroscientist at INSERM, the French biomedical research agency, about the role of memory suppression in post-traumatic stress disorder. Could people that are better at suppressing memories be more resilient to the aftermath of trauma?
Top New Camper Vans: “2020 Storyteller Overland Mode 4X4”
The all new MODE 4×4™ is built on the rugged Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 144 4×4 platform. Authentically designed with daily drivers, weekend warriors, full time vanlifers, and long-range overlanders in mind… with an infinitely adaptive floor plan.
The MODE 4×4™ is equipped with a forward thinking, user friendly feature set that includes the industry first LiveFree™ OTG sustainable, automotive grade energy management system (powered by Volta).
With this 12kw clean energy lithium battery system you will have all the power you need to enjoy life on the road and off the grid without the noise, inconvenience, and fumes that accompany the fossil fuel generator setups of traditional RVs.
Future Of Housing: Kajstaden Tall Timber Building In Sweden By C.F. Møller Architects (2019)
The Tall Timber Building residence has become a landmark and, during construction, became Sweden’s tallest solid wooden building in the new district of Kajstaden at Lake Mälaren in Västerås. All parts of the building consist of cross-laminated wood, which includes the walls, joists and balconies as well as the lift and stairwell shafts.
Kajstaden – Tall Timber Building is an important landmark for sustainable construction and a reference project that shows that conversion to climate conscious architecture is possible. Through research projects and several active wood projects, C.F. Møller Architects has focused on innovation as well as developing and implementing multi-storey buildings with solid wood frames. In Kajstaden, an active decision was made to prioritise industrial timber techniques for the building material to influence and take responsibility for the impact of the construction industry on the environment and climate change. A crucial advantage of wood, unlike other building materials, is that the production chain for the material produces a limited amount of carbon dioxide emissions. Instead, it is part of a closed cycle, where carbon is retained in the frame of the building.
Research also shows that buildings with a wooden frame make a positive contribution to human health and well-being- thanks to better air quality and acoustic qualities.
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