Insurers often try to steer patients to urgent care and away from costly emergency rooms, but individuals could still get hit with large bills in the process.
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Restoring a Sense of Belonging: The Unsung Importance of Casual Relationships for Older Adults
Casual relationships can cultivate a sense of belonging, motivate us to engage in activities, and expose us to new information and opportunities — all without the emotional challenges that often attend close relationships with family and friends.
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Compliance and Defiance: States React to New CDC Mask Guidelines
CDC’s reversal on mask recommendations led to more disagreement between Republican and Democratic politicians over masks and other pandemic-related public health precautions.
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Retina ‘hardwired’ to predict path of moving objects – UW scientists find
Finding helps explain how baseball players can connect with a 100-mph fastball and how the rest of us manage everyday tasks.
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A common prostate biopsy is putting lives at risk – it’s time to retire it
Transrectal biopsies can cause infections and, on rare occasions, a life-threatening condition known as sepsis.
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New State Laws Hamstring Public Health Officials
Newly minted state laws may prevent many public health measures—or at least make them difficult to impose.
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Olympic Dream Dashed After Bike Crash and Nightmare Medical Bill Over $200K
The cyclist collided with three health system threats: an out-of-state emergency, out-of-network care and gold-plated prices from both hospitals that treated him.
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Almost all COVID-19 deaths in Washington state are among those not fully vaccinated.
At least 94% of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and hospitalizations in individuals 12 years or older from Washington state occurred in individuals who were not fully vaccinated.
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Masks will be required for all K-12 students and staff in Washington state schools
Given the high mixing of vaccinated and unvaccinated people in schools and the fact that vaccines are not available to children younger than 12, universal masking will be required in all K-12 schools.
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Should I get the COVID-19 vaccine while pregnant or breastfeeding?
Experts explain the safety, evidence and clinical trials
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Health apps track vital health stats for millions of people, but doctors aren’t using the data
The potential for health-tracking apps to improve health care has barely been tapped.
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COVID-19 cases increase across Washington state
Vaccination rates not increasing fast enough to control the virus
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What is the HIPAA Privacy Rule? A health law scholar explains
HIPAA only protects health care information held by specific kinds of health care providers. For example, health care data on your Apple Watch or Fitbit is not usually covered by HIPAA. Genetic data you enter on websites like Ancestry.com is also not covered by HIPAA.
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Lady Mary Wortley Montagu – the forgotten immunisation pioneer
Many people know the story of Edward Jenner’s discovery of vaccination against smallpox. but far fewer have heard of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu.
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Puget Sound health agencies call on all to wear masks when in indoor public spaces
COVID-19 rates are increasing across the region largely due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant.
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