By Laurie Gelb, MPH, BCPA Studies of a potential link between smoking status and the clinical course of COVID-19 infection have yielded contradictory results. A recent meta-analysis [3] sought to address the question more completely. COVID-19 targets lung epithelial cells, causing, in part, viral pneumonia and atypical acute respiratory distress…

By Laurie Gelb, MPH, BCPA Current Covid-19 tests are reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays that first extract RNA from patient swab samples, then detect viral RNA through RT-qPCR amplification of the extracted RNA. These tests detect the presence of an antigen, rather than antibodies as do serological tests…

The ability to help a patient answer, “How likely is it?” can reduce the likelihood for all. — By Laurie Gelb, MPH, BCPA Data relative to the pandemic’s impact are not difficult to obtain. With a click of the mouse, patients with Internet access can see new and cumulative Co-V cases and deaths in numeric and linear form, and by zip code, town, county, and state. The ready…

Why do women continue hormones that could cause them harm? — By Laurie Gelb, MPH, BCPA Using systemic female hormone therapy for more than five years carries documented relative risk in terms of cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, incontinence and gallbladder disease, among others. Clinicians counsel their patients accordingly. However, in 2015, more than one-third of US HT prescriptions were written for…

By Laurie Gelb, April 18, 2012 What’s a “convenience item?” For most plans, it’s anything from the elevation feature of a wheelchair seat to a motorized patient lift to a track to move a shower chair into a traditional stall. …

By Laurie Gelb, October 17, 2011 If you thought the 80’s were “the Me Decade,” consider these the “Me, Myself & I” years. Introspection is in, singly or in groups (witness the Occupy Wall St. Movement). What does this have to do with managed care? …

By Laurie Gelb, December 10, 2012 You wake up one morning and decide gasoline costs are just too high. You want to begin filling your car’s gas tank with water, which is, of course, much cheaper. You call your mechanic to find out if this is a good idea. He…

By Laurie Gelb, July 7, 2011 Recently I became aware that my husband’s national pharmacy record contains not only his own data, but that of another patient. The root cause: the other patient, in another state, with a different payor, was never asked to confirm his address when he picked…

By Laurie Gelb, June 7, 2011 Actual hypochondria, by definition, entails inappropriate self-dx and/or care-seeking (fueled by what Microsoft’s paper calls “the escalation of medical concerns”). So what escalates concerns, whether you’re buying a car or selecting a health plan? Feeling like you’re being played by self-interested advisors. Being unable…