Miscellaneous

• Free Drug Samples Lead to Higher Out of Pocket Expenses

  Linda Snyder | March 25, 2008 8:50 PM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  According to a University of Chicago, patients who are given free samples spend nearly 40 percent more on their medications. My first thought was how could that be possible?You're saving the cost of the medication and the cost of driving to the pharmacy. Common sense says if you're getting something for free it's saving you money, right?A new study, published in Medical Care this week, questions...

• Botox Linked to 16 Deaths

  Linda Snyder | March 12, 2008 10:49 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  Botox and Myobloc have been associated with 16 deaths, four of them in children, and with 180 adverse effects that occurred after the drug spread to vital organs, according to Public Citizen, a health advocacy group.The drug, a neurotoxin that is used to relax muscles, should come with a far stronger warning label and patients should be given a letter detailing its risks, the group said in a...

• A Friend in Need of a Kidney Transplant

  Linda Snyder | February 25, 2008 5:49 PM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  Imagine the hope and excitement of graduating from high school and looking forward to the next, both exhilarating and terrifying chapter of your life as you head for college to pursue career of your dreams.Imagine the devastation as you learn you have a serious, life threatening condition that will put those dreams on hold.This is Kelsey Crider's story. A lovely young woman from Boulder,...

• Two Snowmobilers Found in Summit County, Third Found Dead

  Staff Writer | January 30, 2008 10:28 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  Two of the three snowmobilers who were lost in Summit County since Sunday, January 27th, were found on Tuesday night. The third snowmobiler, John McKibben, was found dead.The National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew spotted the snowmobilers by a campfire. The two survivors were found on the west side of Elliott Ridge. McKibben was said to have died on Monday night.For more information on this...

• Important Healthcare Advice to Prevent Medical Errors(2)

  Staff Writer | January 23, 2008 9:24 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  There are an estimated 44,000 to 98,000 people that die in U.S. hospitals each year as a result of medical errors. Medical errors are one of the Nation's foremost reasons of death along with car accidents, breast cancer and AIDS.Medical errors can happen anywhere such as in hospitals, clinics, outpatient surgery centers, doctors' offices, and nursing homes. Such errors occur when something that...

• Health Care Spending Increases for 2006

  Staff Writer | January 08, 2008 9:01 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  A recent report by the government showed that national health spending rose to $2 trillion in 2006, practically doubling in the last decade.Medicare spending increased at a fast rate in 2006 while private health insurance costs grew at a slow rate. In general, health spending increased to 6.7 percent in 2006. Other expenditures include prescription drugs which rose to 8.5 percent ($216.7...

• Diamond Pet Foods Settles $3.1 million Lawsuit

  Staff Writer | January 04, 2008 11:46 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  Diamond Pet Foods, a company that contaminated dog food that resulted in killing numerous dogs nationwide, agreed to pay a $3.1 million settlement with pet owners.The company stated their workers failed to properly test and make sure their products were safe to sell. This statement came after the Food and Drug Administration released a report showing the company has no record of test results for...

• Medical Identity Theft On the Rise

  Staff Writer | January 02, 2008 9:37 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  Almost two months ago Marcella Young picked up her prescription drugs from a Walgreens in Fort Collins, Colorado. Young looked in her bag and noticed her painkillers were missing.A stranger was able to get her information, most likely after she threw a past prescription bag in the trash, and was able to walk into Walgreens and out with her pills.Pam Dixon, the executive director of the World...

• Law Enforcement Officers' Deathes Increase

  Staff Writer | December 27, 2007 10:22 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  A report recently released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors stated that there has been 186 officer deaths since December 26th. This has increased from 145 in 2006.Eighty-one officers died in traffic-related accidents and there have been 69 shooting deaths.Craig Floyd, chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, stated...

• Diactyl linked to lung ailment removed from microwave popcorn

  Staff Writer | December 19, 2007 9:54 AM | 0 CommentsFort Collins, CO

  On Monday, December 17th, the nation's four largest makers of microwave popcorn stated that they have removed a flavoring chemical that has been linked to a lung ailment in popcorn plant workers from their products.The Weaver Popcorn Company, ConAgra Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., and the American Pop Corn Co. have all promised to change their microwave popocorn recipes by January 2008. These...