Bana Jobe

Heart disease. Cancer. Medical errors. In that order, those are America’s leading causes of death, according to research from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. While the medical community has invested time and clinical talent in reducing chronic disease, minimizing medical errors is just as important—but where do you start?

Do you live in a food desert? You're not alone. Here's how to navigate everyday challenges and regain control over your diabetes management.

Cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, you name it — recent research has found that young people are increasingly at risk for health problems. But how is a generation besieged by student loans and credit card debt supposed to be able to pay for all that, even with health insurance? Not easily. Hospital bills, missed work and high deductibles can put a huge dent in your finances — unless you’ve planned ahead with critical illness insurance.

For generations, health care has been offered on a fee-for-service basis – meaning for every MRI, blood test or flu shot, a doctor’s office is paid a set amount, based on a negotiated set of prices. Value-based care arrangements, on the other hand, mean the doctor or hospital has agreed that their income should be based on more than how many tests and visits they deliver.

As patients have become smarter health care shoppers, they've shown they want more value from their visits — and insurers have taken notice. The result? Value-based insurance design.

It's 3 a.m., and suddenly, you're awake. You don't know why or how, but there you are — tired, groggy-eyed and unable to fall back asleep. We've all been there — or at least, many of us have. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), about 1 in 3 people experience insomnia, which can cause all kinds of problems, from increasing your risk for obesity and diabetes to disrupting your focus at work. It can even shorten your lifespan, the AASM says. So what's a night owl to do?

As workplaces evolve to meet employees’ growing needs, they’re rethinking paid time off policies so that workers can feel better both inside and out. Increasingly, that includes introducing a personal and mental health day model.

According to the National Institutes of Health, very few of us are strangers to back pain: The agency estimates that 8 in 10 people will experience it at some point in their lives.
All those aching backs can cause a snowball of hassles (and expenses too): One study from BioMed Central Health Services Research cited back pain as one of the biggest drivers of healthcare costs. But thanks to a diversity of medical professions, there's no shortage of fields to turn to for treatment.

A woman passes many milestones throughout her life and her health should stay top-of-mind every step of the way.

Call up your local massage parlor to ask for an appointment, and you'll likely have to pick from a menu of ample options — Swedish, deep tissue, hot stone … the list goes on and on.
If you're in particular need of some relaxation or loosening up, you might gravitate toward the strongest-sounding one of the bunch, the deep tissue massage. It sure sounds like it can iron out the kinks, right? But know this: While it can be a great option, this technique isn't for everyone.

In order to learn about your insurance benefits, choose a doctor and — if necessary — take time off to get help, you might find you need to open up to strangers at some point. How can you approach those conversations? Start with these tips.

Of course, organizations don’t intend to make HIPAA violations. But they happen despite even the best intentions. And if anyone on your staff uses a personal device to transmit patient data, even just once, they may be making the same mistake.

It’s been called the “secret sauce” of workplace wellness, as well as one of the top trends in employee incentives for 2019. We’re talking about personalization, and it’s changing the way employers are designing their employee wellness programs — lowering costs, encouraging participation and helping employees achieve their individual goals in the process.

Once, mid-century gurus offered what they thought were good posture exercises at the time: Balancing a book on your head to train your back into better alignment. Of course, we now know that posture isn't just about looks, nor can it be solved by books.

Telemedicine is having a moment in a big way, and employers have caught on.