Most individuals have eye issues at one time or one other. Some are minor and can go away on their very own, or are simple to deal with at residence. Others want a specialist’s care.

Whether your imaginative and prescient isn’t what it was, or by no means was that nice, there are issues you are able to do to get your eye well being again on observe.

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Dec. 24, 2021 — Kristy Hammam, WebMD’s former editor-in-chief and senior vice chairman, has died of breast most cancers. She was 50 years previous.

Kristy resigned from a 22-year profession at WebMD in June 2021, after shedding a lot of her eyesight on account of therapies in her combat towards triple-negative breast most cancers. She recounted her prognosis and her expertise as a affected person in a latest characteristic story for WebMD.

In the story, she talked in regards to the difficulties of navigating the U.S. well being care system whereas coping with most cancers, and it was her dream to start out a nonprofit to assist different sufferers who had much less help than she did.

Kristy started her profession as a author and duplicate editor at CNN earlier than becoming a member of the medical information service Greenberg News Networks, the place she produced a every day broadcast for Medcast. She was finally promoted to move of programming. Greenberg was acquired by Healtheon and WebMD, and he or she continued to develop with the corporate to turn out to be its editorial director, answerable for many of the operations of WebMD’s Atlanta workplace.

Kristy was identified by her colleagues for the abilities she dropped at her work duties and for a lot of private traits that had been extremely valued. She was admired for her grace, kindness, compassion and the best way she made everybody really feel vital, reminiscent of listening respectfully and searching for out views that will have been totally different from her personal throughout conferences. She would typically encourage individuals to take dangers and was typically the primary to rejoice her colleagues’ skilled accomplishments and private joys.

“Her door was always open,’’ said Kristy’s former executive assistant Mary Cooper. “She always had time for someone else.”

Mary remembers that Kristy requested her to talk in an organization assembly, and he or she demurred, telling her boss she was shy.

“You are not shy!” Kristy instructed her. “You may be uncomfortable addressing a group, but I feel that you do it well, so you will be speaking.”

Beloved by her co-workers at WebMd, Kristy inspired the corporate to interact extra with its communities and arranged paid volunteer days for employees.

“No one had a bigger impact on my career at WebMD than Kristy,” mentioned Michael Smith, MD, a former chief medical editor at WebMD. “She helped shape who I am today both personally and professionally. Her impact will always be felt.”Kristy was instrumental in creating the annual Health Heroes Awards to help WebMD recognize standouts in health and medicine.Kristy championed the idea of an events committee and helped organize events that became company traditions, such as a Halloween party and a potluck Thanksgiving dinner that made many of our family feasts pale by comparison.

Kristy was instrumental in helping to shape WebMd through the years. For example, she played a key role in building out medical reference for consumers to include award-winning health news, features and videos. One of the proudest moments for Kristy and her colleagues was when a video about schizophrenia was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival.

“Right from the start, Kristy did an amazing job,” mentioned Steve Zatz, MD, former chief govt officer at WebMD. “She was able to juggle all these disparate responsibilities that she had and do them superbly. She could wrangle celebrities and spreadsheets with equal skill.”

Even after she was recognized with most cancers and began chemotherapy, Kristy actively guided the editorial workforce by a merger with Internet Brands.

Kristy earned levels in English and artwork History from Emory University. She is survived by her husband Nabil, and her sons Milo and Evan, together with their prolonged household.

“We are thinking that she still has so much more to do, just in a different place,” mentioned Kristy’s mom, Marilyn Lawson.

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Oct. 28, 2021 — Consumers and docs now have a pair of recent instruments to decide on one of the best care collaborators.

WebMD has introduced two new awards packages that rank well being techniques in 26 geographic areas throughout the nation to deal with the knowledge wants of customers and well being care suppliers.

The awards packages are segmented into two varieties: First is the WebMD Patient Choice Awards, which supplies customers entry to free details about well being techniques and hospitals the place they’ll select to obtain care. Second is the Medscape Physician Choice Awards, which well being care professionals can use to advise referrals to hospitals. Oncology, cardiology, orthopedics, gastroenterology, neurology, and bariatrics are the specialties coated by the awards packages, which WebMD describes as “the first of their kind rankings.”

John Whyte, MD, MPH, chief medical officer at WebMD, says that what differentiates the WebMD Choice Awards from different surveys, comparable to CMS’ high quality measures, is that they supply a “ranking of health care systems based on the preferences of consumers and health care providers.”

“This is especially important during a time of unprecedented acceleration in health care consumerism, when online information is used to inform among life’s most impactful and crucial decisions,” mentioned Whyte in an announcement.

WebMD Patient Choice Awards

Whyte hopes that customers depend on the WebMD Patient Choice Awards in the identical means they depend on family and friends members for recommendations on eating places and hair dressers, for instance.

“We asked people about where they would go for certain health conditions….While it’s not the only measure, it’s an important measure when it comes to health care,” he says.

For instance, a affected person can seek the advice of the WebMD Patient Choice Awards once they’re on the lookout for a hospital to deal with their persistent again ache or discover one of the best well being system for most cancers therapy of their space, Whyte says.

“Some [providers] deliver a solid patient experience, some don’t,” he says. “[These awards are] all about the local community and what’s happening in your surroundings.”

A survey by Software Advice, which is a part of analysis and advisory agency Gartner, revealed that there’s an absence of dependable rankings that replicate perceptions and preferences on the neighborhood stage. Still, sufferers need to learn about different sufferers’ experiences and scores, along with studying in regards to the high quality of care they obtained, the survey discovered.

Redefining Preferences and Perceptions

Doctors accessing the Medscape Physician Choice Awards can faucet the attitude of their friends as they determine on referrals for his or her sufferers. Doctors typically won’t concentrate on completely different hospitals which are obtainable to deal with their sufferers. The Physician Choice Awards give them higher perception into how their friends understand a hospital or well being system for treating particular situations domestically. They may also be a useful reference for well being care suppliers who could refer somebody past their metropolis or exterior of their state relying on the precise circumstances of their affected person.

Research signifies that affected person expertise is a major driver of affected person loyalty and well being care techniques are recognizing this worth.

“We know that health systems are prioritizing patient experience and engagement, and that’s a positive and important trend,” Ann Bilyew, senior vp of well being and group normal supervisor for WebMD Provider Services, mentioned in an announcement. “But until now, most health systems had no reliable measurement of the preferences and perceptions of the patients and physicians in their communities.”

She added that the awards packages give well being care techniques insights “which can help them thrive and compete in a consumer-driven health care environment.”

Patient expertise additionally impacts a well being system’s monetary well-being. Deloitte discovered that hospitals with excessive patient-reported expertise scores are extra worthwhile. Specifically, a report by the consulting agency revealed that hospitals with “excellent” HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) scores from sufferers between 2008 and 2014 had a internet margin of 4.7%, on common; as compared, hospitals that reported “low” scores had a internet margin of 1.8%.

Thousands of Respondents Across 26 Geographic Areas

Health techniques with greater than 500 beds or people who have been ranked within the high 10 in income or discharge quantity in a selected market have been included within the survey. Health techniques ranked within the high 25% obtained Platinum Awards, whereas Gold Awards went to supplier organizations within the high 26% to 50%. Leading Awards got to supplier organizations that ranked within the high 49% to 25%.

The WebMD Patient Choice Awards relied on a stay ballot that was randomly focused to related situation areas and audiences on WebMD. Each specialty included responses from between 1,000 and 1,500 customers in every market. The Medscape Physician Choice Awards included responses from docs, doctor assistants, and nurse practitioners who have been invited to take part by e mail. Between 250 and 500 respondents have been included for the well being system service line in every market.

Survey information was collected anonymously, and respondents have been requested a sequence of follow-up inquiries to assess the provision of higher choices each inside and out of doors their native space.

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By Robert Preidt and Robin Foster
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 13, 2021 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday introduced its first authorization of an digital cigarette.

The permission to promote was granted to R.J. Reynolds for 3 of its Vuse tobacco-flavored vaping merchandise.

“Today’s authorizations are an vital step towards making certain all new tobacco merchandise endure the FDA’s sturdy, scientific premarket analysis. The producer’s knowledge demonstrates its tobacco-flavored merchandise may benefit addicted grownup people who smoke who change to those merchandise – both utterly or with a big discount in cigarette consumption – by lowering their publicity to dangerous chemical substances,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, stated in an company information launch.

The FDA added it had denied the corporate permission to promote 10 flavored vaping merchandise, however didn’t say what they have been. The three licensed merchandise are much less more likely to enchantment to kids and teenagers. While the merchandise can now be offered within the United States, the FDA pressured they’re neither secure nor “FDA- authorised,” and that nonsmokers should not use them.

“We should stay vigilant with this authorization and we are going to monitor the advertising and marketing of the merchandise, together with whether or not the corporate fails to adjust to any regulatory necessities or if credible proof emerges of serious use by people who didn’t beforehand use a tobacco product, together with youth,” Zeller added. “We will take motion as acceptable, together with withdrawing the authorization.”

But anti-smoking advocates weren’t satisfied.

“While it’s a constructive step that FDA denied purposes for 10 flavored Vuse e-cigarettes, it’s regarding {that a} product that has 3 times the nicotine focus as legally permitted in Canada, the UK and Europe was licensed. Vuse merchandise with this degree of nicotine leaves our nation’s youth at an undue danger of dependancy,” Matthew Myers, president of The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, stated in a press release.

The FDA acknowledged the difficulty of juvenile vaping in its assertion.

“The FDA is conscious that the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) discovered roughly 10 % of highschool college students who at the moment used e-cigarettes named Vuse as their normal model. The company takes these knowledge very critically and regarded dangers to youth when reviewing these merchandise,” the company stated.

But, “the proof additionally indicated that, in comparison with customers of non-tobacco flavored [vaping] merchandise, younger persons are much less more likely to begin utilizing tobacco-flavored [vaping] merchandise after which change to higher-risk merchandise, similar to combusted cigarettes,” the FDA added. “The knowledge additionally counsel that almost all youth and younger adults who use [vaping] start with flavors similar to fruit, sweet or mint, and never tobacco flavors. These knowledge reinforce the FDA’s resolution to authorize the tobacco-flavored merchandise as a result of these merchandise are much less interesting to youth and authorizing these merchandise could also be helpful for grownup combusted cigarette customers who utterly change to [vaping] or considerably cut back their cigarette consumption.”

The FDA additionally famous that it has imposed promoting restrictions on the Vuse merchandise, to reduce publicity to youth.

Still, there’s been minimal U.S. authorities oversight or analysis on e-cigarettes, though they have been accessible within the nation for greater than a decade, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA is dealing with a court docket deadline for regulating the merchandise and has been conducting an intensive overview to resolve which of them it ought to allow to remain in the marketplace.

In September, the company stated it had rejected purposes for greater than 1 million e-cigarettes and associated merchandise, primarily as a result of they might enchantment to teenagers, the AP reported.

Decisions on merchandise from most main vaping merchandise, together with Juul, are nonetheless pending.

The hottest model amongst teenagers is a disposable e-cigarette known as Puff Bar that is available in flavors like pink lemonade, strawberry and mango, the AP reported. Disposable e-cigarettes aren’t topic to the tight taste restrictions of merchandise like Juul.

More info

Visit the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for extra on the hazards of vaping.

SOURCE: Associated Press, Oct. 13, 2021, information launch, U.S. Food and Drug Administration

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