WELLNESSNIKOLE

  How is it that the United States spends the most money on healthcare, and yet still has the one of the lowest life expectancies of all developed nations? (To be specific: $9,400 per capita, 79 years, and 31st.) Maybe those of us in healthcare have been looking at it all wrong, for too long. Healthy lifestyle and longevity Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  conducted a massive study  of the impact of health habits on life expectancy, using data from the well-known Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). This means that they had data on a huge number of people over a very long period of time. The NHS included over 78,000 women and followed them from 1980 to 2014. The HPFS included over 40,000 men and followed them from 1986 to 2014. This is over 120,000 participants, 34 years of data for women, and 28 years of data. The researchers looked at NHS and HPFS data on diet, physical activity, body weight, smok...

  Having a baby is an exciting and life-changing event. Yet it takes a lot of time and energy to care for infants, especially if you're juggling both family and work. So even the happiest and proudest parents might like to wait awhile after the birth of one child before welcoming another. You may have heard that if you're breastfeeding, you won't get pregnant. However, that's not the full story. How well breastfeeding works as a form of birth control depends on several factors. What to consider if you choose breastfeeding for birth control Experts recommend  waiting 18 months or more between pregnancies . This allows the uterus time to heal, and is safer for the birthing parent and infant. There are  many options for birth control . Some change the hormone cycles that rule periods and pregnancies. Nonhormonal options most often block or slow sperm, or prevent sperm and egg from meeting. Breastfeeding is a natural birth control option that appeals to many people. Researc...

Most consumers are well aware of credit reporting agencies. They keep track of how well we pay our bills and manage our credit so lenders can decide whether to loan us the money we need for mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and other credit devices. But most consumer-patients are surprised to learn of the existence of a parallel reporting agency for the health industry, the Medical Information Bureau (MIB). Originally established in 1902, it serves the information needs of almost 500 life and  health  insurance companies in North America that seek health, credit, and other information about those consumer-patients who request to be insured. 1  Some medical records are still found in folders, kept on paper. Reza Estakhrian / Getty Images The purpose behind the MIB is to provide background information to its insurance company members so they can determine who they will accept for insurance, or who they will reject. According to the MIB, they collect information on o...

  Looking up ICD-10 codes can help you understand your medical bills. You may need to look up an ICD-10 code if you're trying to sort out a  medical pre-approval  or billing issue with your health insurance provider. The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision  (ICD-10) is used by healthcare providers to classify and code every disease, symptom, and injury to submit insurance claims or  prior authorizations . 1  The ICD-10 can often be found on patient reports or bills, but sometimes you have to look it up yourself. SDI Productions / Getty Images There are more than 70,000 ICD-10 codes, each with specific definitions. 1  This can make it challenging to look them up and find the right code. If the code is incorrect, the coverage or approval of a test or treatment may be denied. ICD-10 Code Lookup Look for the specific ICD-10 code on your medical records. If you can't find it, there are several other places you can search, including...