Improving the quality of care for chronic diseases is an important issue for most health care systems in industrialized nations. One widely adopted approach is the Chronic Care Model (CCM), which was first developed in the late 1990s. In this article we present the results from two large surveys in the United States and Germany that report patients’ experiences in different models of patient-centered diabetes care, compared to the experiences of patients who received routine diabetes care in the same systems.

The study populations were enrolled in either Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania or Barmer, a German sickness fund that provides medical insurance nationwide. Our findings suggest that patients with type 2 diabetes who were enrolled in the care models that exhibited key features of the CCM were more likely to receive care that was patient-centered, high quality, and collaborative, compared to patients who received routine care. This study demonstrates that quality improvement can be realized through the application of the Chronic Care Model, regardless of the setting or distinct characteristics of the program.

Dental crowns are use for many different reasons some of the main goals include:

* Restoring discolored teeth (that can not be whiten by bleaching)
* Restoring chipped or broken tooth
* Restoring a tooth that has extensive tooth decay
* Mask developmental defects such as pitted or small teeth.

Dental crowns will greatly improve the look of your teeth, the are very durable, yet dental treatment can be costly.  Make sure to have current dental insurance to help make dental crown work more affordable.

Transitional care interventions aim to improve care transitions from hospital to home and to reduce hospital readmissions for chronically ill patients. The objective of the study was to examine if these interventions were associated with a reduction of readmission rates in the short (30 days or less), intermediate (31–180 days), and long terms (181–365 days).

The study systematically reviewed twenty-six randomized controlled trials conducted in a variety of countries whose results were published in the period January 1, 1980–May 29, 2013. The analysis showed that transitional care was effective in reducing all-cause intermediate-term and long-term readmissions. Only high-intensity interventions seemed to be effective in reducing short-term readmissions.

The findings suggest that to reduce short-term readmissions, transitional care should consist of high-intensity interventions that include care coordination by a nurse, communication between the primary care provider and the hospital, and a home visit within three days after discharge.

Over the counter whitening kits have made whiting teeth easier and more affordable for many people. Over the counter whitening kits will help to lighten teeth and make them whiter.  They are convenient and provide an affordable whitening option. However whitening kids are some what limited in the efficiency and can cause some irritation and teeth sensitivity.

The vast amount of health data generated and stored around the world each day offers significant opportunities for advances such as the real-time tracking of diseases, predicting disease outbreaks, and developing health care that is truly personalized. However, capturing, analyzing, and sharing health data is difficult, expensive, and controversial.

There are now many over the counter toothpastes with whitening choices to choose from and they all will help to brighten your teeth. Toothpaste with whitening help to remove surface stains which will help to brighten your teeth.  However it is important to understand that whitening toothpaste does not lighten the color of your teeth.

In office bleaching will whiten discolored teeth.  Professional teeth whitening will lighten and brightens the color of a tooth or teeth. In a very comfortable, professional control the provides protection of the gums during treatment. You will be able to receive more stable results with professional teeth whitening, though it is more costly you can achieve the results you are looking for.

A study looks to add more fuel to the heated debate around the use of marijuana, as researchers have linked the frequent use of cannabis among adolescents with reduced educational attainment. The study also links frequent use of the drug with other negative health outcomes, such as suicide attempts.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Edmund Silins, says that the results “provide strong evidence that the prevention or delay of cannabis use is likely to have broad health and social benefits.”

Your child pediatric dentist can identify crowded or crooked teeth and actively intervene to guide the teeth as they come in. Not only will this improve the look of your child’s smile, but early orthodontic treatment may prevent more extensive treatment later on.

Braces and other orthodontic appliances can straighten crooked teeth, guide teeth into proper position as they come in, correct bite problems, as well as even prevent the need for tooth extractions. Having straight teeth not only look better, but they are easier to keep clean and therefore less susceptible to dental decay and gum disease.

However, orthodontic treatment takes place over years as your child’s mouth grows and changes. Therefore a commitment to regular dental visits and good home care is a must. Orthodontic treatment is a significant financial investment as well. Yet, since it offers important health benefits, it may be covered at least in part by dental insurance.

Long-term users of benzodiazepines, drugs used to treat anxiety and insomnia, may be at increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study published in the BMJ.

Mainly used to treat anxiety and insomnia, benzodiazepines are widely used in developed countries, particularly among the elderly.

The main cause of dependency in older people, dementia currently affects about 36 million people worldwide. This number is expected to double every 2 decades because of population growth, reaching an estimated 115 million in 2050

Microabrasion is a good option for children or teens who want to change the color of certain areas or spots on their teeth, rather than lighten the color of the whole tooth.  With microabrasion the pediatric dentist removes microscopic bits of discolored tooth enamel with an abrasive and a mild acid. Treatment usually can be completed in one visit. Microabrasion is a conservative treatment, removing little tooth structure.

The success of microabrasion to remove a spot or stain completely depends upon a number of factors, especially the type and extent of discoloration. Surprisingly, brown or dark stains are removed more readily than white ones. Microabrasion works better on surface discoloration than it does on deeper stains caused by injury or certain medications.

People can become addicted to eating for its own sake but not to consuming specific foods such as those high in sugar or fat, research suggests.

An international team of scientists has found no strong evidence for people being addicted to the chemical substances in certain foods.

The brain does not respond to nutrients in the same way as it does to addictive drugs such as heroin or cocaine, the researchers say.

Instead, people can develop a psychological compulsion to eat, driven by the positive feelings that the brain associates with eating.

Dental crowns can range around $500 – $900 per crown. Therefore when trying to budge for crowns buying a dental PPO plan will normally help you save around 50 – 60 percent off the cost of crowns.  Yet you have to plan ahead when buying dental PPO plan as they tend to have long waiting period for major dental services such as crowns. So therefore you want to buy a dental PPO insurance plan a head of time so when you are ready to have dental crown work you will have the plan waiting periods.

The safety of nicotine refill cartridges used in electronic cigarettes needs to be improved to prevent toddlers accidentally swallowing the contents and potentially coming to serious harm, warn doctors in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

The warning follows their treatment of a suspected case in the UK and emerging US data on the substantial rise of unintentional nicotine poisoning from e-cigarettes among the under 5s.

Typically crowns are made of metal covered with a tooth-colored porcelain or plastic resin. When having a crown put on the tooth is prepared by shaping it and removing a part of the outside tooth structure. Then the crown is custom made to precisely fit the prepared tooth.  The crown fits over the tooth and is cemented into place.

Generally the crown is made by a dental laboratory, therefore it may take a few day before your dentist receive it. In many cases your dentist will prepare your tooth and put a temporary metal cap on it until your crown comes in and then you go back to the dental office to have the crown put on. By having dental insurance crown cost in most cases is cut in half making have a crown much more affordable.