Medicare Part D beneficiaries' self-reported barriers to switching plans and making plan comparisons at all.

In the United States, individuals with disabilities and those aged ≥65 can supplement their Medicare with so-called stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans. Beneficiaries can switch their stand-alone prescription drug plans annually, but most do not. Indirect evidence has raised concerns that non-switchers do not even make plan comparisons (labeled "inattention"), but direct evidence is scarce.

Subcutaneous versus Transvenous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Requiring Dialysis: Extended Long-Term Retrospective Multicenter Follow-Up.

Background: Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) prevent sudden cardiac death (SCD). Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring dialysis are at a very high risk of infection from cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) implantation as well as mortality. In the present study, we compared the long-term complications and outcomes between subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) and transvenous ICD (TV-ICD) recipients.

Subcutaneous cardioverter defibrillator implanted intermuscularly in patients with end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis: 5-year follow-up.

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) when implanted intermuscularly in patients with end-stage renal disease and hemodialysis.

Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of 21 consecutive patients implanted with S-ICDs at three experienced centers in Germany with comorbid renal insufficiency requiring hemodialysis, as well as being at risk of sudden cardiac death. The S-ICD was placed intermuscularly in all patients.

Case Report: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with recurrent episodes of ventricular fibrillation and concurrent sinus arrest.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a serious hereditary cardiomyopathy. It is characterized morphologically by an increased left ventricular wall thickness and mass and functionally by enhanced global chamber function and myocellular contractility, diastolic dysfunction, and myocardial fibrosis development. Typically, patients with HCM experience atrial fibrillation (AF), syncope, and ventricular fibrillation (VF), causing severe symptoms and cardiac arrest.

The challenge of estimating the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 interventions - Toward an integrated economic and epidemiological approach.

Decisions on public health measures to contain a pandemic are often based on parameters such as expected disease burden and additional mortality due to the pandemic. Both pandemics and non-pharmaceutical interventions to fight pandemics, however, produce economic, social, and medical costs. The costs are, for example, caused by changes in access to healthcare, social distancing, and restrictions on economic activity.

Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators for the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: Pediatric Single-Center Experience.

Background: The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) was developed as an alternative to the transvenous ICD, to prevent lead-related complications associated with the latter. The absence of intravascular or intracardiac components offers potential advantages to pediatric patients.

Aims: The aim of the study is to present an overview of our experience with S-ICDs in the pediatric center that, currently, has performed the largest number of implantations in children in Poland.

Expectation management of policy leaders: Evidence from COVID-19.

This paper studies how the communication of political leaders affects the expectation formation of the public. Specifically, we examine the expectation management of the German government regarding COVID-19-related regulatory measures during the early phase of the pandemic. We elicit beliefs about the duration of these restrictions via a high-frequency survey of individuals, accompanied by an additional survey of firms.

Inequality in mortality between Black and White Americans by age, place, and cause and in comparison to Europe, 1990 to 2018.

Although there is a large gap between Black and White American life expectancies, the gap fell 48.9% between 1990 and 2018, mainly due to mortality declines among Black Americans. We examine age-specific mortality trends and racial gaps in life expectancy in high- and low-income US areas and with reference to six European countries.

[Autopneumonectomie. A Forgotten Disease].

History: An 80-year old female was referred to our hospital with left internal carotid artery stenosis and a childhood history of hemoptysis.

Investigations And Diagnosis: The ECG showed 2nd degree Mobitz atrio-ventricular block. The chest x-ray and computerized tomography identified a shift of the mediastinum and the heart to the left.

Combination of a leadless pacemaker and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy for a Japanese patient with prosthetic valve endocarditis.

The subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator (S-ICD) system was developed for defibrillation therapy that does not affect the heart and vasculature. S-ICD is preferred over transvenous ICD for patients with a history of recurrent infection presenting with life-threatening rhythms. Patients with bradycardia pacing indications are excluded from S-ICD therapy, as S-ICD lacks the capability of defibrillation in this patient group.

Initial experience with the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator with the real costs of hospitalization analysis in a single Polish center.

Background: The recent introduction of an entirely subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibril-lator (S-ICD) represents an important progress in the defibrillation technology towards a less invasive approach. This is a single-center observational study of S-ICD implantations in Poland.

Methods: The S-ICD was implanted in 11 patients with standard indications for an ICD.

Student characteristics, professional preferences, and admission to medical school.

A potential new avenue to address the shortage of country doctors is to change the rules for admission to medical school. We therefore study the link between high-school grade point average and prospective physicians' choice to work in rural areas. To further inform the discussion about rules for admission, we also study the effects of other predictors: a measure of students' attitudes towards risk; whether they waited for their place of study (); whether their parents worked as medical doctors; and whether they have some practical experience in the medical sector.

Intermuscular technique for implantation of the subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator: long-term performance and complications.

Aims: The subcutaneous cardioverter defibrillator was designed to overcome electrode complications of transvenous defibrillation systems. While largely achieved, pocket complications have increased. Subcutaneous implantation of the pulse generator leaves it prone to erosion, extrusion, discomfort, and poor cosmesis.

Knowledge as a Predictor of Insurance Coverage Under the Affordable Care Act.

Background: The Affordable Care Act established policy mechanisms to increase health insurance coverage in the United States. While insurance coverage has increased, 10%-15% of the US population remains uninsured.

Objectives: To assess whether health insurance literacy and financial literacy predict being uninsured, covered by Medicaid, or covered by Marketplace insurance, holding demographic characteristics, attitudes toward risk, and political affiliation constant.

Heterogeneous Effects of a Nonlinear Price Schedule for Outpatient Care.

Nonlinear price schedules generally have heterogeneous effects on health-care demand. We develop and apply a finite mixture bivariate probit model to analyze whether there are heterogeneous reactions to the introduction of a nonlinear price schedule in the German statutory health insurance system. In administrative insurance claims data from the largest German health insurance plan, we find that some individuals strongly react to the new price schedule while a second group of individuals does not react.

The Role of Outcome Forecasts in Patients' Treatment Decisions--Evidence from a Survey Experiment on Knee Replacement Surgery.

Objective: To analyze the effect of personalized outcome probabilities on treatment decisions.

Data Source: American Life Panel.

Study Design: We designed an experimental survey that respondents answered by recommending replacement surgery for hypothetical patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis.