According to health experts, fewer American physicians are treating Medicare patients due to frustration with the program’s payment rates and rules, the Wall Street Journal (7/29, A1, Beck, Subscription Publication) reports in a front-page story. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed that the number of physicians who opted out of Medicare last year almost tripled from three years ago. Although officials claimed that the number of physicians withdrawing from the program is not expected to undermine the ACA, they warned that Medicare patients may have a hard time finding a doctor who do accept their benefits.

Related Links:

— “More Doctors Steer Clear of Medicare, The Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2013.

BBC News (7/29, Gallagher) reports that according to research published July 26 in the journal Genome Biology, investigators report progress in the development of “a blood test that could diagnose Alzheimer’s.” The test, which in trials involving 202 people showed an accuracy rate of 93%, “showed differences in the tiny fragments of genetic material floating in the blood” may be used to help identify patients with Alzheimer’s. In particular, the test focuses on “12 microRNAs in the blood which were present in markedly different levels” in patients with Alzheimer’s.

Related Links:

— “Alzheimer’s blood test edges closer, “James Gallagher, BBC News, July 28, 2013.

Time (7/26, Groden) reported on a study by the Harvard School of Public Health in “The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry” showing a decreased chance of suicide attempts among caffeine users, primarily coffee drinkers. The study reportedly followed 200,000 people for over 16 years and found suicide risk cut by 50 percent. Head researcher Michel Lucas said caffeine may act like “a mild anti-depressant.” Additionally, a “2011 study found that women who drink coffee cut their risk of depression by 15 percent compared to those who don’t.”

Forbes (7/28) contributor David DiSalvo explained the scientific link to coffee and antidepressants. “By mimicking adenosine, caffeine blocks receptors in the nervous system from receiving the signals to decrease energy expenditure. When that happens, levels of the brain’s homegrown neuro-stimulants – dopamine and glutamate – increase, and we experience the brain stimulating effects associated with drinking” coffee.

FOX News (7/26) reported on the study, saying “During the 20-year study period, 277 deaths in the cohort were linked to suicide.” The article concludes by noting that researchers found “little further benefit” in consumption above 400 mg, or 2-3 cups, per day.

The CBS News (7/27, Castillo) website listed other studied benefits of coffee, including “a 20 percent lower stroke risk” and “a 50 percent lower chance of dying from oral and pharyngeal cancers” among those who had four or more cups a day.

“The research was designed to analyze all forms of caffeine consumption, but coffee was the main source of caffeine, making up 71 percent across the three studies,” reported theSyracuse (NY) Post-Standard (7/28, Axelson), which incorporated the study into an analysis of which factors contribute to the happiest people in society.

The Daily Mail (UK) (7/27, Robertson) pointed out that the limit on the benefit is unsupported by a previous study, which observed “a maximal effect among those who drank four or more cups per day.”

The Daily Telegraph (UK) (7/27, Gray), Daily Caller (7/26, Cohen), and the New York Daily News (7/26, Settembre) also reported on the story.

Related Links:

— “How Coffee Could Save Your Life, “Claire Groden, TIME, July 26, 2013.

The New York Times (7/30, Belluck, Subscription Publication) reports that an analysis published in the American Journal of Psychiatry has found that New York’s controversial Kendra’s Law, which requires patients with severe mental illness “to receive treatment when they are not hospitalized, has had positive results,” leading to reductions in readmissions, arrests, and increased medication compliance, and associated mental health and Medicaid costs have dropped by more than half. The program costs New York State $32 million annually to treat around 2,000 to 2,500 court ordered patients each year, providing “intensive monitoring by caseworkers,” and an additional “$125 million a year for enhanced outpatient mental health services for others.”

Related Links:

— “Program Compelling Outpatient Treatment for Mental Illness Is Working, Study Says, ” Pam Belluck, The New York Times, July 30, 2013.