Psychiatric News (3/13) reports a study published online March 7 “in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has found that children who together with their families participated in a bereavement program within 2.5 years of the death were less likely to experience depression up to 15 years later.” The researchers “enrolled 244 youth aged 8 to 16 who had experienced the death of a parent 3 to 30 months prior to the study and their caregivers for a randomized, controlled trial.”

Related Links:

— “Family Bereavement Program Offers Long-Term Protection Against Depression, Psychiatric News, March 13, 2023

Kaiser Health News (3/10, Sausser) reported, “Originally focused on the costliest types of care, such as cancer treatment, insurers now commonly require prior authorization for many mundane medical encounters, including basic imaging and prescription refills.” In a 2021 survey (PDF) from the “American Medical Association, 40% of physicians said they have staffers who work exclusively on prior authorization.” Moreover, “instead of providing a guardrail against useless, expensive treatment, pre-authorization prevents patients from getting the vital care they need, researchers and doctors say.” The federal government in December “proposed several changes that would force health plans…to speed up prior authorization decisions and provide more information about the reasons for denials,” and several states “have passed their own laws governing the process.” While groups including AMA “have expressed support for the proposed changes, some doctors feel they don’t go far enough.”

Related Links:

— “Insurance requirements for prior authorization may prompt ‘devastating’ delays “Lauren Sausser, Kaiser Health News, March 10, 2023

Healio (3/10, Bascom) reported “screening for e-cigarette use is much lower than screening for other substances in primary care, according to” a study that “evaluated data from 134,931 adults.” The researchers “reported that ‘screening rates for e-cigarette usage were almost two-thirds lower than those of combustible tobacco, alcohol and illicit substances.’” Furthermore, “being younger or using illicit substances or combustible tobacco was linked to a higher likelihood of being screened,” according to the findings published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Screening rates for e-cigarette use in primary care lower than for other substances “Emma Bascom, Healio, March 10, 2023

Medscape (3/10, Larkin, Subscription Publication) reported, “Pregnant and postpartum patients with schizophrenia are three times more likely to experience interpersonal violence, compared with those without schizophrenia,” according to a “population-based cohort study that included almost 2 million participants.” In the study, “3.1% of patients with schizophrenia had an emergency department visit for interpersonal violence during pregnancy or the first postpartum year, compared with 0.4% of those without schizophrenia.” The findings were published online March 6 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Related Links:

— Medscape (requires login and subscription)

Bloomberg (3/9, Meghjani, Peng) reports, “Signs of early-stage dementia are more common among some US minority groups, highlighting the need for monitoring and screening among Americans with less access to health care.” Nearly “17% of American Indians or Alaska Natives 45 years and older reported worsening memory loss, compared to nearly 10% among all Americans in the same age group, according to results of a telephone survey from the” CDC published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Also, “Hispanic and Latino adults had the second-highest rate at just over 11%.” Moreover, these “populations were less likely to speak with health-care professionals about concerns regarding memory loss or confusion than the US adult population overall, according to the” results.

Related Links:

— “Dementia Signs Among Some US Minority Groups Highlight Screening Need “Tanaz Meghjani and Ilena Peng, Bloomberg, March 9, 2023