Health Highlights: Sept. 27, 2005

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Nursing-Home Costs Vary Widely by Area: Study

Alaska has the highest average cost of nursing-home care at $531 a day, while the Shreveport area of Louisiana has the lowest at $115, according to an annual MetLife survey released Tuesday.

The average daily cost of a private nursing-home room across the United States is $203, or $74,095 a year, the survey found. That represents an increase of 5.7 percent over last year''s $192 daily cost, MetLife''s Mature Market Institute said in a statement.

The study also found that the cost of a home health care aide now averages $19 an hour nationally, an increase of 5.5 percent over 2004.

"The rise in these long-term care costs of 5 percent and more constitute a crisis for many people who have not made the necessary financial preparations," said Sandra Timmermann, the institute''s director. "Planning for long-term care must be an integral part of the retirement planning process."

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New-Car Smell, Potentially Harmful, Faces Extinction

"To die for" is how some drivers describe the unmistakable smell that permeates a new car. Their description may not be far from the truth, new research finds.

The distinctive odor may soon be "heading the way of the rumble seat," said the Associated Press, which cites new research linking the smell to "a toxic cocktail of harmful chemicals."

The smell stems from what are called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that emanate from glues, paints, vinyls and plastics used in the manufacturing process. Prolonged exposure has been linked to cancer, although there''s no evidence connecting the disease to the concentrations used in cars, the wire service said.

The fumes can also trigger headaches, sore throats, nausea, and drowsiness, the AP reported. The findings have led many Japanese carmakers to begin toning down the fumes, and American and European rivals may follow suit.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently sets no guidelines for VOCs in non-industrial settings, the AP said.

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Seaweed Extract Could Make Junk Food Healthier

Want seaweed with that burger?

A tasteless, odorless seaweed extract called alginate can boost the fiber content of fatty junk foods, making pies, burgers, and cakes nutritionally comparable to healthier alternatives, according to the Daily Mail of London.

British scientists at Newcastle University, writing in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, said alginate appears to strengthen the mucus lining of the digestive tract. It can also inhibit digestion and slow the uptake of nutrients in the body, slowing down the process that can lead to obesity, the researchers said.

Seaweed extracts added to foods could also act as powerful weapons against diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, the scientists said.

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VA Provides Cheaper Drugs Than Medicare Discount Card: Study

Older Americans who used the federal government''s Medicare discount drug card paid more for 49 of their 50 most frequently used prescription drugs than people who got their drugs through a Veterans Affairs program, says a study released Tuesday by the advocacy group Families USA.

The findings show that private plans can''t match drug prices that can be achieved when the federal government negotiates on behalf of consumers, said Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA.

"I don''t believe there''s any serious likelihood that private plans will come close to matching the prices that the VA has achieved," Pollack told the Associated Press.

The discount cards, which have been in place for about 18 months, will be replaced at the start of 2006 by a comprehensive benefit under Medicare that people can obtain by enrolling with a private plan, the AP reported.

Families USA opposed the creation of the new benefit program.

The discount cards did exactly what they were supposed to do by providing savings of 10 percent to 25 percent for people who did not have drug coverage, Gary Karr, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told the AP.

He added that it''s not fair to compare the drug discount cards to the more comprehensive benefit plan that takes effect Jan. 1.

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Product Evaluation Program Boosted Heart Device Sales: Report

A product evaluation program run by Guidant Corporation appeared to have been more about increasing sales than getting cardiologists'' feedback on an improved electrical component called a lead, which connects an implanted cardiac device to the heart, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The newspaper said documents it had obtained suggest that the program may have helped Guidant boost sales of its most sophisticated and expensive heart devices -- cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices -- that cost about $29,000 each.

Under the program, doctors received $1,000 from Guidant in exchange for implanting the lead in three patients and filling out five survey forms, the Times reported. The company said the program was intended to get feedback on how well the system worked so it could improve future models.

The program also dramatically increased Guidant''s CRT sales. When the survey program ended in January, Guidant executives exchanged e-mails congratulating each other on the sales increase, the Times reported.

"It generated 300+ implants," one of the e-mails said, according to the newspaper. "Let''s say that just 25 percent were incremental ... that yields >$2 million in new sales with physicians who are not necessarily Guidant friendly. We paid each physician who completed all five surveys $1,000 so our total cost was $80,000."

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California Hospital Suspends Liver Transplant Program

The liver transplant program at St. Vincent Medical Center -- one of California''s largest organ transplant centers -- has been halted after officials found that doctors improperly arranged a liver transplant for a man who wasn''t one of the highest-priority patients.

Documents were then falsified to conceal the alleged wrongdoing, which involved a Saudi national who was 52nd on a transplant list that covers much of southern California, the Associated Press reported.

The Saudi Embassy paid $339,000 for the 2003 transplant. That amount is up to 30 percent more than what the Los Angeles hospital would normally be paid by government programs and insurance companies, the news service said.

The AP said the issue came to light this month when St. Vincent''s directors were answering routine questions from auditors at the United Network for Organ Sharing, a nonprofit group that runs the U.S. national transplant system.

The suspension of St. Vincent''s liver transplant program means 75 people on the center''s liver waiting list may have to wait longer for transplants, the news service said.

Last Updated: Sept. 27, 2005