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| 6 September 2011
UK Edition |
 Dear Reader,
Maybe you don't always end up getting your prescription from the pharmacy. Or maybe you do pick it up, but after more research, decide not to take the drug after all. Or maybe you're just forgetful.
But whatever you do after you have that slip of paper in your hand is between you and your doctor, isn't it? It's nobody else's business, right?
Well, thanks to FICO, the answer is, "wrong."
Apart from credit scoring, this company also makes your health their business — by looking at how likely you are to stick to your prescriptions. Their new Medication Adherence Score predicts whether or not an individual will take his or her medication correctly.
On a range of 0 to 500, a score over 400 means you're probably going to stick with your doctor's instructions. A score under 200 indicates you're a medication flight risk. This is all based on analysis of 600,000 anonymous diabetes, heart disease, and asthma patients — FICO looked at medical data as well as publically available data on things like home ownership, marital status, and job status.
The score will be sold to doctors...
The New York Times health blog on which I read about this new score is pretty sunshine and rainbows about it. The writer points out that almost 75 per cent of people don't follow instructions for prescription drugs, and that this is associated with 125,000 deaths per year.
They point out that the score could be used to identify patients who could benefit from follow up calls and e-mails to get them taking their medicine correctly. Since doctors don't always have the man power to get in touch with every patient, the score offers a way to target their efforts. (Great, so here we have an opportunity for even LESS individualized care.)
It's all about public health, FICO reps say.
But the real question here is — and I hate to go so dark here, but I kind of have to — how will this new FICO score be used against you?
By the end of the year, two to three million people will have a FICO medication adherence score — and during the next 12 months, FICO hopes to have scored 10 million people, based on negotiations with health care companies.
Let's say you're determined to be a risky patient. Will your insurance rates skyrocket? If your rating indicates you aren't likely to take your medicine, will your insurance company flat-out refuse to cover a drug?
Or what if you fit the "profile" for a risky patient, but actually always comply with your doctor's instructions? Is there a way to avoid daily "friendly reminders" from your insurance company? What happens when your doctor's instructions don't match what's on the prescription label — wouldn't daily phone calls for a drug you only take every other day start getting confusing?
I know, I know — I have many more questions than answers on this one. And that's why it's so scary.
We'll keep an eye on this. In the meantime, the next time you decide to take your health decisions into your own hands — something that should be encouraged — you should know that Big Brother is watching — and that you could be punished for it.
Continues below...
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Guzzling the green
Q: I know that green tea is supposed to be really good for me. But how much do I have to drink? I don't want to be downing tea all day.
Dr. Jonathan V. Wright: Studies show that the more you drink, the greater the benefit. To have a significant effect on your longevity you would likely need to drink around three to four cups of green tea a day or take the equivalent as a dietary supplement.
But don't forget that green tea does contain caffeine, so you might need to adjust your intake of caffeine from other sources if you want to get a good night's sleep along with all of green tea's life-extending health benefits.
Bear in mind we are not addressing anyone's personal situation and you should rely on this for informational purposes only. Please consult with your own doctor before acting on any recommendations contained herein.
Wishing you the best of health,
Andrew Miller
UK Editor
Nutrition and Healing
P.S. In the latest issue of Nutrition & Healing, Dr. Wright will explain how undiagnosed food allergies can contribute to poor health and reoccurring symptoms of almost any illness. Also learn about the 6 ways to identify a food sensitivity, the D-I-Y guide to allergy testing and how to treat food sensitivities... plus much, much more...
All new members who sign up will receive important updates like these in addition to receiving Dr. Wright's 7 Volume Library of Natural Healing.
Click here for full details.
Sources:
"Keeping Score on How You Take Your Medicine," New York Times Well (well.blogs.nytimes.com)
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