Overnight ER stay increases death risk; Eating disorder insurance claims jump 65%; AI doctor in a box - Morning Medical Update

doctor morning desk © Alena Kryazheva - stock.adobe.com

Overnight ER stay increases death risk

Older people who wait overnight in the emergency room due to hospital bed shortages are more likely to die or develop new problems during their stay, a new study shows. The study included 1,598 people ages 75 and older. Results show that those who stayed in the ER from midnight to 8 a.m. the following day had a 40% higher death rate than those who found a room before midnight.

Eating disorder insurance claims jump 65%

Eating disorder insurance claims jumped 65% from 2018-2022 according to a new report that drew from 43 billion claim records. The largest increases were reported in restrictive eating, followed by binge-eating which jumped 81%. The states most affected were Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, and Oregon.

AI doctor in a box

An AI-powered kiosk dubbed “Carepod” from tech startup Forward will soon be in 25 malls and office buildings across the country thanks to $100 million in recent funding. To use it, patients will unlock the 8x8 metallic box with their phone before stepping inside for body scans. “Behind-the-scenes, it's sending your data to doctors that work for Forward that are kind of 24/7 sitting in front of screens,” founder Adrian Aoun said in an interview. “We're gonna put more healthcare on this planet than the world's ever seen.” Unlimited access to the pods will cost $99 a month.