Wigs for people undergoing cancer treatment are big business, costing upwards of $5,000-a-piece and supported by a national network of non-profits, retail salons and annual fundraisers, but the coronavirus has halted the industry, leaving some small start-ups and non-profits to close and patients, in some cases, left without a custom wig.

Parents with children on the spectrum are finding themselves thrust into at-home applied behavioral analysis and learning “to be a therapist” on the fly, like Sam Francis, one dad we talked to last week who says he was “up all night” taking a training course to help his 9-year-old son who “used to go to the center 25 hours a week.”

Parents with children on the spectrum are finding themselves thrust into at-home applied behavioral analysis and learning “to be a therapist” on the fly, like Sam Francis, one dad we talked to last week who says he was “up all night” taking a training course to help his 9-year-old son who “used to go to the center 25 hours a week.”

A half dozen physicians give us a feel for how they are adjusting, responding and planning during the coronavirus pandemic - how much visits are down, are virtual visits working, what are they doing to keep staff safe and respond to patient inquires.

Like the Big 10 basketball conference sending a gaggle of teams to the NCAA march madness tournament, behavioral health services including Cinderella 'telepsych' and nationally known 'addiction treatment' represent two of 5 services in the category to make this year's Top 20 health plan priorities

In an effort to change behavior, the United Health Group's company Optum will begin offering pre-paid debit cards starting in January 2021 so its members buy fresh, healthier foods from specific retailers.

517 parents who have children on the spectrum are not shy – about 75% in our poll say the best place to get their kids services quickly and cost effectively has no doubt been the northeast and mid Atlantic, including Pennsylvania, but by the time their kids roll through their teens and hit adulthood, the geography changes.

It was classic Bunker, worried, agitated and usually offensive. I wonder what he’d make of all the changes in healthcare – urgent care clinics, for one, are more often than not staffed by allied health providers.

Former American Idol contestant Antonella Barba has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison for possessing and planning to distribute fentanyl, according to a court report.

Even as Mental Health First Aide training sweeps the nation to help moms, dads, teachers and youngsters spot the signs of depression, there remains a shortage of treatment options. Telepsych has helped, but has mostly gained a footprint in the commercial population. So insurers responsible for Medicaid patients are trying to respond with other ideas.

26-year-olds coming out of residency are getting less predictable. Interest in traveling positions that plug in the doctor for 1-3 month stints in interesting and oft times ‘vacation-like’ destinations are increasingly popular, despite prior year demand for security and limited hours in a hospital or academic environment.

So I put my Hoosier roots aside for a half hour and sat down in September with Purdue Boilermaker Sean Duddy for a conversation about managed care, behavioral health, contracting, refugees, and autism. Basically the full spectrum!