Daily Rounds: Paying For The Name Brand Hospital; Disney In The Delivery Room; Diet Soda Stroke Risk; New Fetal Surgery

Health Plan Charges Up To $1,000 More For 'High-Cost' Hospitals (WBUR | 90.9 FM) "Would you pay $1,000 more to have an expected normal delivery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital rather than at a hospital in your community? How about $450 more to have a MRI at one of the state’s most expensive hospitals? We’re asking because that, in a nutshell, is what this story is about. Will much higher co-pays persuade patients to spend less on health care by checking-in to or scheduling tests at cheaper, less-well-known hospitals? Many employers hope the answer is yes."

Dodging Disney In The Delivery Room : NPR "Typically, the last thing you'd want to see in the hospital is a mouse. Especially on the maternity ward. But earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Disney has begun sending sales reps into 580 hospitals nationwide. The reps are offering new moms, within hours of giving birth, a free Disney Cuddly Bodysuit for their babies if they sign up for e-mail alerts from DisneyBaby.com. The idea is to encourage mothers to infuse their infants with brand loyalty as if it is mother's milk.Suddenly the delivery room command to "push" has a whole new meaning." (npr.org)

Diet soda tied to stroke risk, but reasons unclear - Boston.com "The beverage findings should be "a wakeup call to pay attention to diet sodas," said Dr. Steven Greenberg. He is a Harvard Medical School neurologist and vice chairman of the International Stroke Conference in California, where the research was presented on Wednesday.
A simple solution, health experts say, is to drink water instead." (boston.com)

Fetal Surgery Improves Spina Bifida Outcomes, Study Says - NYTimes.com "Now, for the first time, a rigorous clinical trial shows fetal surgery can help babies with a condition that is not life-threatening. Babies with a form of spina bifida, a debilitating spinal abnormality, were more likely to walk and experience fewer neurological problems if operated on before instead of after being born." (nytimes.com)