In pediatric hospitals, incessant beeping and harsh fluorescent lights are often inescapable.
But in some of these hospitals, video games are helping to create a more hospitable (and fun) healing environment for the children who are staying there.
The nonprofit was founded in 2003 by authors of the online comic strip Penny Arcade as a response to an article comparing video games to “murder simulators.” Since its launch, the nonprofit has provided over 180 hospitals with video games.
Donations can be made in one of two ways: By clicking on a hospital via a wishlist on its online network and sending a gift, or by sending cash donations.
To learn more about how Child’s Play helps children, watch the above video.
More: Doctors Could Start Prescribing Video Games Instead of Pills
Tag: hospitals
The Surprising, Eco-Friendly Place to Store Data Servers, Safer Ways to Care for the Sick and More
Why Data Farms Are Heading Underwater, CityLab
According to an animated Walt Disney classic, everything’s better, down where it’s wetter. That’s exactly what computer giant Microsoft learned when it submerged a data farm under the sea. Cold ocean temperatures eliminates the need for massive, energy-sucking cooling systems, which land-based servers require.
Hospitals Focus on Doing No Harm, The New York Times
When one hears that an estimated 98,000 and 440,000 people die because of preventable errors at hospitals, it’s easy to think that doctors are breaking their promise to do no harm. In response, healthcare facilities nationwide are implementing new procedures — from the somewhat common sense (practicing consistent hand washing) to the more complex, like immediate monitoring for symptoms of sepsis and changing hospital culture.
Here’s How Houston Boosted Mass Transit Ridership by Improving Service Without Spending a Dime, Vox
Thanks to overcrowding, late arrivals and seemingly constant price hikes, it’s no wonder that subways and buses get a bad rap. In the highway-riddled city of Houston, transit officials found a way to boost ridership: by emphasizing frequency over geographic scope. More importantly, however, was their discovery of a mass transit strategy that can be replicated coast to coast, at no cost.
How Price Tags in Hospitals Can Help Patients Avoid Huge Medical Bills
The Affordable Healthcare Act created marketplaces to expand affordable healthcare and to underscore that promise, Massachusetts is now requiring private health insurance companies to use price tags on anything from an MRI to a general check-up.
Beginning Oct. 1, all heath insurers in the Bay State are required to list prices in real-time, outlining the otherwise hidden costs of healthcare, much like an online shopping site. While it’s unclear if every insurer met the deadline, there is no penalty if they failed to do so, according to 90.9 WBUR.
By using an online calculator on their insurer’s website, users can find out how much they’ve spent this year toward their deductible. If coverage does not include a deductible, the calculator will add up the balance toward the out-of-pocket maximum. Blue Cross customers can find the calculator under “Find a Doctor,” Tufts is under “Empower Me” and Harvard Pilgrim’s is under “Now iKnow.”
While the mandate underscores a sea change in health care practices, Massachusetts first began the process two years ago when the state passed a law to increase transparency among hospitals and health insurers.
“This is a very big deal,” says Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Barbara Anthony. “Let the light shine in on health care prices.”
But the new law has its flaws, and though it’s still early, WBUR points out a few glaring issues with the new health care price tags.
No standard price: There is no standard price and no list of priced tests and procedures. Pricing out a visit depends on the insurer and can range in price drastically. For instance, an MRI for the upper back can cost between $614 and $1,800 on the Harvard Pilgrim “Now I Know” tool. The prices are also listed in real-time, which means they can change day-to-day.
Prices are ambiguous: Since insurers negotiate their rates with hospitals and physicians, they may entail hidden costs. For example, a listed price tag may not include the cost of reading a test or a facility fee.
Prices focus on outpatient care: The information is not comprehensive and encompasses few prices outlining what it would cost for inpatient care or an overnight stay at the hospital.
However, as Tufts Health Plan Director of Commercial Product Strategy Athelstan Bellerand notes, the new prices “are a major step in the right direction.”
By adding price tags, state officials are forcing us to think more about our health spending and how much a procedure actually costs, rather than leaving it to our private insurance. Anthony is also hoping by illuminating the price difference, more physicians will become sensitive to where they fall on the scale and ultimately encourage more competition and drive down costs.
“I’m just talking about sensible rational pricing, which health prices are anything but,” she adds.
MORE: The Checklist That Can Reform Healthcare