Health can be taken for granted by any demographic, but for many it may come as a surprise that men in America are at high-risk of many health issues. Articles abound online speculating about men’s lack of health focus, with blame ranging from societal stigma to behavioral habits and poor experience with providers. Regardless of the cause, men’s relationship with healthcare has room for improvement, so we’ve gathered a few stats and takeaways that can make a difference in honor of Men’s Health Month.
First, the Basics
Break the Cycle
The numbers paint a clear picture: something must change to overcome this hidden pandemic. Knowing the stats is the first step, but there are a few more things that can make a difference.
- Stay up to date on vaccines, screenings, and checkups
- Preventative treatment can catch issues in the early stages, such as heart disease and cancer.
- Monitor stress levels, stay active, and make nutrition a priority
- Stress has a direct impact on physical condition, and falling out of healthy habits can make catching up 5 times harder.
- Curb risky behavior
- Excessive alcohol consumption and drug addiction can cause irreparable harm to the human body. Day-to-day safety measures are equally important, like wearing a seatbelt or helmet if riding a motorcycle.
- Understand your family history
- Hereditary cancer and heart disease are the most common causes of death in American men. Knowing increased risk status can improve screening rates and earlier treatment.
- Consider genetic testing when starting a family, or if seeking new medication
- Although only 1% of all breast cancers occur in men, they can still pass the BRCA genes on. Genetic testing can also aid in diagnosing and treating male infertility and other issues.
How CMT Can Help
CMT Solutions helps patients receive genetic testing, allowing individuals the ability to identify, prepare for, and receive treatment for underlying hereditary conditions such as heart disease or prostate cancer. By partnering with CMT, providers and labs can process prior authorizations and provide price transparency at point of care, improving the patient experience while reducing administrative burden in office. Our network of 100,000+ physicians, 40+ lab partners, and proprietary platform make it possible for us to process over 30,000 PAs per month at a 70-80% approval rating.
About CMT
CMT is a healthcare technology company, whose mission is to support patients and providers in accessing diagnostic testing. We are Automating the Impossible. We are solving the most complex problems in the healthcare industry: prior authorizations and financial transparency. Beginning in 2017, major health plans implemented new or updated prior authorizations programs for laboratory diagnostic tests. CMT has developed a proprietary technology platform that performs prior authorization and financial transparency services, offering a complete solution to our customers (physician offices and laboratories), so they can focus on diagnostic testing and patient care rather than administrative tasks.