MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a nasty bacterium responsible for virulent, often life-threatening infections. It is one of the microbes hospitals work hard to eradicate, historically with mixed results. (See our blog, “Hospitals Try to Combat MRSA.”) But a recent study funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) showed that….
Continue ReadingArchives for June 2013
Counterfeit Drug Bill Makes Slow Progress in Congress
The proliferation of fake drugs finally has the attention of Congress. Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill requiring prescription medicine to be tracked electronically through the distribution system. After years of counterfeit drug reports involving, among others, the cancer drug Avastin and the cholesterol drug Lipitor, it’s a meaningful gesture, but, according….
Continue ReadingCancer Patient Diagnoses the Hospital’s Chemotherapy Error
The value of a patient advocate has never been proved more profoundly than in “Right Regimen, Wrong Cancer: Patient Catches Medical Error.” In this case, the advocate was the patient. The article in the May issue of Web M&M (Morbidity and Mortality Rounds on the Web), published by the Department of Health and Human Services,….
Continue ReadingReading Your Doctor’s Notes Promotes Good Care
Medical record transparency is vital for patients who perceive themselves as partners in, not just recipients of, medical care. You have the right to review your medical file, and to have copies of it. Increasingly, practitioners understand that an informed patient is a better patient, and that care decisions should be mutual. Patrick Malone’s book,….
Continue ReadingAvoiding a Return to the Hospital
As Americans grapple with how to measure and pay for quality care, hospital readmissions have moved front and center into the conversation. Last year, for example, Medicare began to impose financial penalties on hospitals with substandard readmission rates for certain problems-that is, too many patients who returned to the hospital within 30 days of their….
Continue ReadingFDA Launches First-Ever Probe of Medical App for a Mobile Device
Last year we blogged about the popularity of medical smartphone applications and referred to an investigation showing that the quality of much of the health information available via these apps is questionable. That’s why although health apps might be fun and even informative, no one should rely solely on them for sound scientific diagnosis or….
Continue ReadingMedical Mumbo Jumbo: Understanding Patient Information
Ever been in a conversation when you feel like the only Earthling among Venutians? Maybe it’s a group of geeks discussing batch files and bit busters, or pilots yakking about ETEs and FARs. Jargon is useful for specialist communication, and it’s also a way of excluding outsiders. When it comes to understanding your health condition,….
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