Last month we reported that the FDA had clamped down on 23andMe, a consumer genetic testing service whose results might be less than accurate. 23andMe isn’t the only such service hoping to make money off your DNA, and it’s human nature to want to know what you’re made of. Kira Peikoff wanted to know, and….
Continue ReadingArchives for January 2014
Medicare Moves to Ban Doctors With Dangerous Prescribing Practices
Last month, we summarized an investigative series published on ProPublica.org about the wasteful and risky practices of Medicare’s prescription drug program, forged by carelessness, incompetence, political agendas or a combination. Earlier this month, ProPublica published a story that points to an increasing awareness of the problems and – remarkably! – institutional resolve to address them…..
Continue ReadingCommon Knee Surgery Should Probably Be a Last Resort
Knee problems are a common marker of aging, and knee surgery to fix them is equally common. According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), you have to wonder why. As summarized in the New York Times, “A popular surgical procedure worked no better than fake operations in helping….
Continue ReadingValue-Based Insurance Gains Traction
As the U.S. moves more fully and, one hopes, more gracefully into the broader health coverage resulting from the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the concept of “value-based insurance” is finding a broader audience. As reported by Reuters.com, the idea is that if people get more treatment than they need, they will pay more for it…..
Continue ReadingInsurance Coverage for Mental Health Treatment Is Wanting
One of the new requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”) is that all new small group and individual market health insurance plans cover mental health and substance use disorder services at a rate equivalent to medical and surgical benefits. That’s good news for people whose plans used to exclude that coverage, or….
Continue ReadingStudy Questions Preventive Use of Aspirin
Aspirin is cheap, widely available and demonstrably good at relieving pain. In recent decades, some people have been advised to take it to lower their risk of heart disease and stroke, although, as our blog last year noted, they might want to reconsider the habit of using aspirin as a preventive measure for cardiovascular disease…..
Continue ReadingThe Economic Reality of Malpractice Lawsuits
Pro Publica, the excellent investigative reporting group which has an ongoing series about harm to patients in our health care system, has a new piece on why many victims of poor care cannot find an attorney to represent them in a malpractice lawsuit. Reporter Marshall Allen quotes me among others about the harsh economic reality….
Continue ReadingHow Long Will You Wait in the Emergency Room?
If you have a medical problem requiring a visit to the emergency room, how long you must wait depends on the severity of your condition, and many other factors beyond your control, such as time of day or night, location of the facility, the demographics of other patients and the medical staff on hand. In….
Continue ReadingThe Dangers of Raw Milk
Some people tout the benefits of drinking raw milk as being easier to digest, richer nutritionally and providing beneficial bacteria that otherwise die during pasteurization. They claim that it tastes better and offers more protection against asthma and lactose intolerance. When animals are raised properly and their milk is treated carefully, say these advocates, raw….
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