Health-related smartphone apps unquestionably are popular. And many, as we’ve reported, are of questionable use. Some can be downright harmful. But the utility of health apps isn’t the only possible downside to this technology. No governmental agency has regulatory oversight for mobile health applications, and that’s a situation that should be addressed, concluded papers recently….
Continue ReadingArchives for February 2014
Hospital Promotion: Poor Judgment Looks Like Conflict of Interest
For all its techno-wonder, robotic technology is fraught with problems, including organ damage, that make it unsuitable for many surgical procedures. It also has a record of poorly trained surgeons, not to mention the under-reporting of adverse outcomes. Then there’s conflict of interest, or what sure looks like it. A story covered by ProPublica.org, the….
Continue ReadingPanel Says Most Carotid Screening Is Unnecessary
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has targeted another common screening test as being overused and too often resulting in inappropriately aggressive follow-up care. This one involves taking ultrasound pictures of the arteries in the neck. We’ve explained the USPSTF’s less-is-more guidelines for ovarian, prostate and breast cancer screenings, to name a few. This time,….
Continue ReadingTwo Different Responses to Medical Malpractice Claims
The latest episodes in the long-running medical malpractice drama are brought to you by the states of Maryland, Kentucky and Florida. Their responses to medical mistakes show how different perceptions drive policy, one for the good, one not so much. Maryland is contemplating the creation of a birth injury fund from which children and families….
Continue ReadingAppeals Court Affirms Jury Verdict against Orthopedic Surgeons Society
An orthopedic surgeon who fought back and won a court case after the society of orthopedic surgeons slammed him for testifying that another surgeon had committed malpractice has now won an appeal of the legal case. We reported last March on Dr. Steven Graboff’s successful lawsuit against the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), when….
Continue ReadingHealth Insurance Reform — What Happens When COBRA Runs Out?
This week, in one of our occasional posts on the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or “Obamacare”), we address what happens when someone has insurance through COBRA, (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), which enables some employees to continue health insurance coverage after leaving their jobs. The information is provided by KaiserHealthNews.org (KHN). Q. I am currently….
Continue ReadingShortage of Mental Health Treatment Is Tragic for Everyone
Last month, “60 Minutes” aired a wrenching segment about a mentally ill man, Gus Deeds, whose father, Virginia State Sen. Creigh Deeds, had tried to get him appropriate treatment, but was unsuccessful. His bipolar condition worsened, and after a surprising, violent attack on his father, Gus Deeds ended his own life. The tragic story highlights….
Continue ReadingA Real, If Remote, Risk of Spreading Cancer with Surgery for Uterine Fibroids
Every year, hundreds of thousands of women undergo what can be routine surgery to remove benign fibroid tumors from their uterus. But the “routine” can be dangerous, perhaps life-threatening, because of the potential to spread cancer. The concern, as explained last week in the New York Times, is over the procedure called morcellation, which cuts….
Continue ReadingManufacturer Hid Research Data About Pradaxa
In the four years since Pradaxa was approved to treat people at risk of blood clots and stroke, it has generated more than $2 billion in sales. But had people known what the manufacturer knew, its success might have been less meteoric. According to the New York Times, Boehringer Ingelheim, the German drug maker, was….
Continue ReadingDoctors Call for Lowering Use of Radiation Imaging
Writing last month in the New York Times, Dr. Rita F. Redberg, a cardiologist, and Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a radiologist, applauded the advances made in preventing and treating cancer. But they also deplored the fact that the rate of cancer “remains stubbornly high and may soon surpass heart disease as the leading cause of death”….
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