Although some people don’t get enough vitamin D, and a deficiency of it can cause problems, a federal panel has determined that the jury is out on whether routine testing for vitamin D level in the blood makes sense. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, (USPSTF) an independent body of experts in prevention and evidence-based….
Continue ReadingArchives for December 2014
New Guide for Imaging Tests Aims to Cut Harmful Unnecessary Scans
Regular readers of this blog know that imaging tests – X-rays and MRIs, for example – are frequently used when there’s no need, or when the need is questionable. The Joint Commission’s new campaign, Speak Up, includes guidelines for the use of these tests that should help patients understand when and why they are appropriate,….
Continue ReadingNew Labeling Rules for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Products
The FDA has issued new regulations for prescription drug and medical product manufacturers to better communicate potential risks to women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people who are concerned about fertility. The new rule, according to an FDA news release, “sets standards for how information about using medicines during pregnancy and breastfeeding is presented….
Continue ReadingPatient Safety Journal Cleans Up After a Conflict-of-Interest Scandal
Early this year, the world of patient safety was rocked when conflicts of interest by one of its champions were exposed. The effects of the scandal continue to be felt, but also addressed. In February, we told the story of Dr. Chuck Denham in our blog, “Apparent Conflict of Interest Sullies Panel of Patient Safety….
Continue ReadingFeds Report Fewer Hospital Harms, but Still Too Many
A report issued last week by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was a good news-bad news portrait of hospital care in America. The report showed that between 2010 and 2013, 50,000 fewer patients died in hospitals and about $12 billion in health-care costs were saved as a result of reduced hospital-acquired….
Continue ReadingWhy Can’t You Talk to Your Radiologist? (And Why Sometimes You Should)
When a doctor sends a patient for an imaging test, it can take hours, days and sometimes weeks for the patient to hear the results from the doctor who ordered the test. That’s nerve-wracking. So why can’t patients get this information sooner, directly from the radiologist? That’s what Dr. Jennifer Kemp, herself a radiologist, wanted….
Continue ReadingPeople Who Commit Medical Errors Still Don’t Get It
Knowing what is the right thing to do and research supporting the wisdom of doing it still haven’t moved a lot of practitioners who commit medical errors to respond as they should. The results of a survey conducted by ProPublica, the consumer investigative news site, are pretty well summed up in its headline: “The Two….
Continue ReadingWarning Against Uterine Fibroid Treatment Is Strengthened
Last week, the FDA updated its warning from earlier this year about the cancer-spreading danger of a surgical procedure to treat uterine fibroids. For most women, the feds now say, power morcellation should not be performed. Our blog, “FDA Warns of Cancer Risk with Uterine Procedure,” described morcellation, which involves a tool that cuts or….
Continue ReadingCost of Cancer Rises as Private Oncologists Affiliate with Hospitals
What if your doctor’s office changed the sign on the door, and nothing else about it, except the price of care suddenly doubled? You’d be in the strange new world of cancer treatment. Insurance companies are reducing reimbursements to oncologists, and the drugs they use for treatment are increasingly expensive. The only way many of….
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