When it comes to hospitals performing low-value tests or procedures and putting older patients at increased risk, Dixie may have little to whistle about. The Lown Institute, a respected and nonpartisan think tank that says it “believes a radically better American health system is possible,” has published a new hospital index that puts dozens of….
Continue ReadingArchives for May 2021
Big reconsideration under way for long-term care as coronavirus toll eases
Residents and their loved ones may have reached a major turning point with nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, agonizing as to whether the institutions really can provide safe, hygienic, and welcoming places for the vulnerable — or whether other, tough options must be considered. Who can forget that that 132,000 elderly, injured, and….
Continue ReadingU.S. targets July 4 for independence from grip of coronavirus pandemic
The campaign to quell the coronavirus pandemic is a lot like a Herculean tug of war now, with the prospect tantalizingly near of pulling a big measure of success over the line. The Biden Administration, to its credit, is not easing a bit in conveying the urgency of its task in dealing with a disease….
Continue ReadingWhether by stars or letter grades, D.C. hospitals again rank so-so at best
Hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area got generally lackluster ratings for quality and safety of health care in the latest reviews by federal and independent groups. Two well-known D.C. hospitals got one star, the lowest ranking, in a federal survey, while a nonprofit rater gave another D.C. hospital a flunking grade of F. The reviewers,….
Continue ReadingU.S. will ban targeted health menace of menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars
The Biden Administration will ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars with new regulations to be issued within the next year — actions that Big Tobacco is expected to battle but which proponents say could have big health benefits for those who have been targeted to buy and use these products. Smoking is a leading cause….
Continue ReadingU.S. ends confusion and expands prescribing of opioid-fighting medication
Health workers with legal prescribing privileges have gotten newly revised federal guidelines — once again — making it easier for them to help those addicted to powerful opioid painkillers by prescribing buprenorphine, another powerful medication. This action could be beneficial in battling the opioid abuse and drug overdose crisis that ebbed in recent times and then….
Continue ReadingAs the world begs for vaccine doses, millions in U.S. shun the shots
After months of chafing under tough restrictions to battle the coronavirus pandemic, who among us isn’t ready for more relaxed times, especially as the summer nears? For tens of millions of Americans, vaccination means new safety and freedoms, notably for long awaited closeness with loved ones. But are those allures and more enough to coax….
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