Although Hurricanes Harvey and Irma have stormed off into the record books, their harms, particularly to health, persist for Texans, Floridians, and residents of the Caribbean. Recovery and return to normalcy will take the ravaged areas longer than many Americans realize, experts say. And they already are uncovering systemic woes, some fatal, with which planners….
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Flooding staggers Texas medical system
Houston’s medical system was staggered, but it stood up to the pounding inflicted by Hurricane Harvey’s winds and rains. But for the millions of residents of the nation’s fourth largest city huge challenges will persist for some time to their health and well-being. Texans’ tragedies may offer us painful reminders we should heed about planning and….
Continue ReadingIsn’t it about time that doctors & hospitals understood this about patients?
Your time is precious, and when you are a patient, you may feel it’s more so, especially if you’re ill or even in the end stage of your life. So why do health care providers keep us waiting, or worse, why must doctors and hospitals act downright oblivious to how valuable our time might be….
Continue ReadingStates may be key battleground to combat deadly sepsis complications in kids
Although public health officials have launched national campaigns against sepsis, it may be that new initiatives at the state and local levels will be more effective in battling the deadly scourge, particularly as it harms kids. Sepsis, experts say, happens when the body is overwhelmed by infection and responds by shutting down key organs. It can lead to….
Continue ReadingMD’s tips on retail-clinic care offer a reminder of medical records’ importance
In the best of all worlds, none of us will need any time soon to race to a nearby urgent care center or to pop by the retail, walk-in clinics that have sprouted in neighborhood drug stores across the country. But if you do find yourself at one of these “doc-in-a-box” clinics, here is some….
Continue ReadingWith 1 in 5 ER patients affected, it’s time to stop ‘surprise’ medical bills
Your kid takes a tumble and breaks an arm at a sleep-over. Your spouse, on a business trip, suffers sudden chest pain and shortness of breath. You’re in beach slippers and step by accident on a shard of glass stuck in the sand. Now, you’ve got oodles of time to check your insurance policy to….
Continue ReadingMedical care extremes: cost cutting in the Carolinas, gouging in Florida
Hospitals and health systems are making stark choices between offering models to assist their communities and reduce medical costs−or raking in profits, no matter how outrageous and shame-provoking their charges might be. Evidence of the extremes came this week in reports about alternative realities. Let’s start with the positive view, recognizing exemplary efforts in the Charlotte,….
Continue ReadingBaltimore confronts an epidemic of gun violence
A lethal epidemic is sweeping Baltimore neighborhoods, costing taxpayers millions of dollars, as well as demoralizing caregivers who struggle with its casualties daily. Researchers, tragically, are barred from developing detailed data about this scourge to try to curb its increasingly deadly harm. Kudos to the Baltimore Sun and reporter Justin George for investigating for a….
Continue ReadingCan hospitals cure life-saving intensive care units of their risky high-tech chaos?
The spots in hospitals where patients in the direst shape receive specialized treatment are themselves in need of urgent care, experts say, explaining that antiquated intensive care units (ICUs) contribute to needless harm. But how exactly to yank them and the therapies they provide into the 21st century? Usha Lee McFarling, a Pulitzer Prize winner,….
Continue ReadingFDA warns against prescribing of opioids with anti-anxiety pills
The federal government has issued one of its toughest warnings against the dual prescribing and use of opioid painkillers like oxycodone and hydrocodone with benzodiazepines. Benzos are muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety meds more commonly known by brand names like Valium and Xanax. The Food and Drug Administration said tandem prescriptions of these medications soared 41 percent….
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