As the coronavirus pandemic causes Americans sky-high anxiety about their health and how they might access and afford extensive medical treatment if infected, the nation slid with only modest public attention into the second decade of one of its landmark health care experiments — the Affordable Care Act. Obamacare became the law of the land….
Continue ReadingQuality outcome measures
Alcoholics Anonymous can benefit many with drinking problems, research finds
Although federal experts estimate that alcohol abuse leads to 88,000 Americans’ deaths annually and economic costs of almost $250 billion, one of the nation’s oldest and best-known programs to deal with this problematic behavior has long been surrounded by doubts. Critics have questioned its effectiveness, criticized its “irrationality,” and focused on its stepped regimen, desperate….
Continue ReadingDon’t fall for malpractice malarkey: A briefing details medicine’s many harms
Cold, hard facts — not hunches, arguments, or theories — matter most when tough health care decisions must be made. Americans have been reminded of this by painful headlines on the opioid and overdose crisis, the rise of lung injuries and deaths due to vaping, and, yes, now the rapid spread of a new coronavirus…..
Continue ReadingHospital mergers and acquisitions aren’t great for patients’ care, study finds
Big hospitals keep getting bigger. But, contrary to what the suit-wearing MBAs may claim, the rising number of institutional mergers and acquisitions isn’t necessarily better for patients and their care. At hospitals subjected to corporate wheeling and dealing, the quality of care got worse, or, at best, it stayed the same and didn’t improve, a….
Continue ReadingSuperbugs’ deadly rise has plunged planet into risky ‘post-antibiotic’ era
Federal officials have put out some scary new findings about the state of patients’ health in the 21st century: Superbugs may be more common and potent than previously believed. And we may now have plummeted into what experts are calling the perilous “post-antibiotic age.” This all amounts to far more than a hypothetical menace. It….
Continue ReadingNursing homes and long-term care facilities may be infection ‘cauldrons’
The battle to reduce the sky-high cost of hospital care may have created its own unforeseen and harmful consequence: By hastening to get patients out of traditional hospitals and into skilled nursing facilities and long-term care centers, doctors and policy-makers may be contributing to a medical nightmare — serious infections acquired in health care institutions…..
Continue ReadingFDA warns surgeons against experimental robot-aided cancer operations
The federal Food and Drug Administration finally has pushed back at surgeons and hospitals for experimenting on patients, spending $3 billion a year for surgical robots. The devices should not be used for mastectomies and other cancer-related procedures without caution, regulators warn. The FDA acted after studies have shown that minimally invasive procedures for early-stage….
Continue ReadingMedicare is fining nursing homes when patients are readmitted too soon to hospitals
Federal regulators have warned nursing homes nationwide to improve the quality and safety of their patient care or face consequences that operators may hasten to heed. That’s because new penalties and rewards will hit them in a place that counts — their pocketbooks. Two-thirds of the nation’s nursing homes will see a year’s worth of….
Continue ReadingJust the Facts, Ma’am: Medical malpractice lawsuits safeguard patients & improve health system
Facts matter, and, when amassed in a smart way, they can paint a powerful and accurate picture of reality, as is made clear with findings presented in the annual “Briefing Book” on medical malpractice from the Center for Justice and Democracy at New York Law School. As the Kentucky Supreme Court recently affirmed when it….
Continue ReadingA harsh reminder: Medical errors are so common, they savage celebrities, too
Celebrities can play an out-sized role in medicine and health care: Just consider the public attention paid to Angela Jolie or Ben Stiller and their discussions about cancer screening and the disease’s risks, or Michael Phelps, Mariah Carey, and Carrie Fisher raising awareness about mental health issues, or, yes, Gwyneth Paltrow promoting a rash of wellness….
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