Federal regulators may be on the brink of not only protecting but also advancing patients access and use of a key component of their care: their electronic health records. Or will bureaucrats fold up in the face of a muscle campaign by corporate interests and hospitals? To its credit, the giant Health and Human Services….
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Drugs are better for heart patients than surgery (except in mid-heart attack), study finds
Tens of thousands of patients with serious but stable heart disease soon may see themselves treated more with prescription drugs and less with rushed surgeries, especially bypass procedures or operations that seek to open clogged blood vessels with wire cages called stents. A possible shift away from stents — which have come under question for….
Continue Reading13 million and one reasons why simultaneous operations should be barred
A big Boston hospital has offered 13 million and one ways to try to make good with a former orthopedic surgeon who assailed the respected institution and colleagues for performing simultaneous operations in which doctors went from suite to suite, working for hours on multiple patients at once. Massachusetts General Hospital insisted this practice was….
Continue ReadingGo figure: In era of Big Data, numbers and statistics still bedevil medicine
Big data and numbers may seem to drive the world these days, but human factors can play a dizzying role when it comes to statistics and medical treatments. For those fascinated by numeracy in health care, writer Hannah Fry, in a readable New Yorker essay, details how medicine and patients alike have been bedeviled by….
Continue ReadingFor patients’ sake, U.S. must slap down Big Pharma chiseling on tests, trials
Big Pharma is testing crucial boundaries in the way that the nation determines the safety and effectiveness of prescription medications. And regulators, for patients’ sake, need to shove back — hard. The concerning incidents involve “pay to play” clinical trials and “manipulated” data submitted to the federal Food and Drug Administration by maker Novartis as….
Continue ReadingThis mix of medical misconceptions can be harmful to your health
Dear reader, A mix of medical misconceptions may be hurting your pocketbook and harming your health. But there’s a ready cure at hand. Take these two evidence-based findings that challenge conventional wisdom: When it comes to medical screenings and tests, more isn’t always better. Early detection may not be all that helpful with some conditions….
Continue ReadingAll about vaccines: What you and your family need and why
Dear reader, America’s worst outbreak of measles in a quarter-century — racing toward 1,000 confirmed cases nationwide and with no signs of slowing— has brought to the fore the counter-factual arguments over vaccinations. The controversies would be easier to resolve if grownups relied on medical science and centuries of experience. The facts lead to one overwhelmingly confident….
Continue ReadingCoping with crushing medical bills
Dear reader, Seven of 10 patients live in fear of medical bills they can’t afford and get by surprise, a recent survey found. Patients said they worry about such charges more than they do about putting food on the table or keeping a roof over their heads. And 4 in 10 said they experienced this….
Continue ReadingSome insights into eyesight, and how to take care of our aging eyes
Dear reader, The eyes have it. Looking out, they help us behold the wonders of the world. Looking in, they give us a window into whether we may be battling conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and potentially Alzheimer’s. We need to treat our eyesight as a precious gift. But we also need to scrutinize challenges to our vision health, like….
Continue ReadingCounting the many ways women are mistreated by the medical system
Dear reader, Most 21st century Americans would condemn dated practices damaging to women like neck stretching, foot binding, and ritual genital mutilation. Does modern medicine, however, need its own reckoning now for what the profession and others politely term disparities in women’s health care? News reports describe problematic reproductive health treatments received by tens of thousands of women. Doctors, especially surgeons….
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