Private Equity Is Trying to Sell Medical Residencies for Profit
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The RCT blind spot
Randomized controlled trials are known as the "gold standard" in medical research--but they also have a significant down-side... More
News story or advertisement? Advertorials obscure hospital sponsor
A new series of articles in the Boston Globe touts the generosity and quality of Boston Children’s hospital. But who is funding these articles…? More
Shkreli Awards
Lown Institute’s top ten list of the worst examples of profiteering and dysfunction in health care, named for Martin Shkreli, the price-hiking “pharma bro” that everyone loves to hate. More
Related Projects
We help journalists avoid reliance on sources with financial conflicts of interest
For the past 11 years, HealthNewsReview.org has helped journalists find industry-independent experts to use as sources in their stories. It’s an effort begun by journalists Jeanne Lenzer and Shannon Brownlee (now a VP at the Lown Institute), but joined by me and Adriane Fugh-Berman, MD, of Georgetown not long after. More
The debate around 5G’s safety is getting in the way of science
It seems 5G is likely as safe as any other cell phone technology—but that shouldn't preclude more research. More
Virginia’s “best” hospital sues 6,000 patients each year
The University of Virginia Medical Center is ranked as the "best" hospital in Virginia by U.S. News & World Report, but the hospital is among the worst when it comes to suing patients for unpaid medical bills. More
Purdue bankruptcy settlement not enough, AG Healey, former addicts say
Recovering addicts who say Purdue Pharma got them hooked on opioids are turning their heads at the company’s bankruptcy deal. Dr. Vikas Saini, president of the Lown Institute and co-chairman of the Right Care Alliance, said measuring dollars against human lives isn’t fair. “Both Purdue and the Sacklers are really kind of dodging what the truth is here,” said Saini. “They deserve to face real justice and honestly I don’t think real justice is about the money.” More
What are private insurers doing to prevent fraud? Not Much.
Why aren't private insurers prosecuting people who commit fraud? Because it would hurt their bottom line, a ProPublica investigation finds. More
The life cycle of medical debt
Two stories in the recent news demonstrate how hospitals and debt collection agencies will go to extreme lengths to get the money they believe they are owed. More
As Patients Struggle With Bills, Hospital Sues Thousands
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Patients with incurable disease claim doctor offered cure, took their money and closed office
Five people who all were either patients or consulted with a west Nashville doctor said he offered to cure them of their incurable disease. “There are lots and lots of diseases that can't be cured. So when your doctor says I can cure you. Or, it's a good thing you came to me, you should start having your antenna raised,” Brownlee said. More
Proton center marks 10 years in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Proton Center is completing upgrades to software and equipment as it anticipates treating its 3,000th cancer patient this fall.
However, not everyone within the medical community is sold on proton therapy, which has not been widely proven to be more successful than standard radiation that is much cheaper.
“It’s controversial because it’s incredibly expensive, and there isn’t any evidence that it actually works for many of the ways it’s being used,” Shannon Brownlee, senior vice president at the Lown Institute, a Brookline-based health care think tank, told the Boston Globe this year.
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How conflicts of interest put new mothers at risk
How undisclosed conflicts of interest may have put millions of pregnant and postpartum women at risk... More
Summer updates in conflicts of interest research
Recent developments in research on financial conflicts of interest in medicine are helping health care watchdogs hold health professionals and institutions accountable for their financial relationships with industry. Read on! More
Rating the Raters: An Evaluation of Publicly Reported Hospital Quality Rating Systems
The numerous currently available public hospital quality rating systems frequently offer conflicting results, which may mislead stakeholders relying on the ratings to identify top-performing hospitals. Given that there is no gold standard for how a rating system should be constructed or perform and no objective way to compare the rating systems, we evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of four major public hospital quality rating systems based on our experience as physician scientists with methodological expertise in health care quality measurement. More
Accountability
The driving factor in health decisions should be what’s best for the patient, not the corporation. More
Robotic Surgical Tool, Not Medical Evidence, Drives Free Hernia Screenings
Hospitals say such screenings provide valuable education about treatment options for the common medical condition, in which part of the intestine protrudes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall. But no research has been done on hernia screenings, and some experts worry that these outreach efforts — some of which showcase da Vinci robotic surgery devices made by Intuitive Surgical based in Sunnyvale, Calif. — could lead people to get potentially harmful operations they don’t need. More
Is high-tech always worth the high cost? Experts question Kansas City’s new proton beam machine
As the University of Kansas Hospital prepares to proudly unveil their new proton beam machine, they should also be preparing to answer some tough questions about the cost and effectiveness of this therapy. More
It’s time to wake up from the REMS cycle
Can we trust drug companies to monitor and regulate the safety of their own products? More