Timing: The third element of value-based care
When we think of initiatives to improve health care value, we generally think of policies to reduce volume or price. But what if there was another way to improve the bang for each health care buck? More
Blog
Private equity investments in physician practices and overuse
Physician practices are increasingly being bought up by private equity firms. What does this mean for quality of care and overuse? More
The missed opportunities of palliative care
Why is palliative care still underutilized, despite the improvements in quality of life it offers patients with serious illness? More
Top “fixes” for health equity and diversity
Solutions for increasing racial and gender equity in health care, from the Atlantic Pulse conference. More
Investigating the “spin cycle” in cardiovascular research
A new study in JAMA shows how often cardiovascular trials contain misleading information... More
Social isolation: Another growing public health problem for older Americans
Clinicians and public health experts are calling attention to the health risks and financial implications of widespread loneliness. More
How do we “fix” medical training? Here are some ideas
At the Atlantic Pulse conference, health care experts proposed several "fixes" for the medical education system. More
The culture that drives medication overload
Why is the culture the drives overprescribing so tough to change? Read the new op-ed from Theresa Brown, RN, to find out more! More
How some Instagram “influencers” are a bad influence on health
Social media has become the newest form of direct-to-consumer health advertising... but for what benefit? More
No Quick Fix for the Culture of Prescribing that Drives Medication Overload
When I later became a nurse, I learned that seemingly “harmless” medications often cause harm, and older adults are particularly vulnerable. Every year, Americans over age 65 have preventable “adverse drug events” (ADEs) that lead to 280,000 hospital stays and nearly 5 million outpatient visits. The Lown Institute in Boston draws attention to this underrecognized problem in their recent report, Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem. Policymakers, patients, and health professionals must act, because over the next decade, medication overload is predicted to cause 4.6 million hospitalizations of older Americans and 150,000 premature deaths. More
Many Anti-Vaxxers Don’t Trust Big Pharma. There’s a Reason for That.
Vaccine opponents often share a conviction that the health care system is more interested in profits and power than helping people. Are they wrong? More
Deprescribing Champions: Brandon Combs
Dr. Brandon Combs is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado and a Deprescribing Champion! Read our interview with Dr. Combs here. More
Are government agency workers “here for the right reasons”?
Why the revolving door poses a serious problem for government agency regulation. More
How to avoid harm from prescription drug overload
Medications can treat symptoms, prevent disease, and even extend our lives. But can taking too many drugs be harmful? A new report from the Lown Institute finds that millions of older Americans are at risk of harm from the side effects of multiple prescription drugs, an epidemic experts are calling “Medication Overload.” More
Shared decision making in the ICU has a long way to go
A recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine examines how well clinicians in the ICU incorporate patients’ values into treatment decisions. More
Deprescribing Champions: Dr. Emily McDonald
Dr. Emily McDonald, Assistant Professor of Medicine at McGill University, is a member of the Medication Overload working group and a deprescribing champion! More
With older Americans taking more prescription drugs, the health risks are rising
With older Americans taking more medications than they once did, the risks of too many prescription drugs are rising, a new study reports. More
Guest Post: The “madness” of unnecessary hysterectomy has to stop
Removal of the uterus and ovaries for benign cysts is all too common, and the effects can be devastating, as one patient found out. More
Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem
We hear a lot about how the opioid crisis is destroying families and communities. But the scope and impact of medication overload is much bigger: in the last two decades the number of older adults taking five or more medications has increased 300 percent. There’s also been a spike in the number of serious adverse drug events (ADEs). These alarming facts and others are outlined in a new report from the Lown Institute titled, “Medication Overload: America’s Other Drug Problem.” Jana talks with the report’s co-authors: Judith Garber, a Health Policy and Communications Fellow at the Lown Institute; and Shannon Brownlee, Senior VP at the Institute and author of the book, “Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.” Judith and Shannon talk about the dangers of medication overload, what’s driving the practice, solutions that have been effective in tackling the problem and what you can do to prevent adverse drug events. More
Listen: Shannon Brownlee and Judith Garber on the Agewyz Podcast
On the Agewyz podcast, Shannon Brownlee and Judith Garber discuss the new Lown report on medication overload and highlight the family/caregiver role in preventing harm from too many medications. More