Use of term ‘low value’ may leave Black, Latinx patients with questions about access to care
This is the second of two articles on reframing the debate about low-benefit treatments. More
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After company protest, FDA agrees to review controversial drug to prevent premature birth
“This drug needs to be pulled off the market — period," said Adam Uratro, the chief of maternal-fetal medicine at MetroWest Medical Center. More
What journalists can do about low-value care
Low-value care isn't just wasteful -- it causes real harm to patients. But despite growing evidence that certain services aren't beneficial, low-value care is still common. What can journalists do to bridge the gap between evidence and practice? More
The Moment is Now: Congress Must Take Steps to Address the Black Maternal Health Crisis
In collaboration with various organizations, this blog explains a new letter released by 200+ groups urging Congress to address the maternal health crisis in our country. More
Everyone Must Address Anti-Black Racism in Health Care
This Viewpoint highlights the effects of anti-Black racism on Black clinicians and patients, explains the difference between superficial and meaningful efforts to exert change, and itemizes meaningful actions that can assist in the effort to end systemic racism. More
Op-ed: Hospitals need to comply with price transparency
As a matter of simple economics, hospital price transparency will improve competition and encourage more equitable pricing. More
Conflicts of Interest and Authors of Commentaries in Medical Journals
og:description Medical journals are relied on as trusted sources of medical information. For years, authors’ conflicts of interest—both disclosed and undisclosed— have repeatedly undermined the credibility of the medical profession and the medical literature. More
Health care industry sues over another transparency rule
Health care groups don't want transparency that reveals true prices. More
Profiteering from vaccine inequity: a crime against humanity?
Companies and rich nations are creating a deadly covid-19 vaccine “protection racket” More
Are Robotic Surgeries Really Better?
Robot-assisted surgeries have only modest advantages over other approaches, a large analysis found. More
Hospitals that advertise aren’t necessarily better
What do hospitals that advertise their services have in common? Lown Intern Neil Trivedi explains in a guest blog post. More
Covid-19 Rise, Vaccine Hesitancy Frustrate Doctors in Hospitals Saturated by the Delta Variant
In some parts of the country where vaccination rates are lower, more people are being hospitalized for Covid-19 than ever as the Delta variant pushes up infections. More
National Academies’ Report Took Pharma-Friendly Stance After Millions in Gifts From Drugmakers
Congress tapped a national academies committee to examine a drug cost issue. It got a report that includes “egregious” failures to disclose conflicts of interest. More
Holding Open the Door for Others Like Me
Changing the system would have to wait until my foot was in the door. More
In pandemic, drug overdose deaths soar among Black Americans
ST. LOUIS (AP) — She screamed and cried, banged on the dashboard, begging her husband to drive faster, faster, faster toward her brother lying face-down on his bedroom floor. Craig Elazer had struggled all his life with anxiety so bad his whole body would shake. More
Tackling the growing problem of overmedication
According to a report by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit think tank, 42 percent of all older adults in the US take five or more prescription medications a day. Almost 20 percent take 10 drugs or more, and over the past 20 years, incidences of polypharmacy have tripled across the country. If trends continue, it’s estimated that polypharmacy will lead to nearly 150,000 premature deaths in the US over the next decade, according to the report by the Lown Institute. It will also be responsible for at least 4.6 million hospitalizations in the US between 2020 and 2030, costing around $62 billion, the report predicted. More
What I’ve Learned Over a Lifetime of Caring for the Dying
As a doctor who cares for the dying, I know that direct-care aides are invaluable to patients and their families. We need to honor the work they do. More
Where Are The High-Price Hospitals? With The Transparency Rule In Effect, Colonoscopy Prices Suggest They’re All Over The Place
Although we examined only one common shoppable service in this post, the importance of identifying high-price hospitals is generalizable to a broad range of hospital services. More
Medicare has become more of a private marketplace — and it’s costly
Medicare Advantage is fundamentally altering Medicare's structure. More
Demographics impact survival rate for liver transplant patients
Between 2017 and 2018, Black patients had a 60% higher chance of dying after a liver transplant than white patients. More