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
As a matter of simple economics, hospital price transparency will improve competition and encourage more equitable pricing. More
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 groups don't want transparency that reveals true prices. More
Companies and rich nations are creating a deadly covid-19 vaccine “protection racket” More
Robot-assisted surgeries have only modest advantages over other approaches, a large analysis found. More
What do hospitals that advertise their services have in common? Lown Intern Neil Trivedi explains in a guest blog post. More
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
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
Changing the system would have to wait until my foot was in the door. More
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
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
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
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 Advantage is fundamentally altering Medicare's structure. More
Between 2017 and 2018, Black patients had a 60% higher chance of dying after a liver transplant than white patients. More
This cohort study evaluates the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System scoring of surgeons caring for patients at high social risk to assess whether this implementation is associated with patient access to surgical care. More
This Viewpoint considers how payment models may dictate the nature of private equity investment in health care delivery and how these investments may affect health care access, quality, equity, and affordability. More
Who’s caring for the ICU physicians? More
Aggressive sales tactics have allegedly led surgeons to use defective or wrong-size implants, screws or other products on patients, including former Olympian Mary Lou Retton. More