Race and health care collide in revealing American Medical Association controversy
The AMA's new push to grapple with health equity highlights a growing consciousness. And it's complicated. More
Blog
FDA approval of new Alzheimer’s drug sets a dangerous precedent
The FDA's approval of a new Alzheimer's treatment has significant implications for future drug trials, health system costs, patient safety, and conflicts of interest. More
The past 2 decades have seen dramatic rise in elderly taking drugs that can lead to falls
A study also found the rate of death caused by falls in older adults more than doubled during the same time period. But more research is needed to understand why. More
Evidence for statins in people over 70
Statins have not been proven to increase survival in the combined primary and secondary prevention population of people over 70. More
Time has arrived for Atlanta leaders to eliminate systemic racism, healthcare disparities
In 2021, the Lown Institute, an independent think tank, released a ranking system for U.S. hospitals’ on the degree to which they are adequately caring for the lower income and patients of color. Sadly, only two Atlanta metro area hospitals ranked in the top 100 for racial inclusivity, Grady Memorial Hospital and Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center and Emory University Hospital Midtown. This is likely a function of their location in downtown Atlanta rather than an actual strategy to address racial inclusivity and health equity. More
If vaccine apartheid exists, vaccine billionaires shouldn’t
Vaccine profits have minted new pandemic billionaires. Only 0.3% of vaccine doses have been given in low-income countries. That's wrong. More
Humanism Before Heroism in Medicine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, heroic clinician narratives have been a prominent feature of media coverage. Health care professionals who worked ceaselessly in intensive care units, sacrificed time with their families to travel to severely affected areas to care for patients with COVID-19, and put themselves in harm’s way have been acknowledged and rightly celebrated. More
UnitedHealthcare delays ER claims policy following backlash
UnitedHealthcare's new policy, which could reject as many as 1 in 10 claims, was labeled as "dangerous" by the American Hospital Association. More
Can a Subscription Model Fix Primary Care in the US?
Medical subscriptions, a $199 million CEO payday and the race to fix primary care in the U.S. One Medical is betting big that a subscription model can fix primary care. More
If pediatrics board can’t lead with its maternity leave policy, it should at least follow
The American Board of Pediatrics counts maternity leave as part of its 20-weeks-leave-over-three-years policy. That needs to change. More
Pharma funded more than 2,400 state lawmaker campaigns in 2020, new STAT analysis finds
STAT’s findings provide an unprecedented look at drug industry influence in state capitols across the 2020 election cycle. More
These bonuses for doctors create an immoral conflict
Many physicians' bonuses, 73% per data from 2019-2020, are tied to relative value units (RVUs), which measure time, skill and effort for each patient a physician sees. Fewer physician bonuses are tied to quality-of-care measures, or protocols and processes that encourage increased patient safety measures and decreased death rates. More
Kidney Experts Say It’s Time to Remove Race From Medical Algorithms. Doing So Is Complicated.
When estimating how well a patient’s kidneys are working, doctors frequently turn to an equation that depends on a question: Is the patient Black? More
With Roots in Civil Rights, Community Health Centers Push for Equity in the Pandemic
The covid-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the challenges facing rural health care, such as lack of broadband internet access and limited public transportation. For much of the vaccine rollout, those barriers have made it difficult for providers, like community health centers, to get shots into the arms of their patients. More
Racial equity is essential to hospital quality and some in Philly are falling short, new report says
“Hospitals reside in communities and are part of communities. Our view is they shouldn’t just serve a community, they should genuinely be part of a community,” said Vikas Saini, a physician and president of the Lown Institute. “A lot of the contemporary rankings that look at reputation or mortality, surgical complications, don’t capture that dimension. We set out to create a lens through which to view the hospital system that’s different.”
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Covid Was a Tipping Point for Telehealth. If Some Have Their Way, Virtual Visits Are Here to Stay.
Pressure is mounting on Congress and the Biden administration to make permanent pandemic-inspired rules that fueled telehealth growth. Some fear fraud and ballooning costs. More
Study: 1 in 5 physicians highly distressed during first COVID-19 triages
A survey of 164 New York physicians found that one in five were severely distressed during their first COVID-19 triage decisions and last-minute training did not appear to alleviate stress, according to a study yesterday in Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness. More
Fear of the American Health Care System Is Driving Vaccine Hesitancy
People don’t trust an industry known for bureaucratic traps and surprise billing to save them from the pandemic. More
A Tool Doctors Use Every Day Can Perpetuate Medical Racism
It’s called the “history of present illness,” or HPI, and it often includes a patient’s race—which is more likely to detract from care than to improve it More
Medicaid is a hassle for doctors. That’s hurting patients.
A new study challenges the conventional wisdom on why many doctors refuse to take Medicaid patients. More