Racial disparities seen in how doctors treat pain, even among children
Doctor says physicians urgently need training to be more empathetic, particularly toward people of other races More
Blog
Business Is Booming for Dialysis Giant Fresenius. It Took a $137M Bailout Anyway.
Half of the money the Trump administration gave dialysis companies was collected by Fresenius, an international juggernaut with a robust balance sheet, a KHN analysis has found. More
The Unacceptable Pace of Progress in Health Disparities Education in Residency Programs
One would expect that after 2 decades of national focus on health disparities and 15 years of required curricula, nearly all internal medicine residency programs would include a disparities curriculum. However, this is not the case. More
Yes, racism is a public health crisis
Living in Boston while Black means regularly feeling unsafe, anxious, and tired. Racism can devastate your mental and physical health and steal your joy. More
Conflicts running rampant in the Covid era
As our country faces difficult decisions about how to mitigate the pandemic, pharmaceutical companies are wielding their influence through contributions to policymakers, health care administrators, and journalists. More
Genomic sequencing to screen newborns raises more false alarms than routine blood tests, study finds
In the study, researchers found whole exome sequencing turned up more false positives and more false negatives for inherited metabolic disorders. More
How doctors and patients view statins for primary prevention?
A new qualitative study offers insights into why so many people at low risk of heart disease are taking statins. More
8 August — Lown Institute on Community Matters
For this week in Community Matters we are sharing two great interviews with you. The first is with Dr. Saini of the Lown Institute, and he’ll be sharing some results from the Hospitals Index his organization has just completed. This index essentially compares Virginia hospitals with each other based on an equal set of criteria, and he also addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the quality of care in our region. More
Study finds racial bias in the government’s formula for distributing Covid-19 aid to hospitals
The inequities resulted from a formula that allocated large chunks of a $175 billion relief package based on hospital revenue rather than Covid-19 cases. More
Brigham and Women’s president wrote opinion piece critical of efforts to control drug prices
Dr. Elizabeth Nabel did not disclose her role as a board member at Cambridge biotech Moderna. The hospital says the 'omission was not intentional' and she now regrets it More
Now more than ever, we need to do more for people experiencing homelessness
The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging for all of us. It’s even more challenging if you’re a person experiencing homelessness. There are things Houston, and other cities, can do to make it better for them, and in doing so, for everyone. More
Health Care Workers of Color Nearly Twice as Likely as Whites to Get COVID-19
Harvard research shows minorities are most likely to report inadequate PPE and to work with COVID-positive patients. More
How hospital segregation contributes to racial health disparities
In a Washington Post op-ed, Paul Glastris and Phil Longman explain how our health care system makes it hard for hospitals to treat everyone regardless of race or need. More
American hospitals are still segregated. That’s killing people of color.
According to data compiled by the Lown Institute and published in the Washington Monthly, the best-funded and most prestigious hospitals in America, such as the Cleveland Clinic and Massachusetts General, generally avoid treating poor people in their local communities and fill their beds instead with affluent patients blessed with generous health-care plans. Low-income and minority patients, who generally have more meager health insurance or none at all, are forced to use under-resourced safety net institutions such as those owned and operated by municipal governments. More
Major U.S. Health Insurers Report Big Profits, Benefiting From the Pandemic
Consumers are probably entitled to millions of dollars in rebates under Obamacare rules that cap companies’ profits. More
Drug company influence on journalism
Many times through the years, HealthNewsReview.org has criticized the National Press Foundation in Washington, DC, for accepting drug company funding for journalism training. More
The Covid Drug Wars That Pitted Doctor vs. Doctor
How much freedom should front-line clinicians have in treating Covid-19 patients with unproven drugs? The question opened up a civil war in some hospitals. More
‘We are no less American’: Deaths pile up on Texas border
Texas reopened quicker than most of the U.S., only to backtrack in the face of massive outbreaks. Health officials say the worst of a summer resurgence appears to be behind the state as a whole, but the border is a bleak exception. Doctors fear another punishing wave is around the corner. More
Will Covid-19 Vaccine Trials Reflect America’s Diversity?
The pressure to produce an effective Covid-19 vaccine could impede recruitment of volunteers in high-risk populations. More
Will Covid-19 Patients in Rural Areas Get the Care They Need?
Conversations about death from Covid-19 revolve around patient characteristics. But hospitals matter, too. More