Combating overuse in oral health: The lessons of “Flossgate”
How can we help the dental profession reduce unnecessary care? The answer lies in the power of patients. More
A shifting paradigm in oral health: When is it overuse?
When does a cavity "need" filling? It depends on where your dentist lies on the spectrum of changing ideas in dentistry. More
What exactly do we mean by overdiagnosis?
But how do we define overdiagnosis, and what makes it different from other screening harms such as false positives or overtreatment? More
Do patients have the “right” to proton beam therapy?
An industry-backed advocacy group argues that insurance should cover proton beam therapy for cancer patients. But there's no evidence the new treatment is better for most cancers... More
Can we pay doctors for quality instead of quantity?
Value-based payments are meant to shift physician incentives from quantity to quality. But many challenges remain in the path to successful implementation. More
Do non-profit hospitals need another tax break?
Non-profit hospitals are finally being taxed on excessive CEO pay, but some are trying to find loopholes around the law. More
UPMC expansion won’t improve Pittsburgh’s community health
The Pittsburgh health system giant is putting profits over patients with their proposed expansion, say Shannon Brownlee and Vikas Saini. More
New study reveals long-term risks of tonsillectomy
The number of children getting their tonsils out still varies based on physician opinion and patient demand. But a new study is changing the risk-benefit calculation... More
The direct primary care revolution
A small but growing group of primary care doctors are saying, "no more" to EHR requirements, useless quality measures, and indecipherable bills. More
New report sheds light on hospital price variation
Ever wonder why you can't get a straight answer about how much a test or procedure in the hospital? This new report has answers. More
Slow progress in reducing breast cancer overscreening
American women are still getting too many mammograms. Despite recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society against routine screening for breast cancer before age 50, the rates of mammogram screening have not changed significantly in the past ten years. In a recent JAMA Clinical Update, Dr. Nancy Keating and […] More
When doing everything means doing less
For Randi Oster, the hardest part of her father's cancer wasn't getting him through treatment. It was getting his doctors to listen to what he wanted. More
The cart is driving the horse: Misguided performance measures
When it comes to measuring quality, there is a huge disconnect between payers and physicians. A recent analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine lends support to the physicians' side of the issue. More
Belief and evidence: How framing health news matters
Gina Kolata misrepresents the debate on tPA for strokes by painting the issue as evidence versus belief. More
Hidden influence: Financial conflicts you might have missed
Recent conflicts of interest in medicine and health policy you probably missed... More
Industry payments to doctors: Opioids are the tip of the iceberg
A closer look at the hundreds of millions that pharma spends on payments to physicians. More
Industry payments to doctors: Opioids are the tip of the iceberg
A closer look at the hundreds of millions that pharma spends on payments to physicians. More
Meeting people where they are for primary care
How can we increase access to primary care in underserved areas? How about meeting patients where they are? More
What we know and don’t know about overdiagnosis
A study in The BMJ shows that overdiagnosis research is growing but discrepancies in definitions and measurement complicate the evidence. More
What’s the harm in excessive cancer screening?
Not only does too much cancer screening lead to false positives and overtreatment, it can also skew our data. More