Women Burned by Quick Fix for Heavy Periods
For many, 5-minute fix is anything but More
Epic’s call to block a proposed data rule is wrong for many reasons
Epic, the nation’s largest electronic health record (EHR) company and a major beneficiary of a $48 billion Obama-era federal program to promote the adoption of EHRs, has launched a full-scale effort to block the flow of data out of its software and into apps that benefit doctors and patients. That’s wrong for many reasons. More
Many patient groups have deep ties to pharma but fail to disclose backing
Amid ongoing debate over the role the pharmaceutical industry plays in shaping health policy, a new analysis finds that patient groups funded by drug makers generally support corporate interests, few groups have policies governing industry backing, and transparency is often lacking. More
Getting mental health care can be hard enough. Then comes paying for it.
Despite two recent federal laws meant to bring parity between mental and physical health-care coverage, gaping holes remain in how behavioral health costs are paid. More
As prescribing for ADHD stimulants rose, so did industry payments to doctors
At the same time that more doctors were prescribing stimulants, a new analysis finds that 1 in 18 U.S. physicians received some form of payment from drug companies that were marketing these medicines, notably ADHD pills often prescribed for children. And the researchers suggested the financial ties may have partly contributed to the rise in prescriptions. More
America’s Most Powerful Medical-Debt Collector
Treatment at a military hospital can leave you tens of thousands of dollars in debt—and hounded by the federal government. More
FDA and NIH let clinical trial sponsors keep results secret and break the law
For 20 years, the U.S. government has urged companies, universities, and other institutions that conduct clinical trials to record their results in a federal database, so doctors and patients can see whether new treatments are safe and effective. Few trial sponsors have consistently done so, even after a 2007 law made posting mandatory for many trials registered in the database. More
Patient Influencers Paid By Pharmaceutical Companies Should Be Required To Disclose Industry Ties
Pharmaceutical companies have long turned to physicians to deliver key marketing messages to their colleagues, patients, and the public. These companies are now investing in patients who have gained trust and stature within a patient community. These patients speak as everyday people with medical conditions, as relatable as a friend from high school. More
The Family Wanted a Do Not Resuscitate Order. The Doctors Didn’t.
Andy Jurtschenko told his children that he didn’t want to be a burden on them. But after he suffered brain damage during a heart transplant at a New Jersey hospital, his medical team deflected their request for a DNR.
As Tens of Thousands Died, F.D.A. Failed to Police Opioids
The agency, whose oversight of opioid safety has largely eluded scrutiny, did not improve flawed programs designed to reduce addiction and overdoses, documents show.