The Upside to Fewer Cancer Screenings in 2020
Screenings save lives, but can do serious harm too More
New Rankings Credit Hospitals that Avoid Unnecessary Care
“Our main goal was to change the framing of the conversation from the important but relatively narrow focus on specific outcomes [in other rankings] to also look more broadly at a range of other things,” Dr. Vikas Saini said. “There are number of other factors that can be measured and that should matter.” More
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Management at the End of Life
This Teachable Moment advocates for considering a patient’s implantable cardioverter defibrillator in discussions regarding a do-not-resuscitate order. More
Preventing the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 With Masks and Other “Low-tech” Interventions
As countries around the world seek to safely reopen businesses, schools, and other facets of society, mask use in the community to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, in conjunction with other low-cost, low-tech, commonsense public health practices, is and will remain critical. More
Why False Positives Merit Concern, Too
False negatives are not the only troublesome outcome of a faulty coronavirus test. More
Report: Women at immigration detention center pressured into unneeded surgeries
Women held in a South Georgia immigration detention center were referred to a gynecologist for problems unrelated to their reproductive health and were pressured to undergo unnecessary surgeries, according to a group of medical experts reviewing their complaints. More
Gilead’s Covid Drug Win Could Clog Pipeline for Other Treatments
The future of Covid-19 treatment is cloudier after the FDA approved Gilead Sciences Inc.'s remdesivir, the first virus treatment to get full authorization in the U.S. More
Blood plasma showed no benefit in Covid-19 patients in trial — a finding that could re-energize debate
The findings, published in BMJ, could re-energize the debate over whether blood plasma is an effective treatment for the disease. More
COVID-19 and the Case for Medical Management and Primary Care
Communities of color are suffering disproportionately from coronavirus. The social determinants of health that lead to higher concentrations of hypertension and diabetes can be mitigated by investment in primary care. More
Trial finds no significant COVID effect of pre-exposure hydroxychloroquine
A randomized, controlled clinical trial involving high-risk healthcare workers found that pre-exposure prophylaxis with hydroxychloroquine once or twice weekly did not significantly reduce COVID-19 compared with placebo, researchers reported late last week in Clinical Infectious Diseases. More
WHO study finds no benefit from remdesivir on COVID-19 deaths, hospital stays
The antiviral drug remdesivir had no substantial impact on the survival of COVID-19 patients or the length of their hospital stays, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) clinical trial. More
Sensible Medicine—Balancing Intervention and Inaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This Viewpoint proposes that sensible medicine for COVID-19 may better serve patients than unreasoned treatment using unproven interventions in the moment. More
Shaky U.S. Hospitals Risk Bankruptcy in Latest Covid Wave
A grim reality is setting in across the U.S. hospital sector: a surge in coronavirus infections is encroaching while most facilities are still recovering from the onset of the pandemic. More
A doctor is accused of years of unnecessary hysterectomies. The women who trusted him want answers.
Javaid Perwaiz, a former OB/GYN, faces trial this week in Norfolk, Va. He is charged with health-care fraud. More
Why a new payment model for rural hospitals could hurt them
Rural hospitals are struggling in the pandemic. But will a new payment model help or hurt? More
Where do we go next in deprescribing research?
In a keynote address for the US Deprescribing Research Network Conference, Dr. Cara Tannenbaum urged participants to reimagine the future of deprescribing research. More
What Trump’s Covid-19 experience reveals about our pandemic response
Did Trump receive the "best care possible"? Or was he overtreated? More
Convalescent plasma doesn’t cut death, hospital stays in COVID patients
A study late last week found that convalescent plasma (CP) treatment did not significantly reduce mortality, but improved hospital discharge rates for patients 65 and older. More
De-adopting Low-Value Care: Evidence, Eminence, and Economics
This Viewpoint proposes that varying combinations of evidence, physician influence, and economics guide the continuation or de-adoption of low-value health services and can help organize and prioritize policy initiatives to drive down the prevalence of wasteful care. More
Two ways to stop unnecessary stenting
Many cardiologists recognize that placing coronary stents for stable heart disease has limited clinical benefit for patients. But low-value stents are still common -- how can we change this practice? New research in JAMA Internal Medicine provides some suggestions. More