Cleveland Clinic and Mount Sinai Won’t Administer Aduhelm to Patients
The rejection of the new Alzheimer’s drug by the two major medical centers is one of the starkest signs of concern over its approval by the F.D.A. More
Nearly One in Four People Say Their Medications are Not Routinely Reviewed and Evaluated by Their Medical Team
Today, The Get the Medications Right™ (GTMRx) Institute is sharing the results of a new survey that assesses the medication management habits and needs of over 1,000 people. Among the findings, nearly one quarter of people surveyed cited that their medications are not routinely reviewed and evaluated by their medical team—a shocking fact, given that one-third are taking four or more medications and/or supplements per day. More
US News to add Lown Index overuse metric to Best Hospitals ranking
This year, US News & World Report will be incorporating the Spinal Fusion Overuse metric from the Lown Index into their “Best Hospitals” ranking. More
US News to add new metrics to Best Hospitals Ranking
Overtreatment and low-value care may cost more than $100 billion per year. In the new Back Surgery (Spinal Fusion) rating, we incorporate a measure of overuse that was calculated for U.S. News by data scientists at the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. This measure is also a component of the Overuse metric of the Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Because a pattern of overuse or low-value care is not compatible with being a high-quality provider, U.S. News will explore additional opportunities to incorporate measures of value in future editions of Best Hospitals. More
The Evidence Behind Robot-Assisted Abdominopelvic Surgery
Use of robot-assisted surgery has increased dramatically since its advent in the 1980s, and nearly all surgical subspecialties have adopted it. However, whether it has advantages compared with laparoscopy or open surgery is unknown. More
Will Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug’s burden on Medicare be big, huge, or catastrophic?
Estimates vary wildly about how much Biogen’s new Alzheimer’s drug will cost Medicare — and the total will have real consequences. More
Screening for Bipolar: Have You Ever Been “Unusually Happy” for More than a Week?
A new questionnaire funded by AbbVie conflates antidepressant side effects with bipolar disorder and isn't actually a "screening" tool. More
Transforming Health Care to Address Value and Equity
This Viewpoint explains the national Vital Signs initiative—developed by the National Academy of Medicine to track improvements in health, health care costs, engagement of the public in its health, and health care and quality. More
A crucial, overlooked question on the new Alzheimer’s drug: When should patients stop taking it?
Doctors told STAT it will be critical — and exceedingly difficult — to determine whether Aduhelm's effects are waning with time. More
Does CBD Have Any Value as a Treatment?
Last week we covered CBD and mental health, finding that data to back up health claims are scarce and that consumer CBD products are often sketchy. In this week’s episode on CBD and other health ailments, we find that many of the same caveats apply. More
New Drug Could Cost the Government as Much as It Spends on NASA
The Alzheimer’s treatment will cost $56,000 per patient, and millions may use it. The result: “crazy numbers” for Medicare. More
A Trauma Survivor Explains the Harms of Screening
After choosing to disclose past trauma or sexual abuse on screening forms, patients are often left wondering if it was a mistake to disclose. More
We need health care models that pay for equity, not just “pay for performance”
Value-based payment models may exacerbate racial health disparities. To change this, we need to make equity a part of value -- and reward hospitals for advancing equity. More
New Alzheimer’s drug may burden state budgets
State budgets are already being squeezed by rising health care costs, leaving less for public health and social spending. How will the cost of new Alzheimer's drug Aduhelm impact Medicaid costs and state budgets? More
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
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
Looking to Tackle Prescription Overload
Older adults often take more medications than they need, or than is safe. Increasingly, geriatric experts and their patients are exploring the benefits of “deprescribing.” More
Association of New Perioperative Benzodiazepine Use With Persistent Benzodiazepine Use
This cohort study examines the frequency of use and persistent use of benzodiazepines among patients undergoing major and minor surgical procedures. More