How to make sure your COVID test isn’t fake
Finding an at-home COVID-19 test is tricky at the moment, and fraudulent tests are now making the rounds. Here’s how to spot a fake. By Kim Wong-Shing, CNET, Jan. 13, 2022. The beginning of 2022… Read More
Articles by Peter Hunt
Unnecessary hospital tests and procedures put hundreds of thousands at risk, new analysis reveals
By Aaron Toleos, May 4, 2021. U.S. hospital ranking identifies best and worst hospitals at avoiding overuse of hysterectomy, coronary stents, back surgery, and more BROOKLINE, Mass. — Every 80 seconds, a hospital in the
Patients see differences in biosimilar drugs
By Michelle Andrews, for Kaiser Health News, Sept.21, 2021. It took years for Elle Moxley to get a diagnosis that explained her crippling gastrointestinal pain and digestion problems, fatigue and hot, red rashes. But even… Read More
Patients Get Stranded Out of Network as Insurer-Hospital Contract Talks Fall Apart
Article Summary: Patients are getting stuck out-of-network due to rifts between insurers and hospitals. By Andy Miller, KHN, Nov 17, 2021. In September, when Shelly Azzopardi went to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital with abdominal pain, she… Read More
Researcher: Medicare Advantage Plans Costing Billions More Than They Should
Article Summary: Medicare Advantage Plans have caused an increase in cost to taxpayers because of the way they have been charging sicker patients. By Fred Schulte, KHN, Nov 11, 2021. Switching seniors to Medicare Advantage… Read More
As Big Pharma and Hospitals Battle Over Drug Discounts, Patients Miss Out on Millions in Benefits
Article Summary: Drugmakers struck back by halting federal drug discounts resulting in reduced access to health care and drug benefits that patient’s need. By Sarah Jane Tribble and Emily Featherston, KHN, Nov 16, 2021. In… Read More
Private-equity-acquired nursing homes have worse resident outcomes, higher Medicare costs, study finds
Article Summary: A recently published national cohort analysis found significant increase in ambulatory care-sensitive outcomes and per-resident Medicare costs. By Dave Muoio, Fierce Healthcare, Nov 24, 2021. Long-stay residents of nursing homes recently acquired by… Read More
Double-Dipping, Copay Accumulators and Maximizers Threaten Patients
By NBPAS, August 10, 2021. A recent article in the American Journal of Managed Care shed light on copay maximizer strategies among generics manufacturers. But not many patients understand how drug manufacturers are incorporating copay… Read More
The DEA Is Warning Of A Rise In Overdose Deaths From Fake Drugs Laced With Fentanyl
By Brian Mann and Scott Neuman, from NPR All Things Considered, updated September 27, 2021. A patch containing the active ingredient fentanyl is shown by a pharmacist. The painkiller fentanyl, which can be up to… Read More
A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an ’emergency’
Article Summary: A hospital inflated bills for healthy births by labelling them emergencies. By Rae Ellen Bichell, NPR, Oct 27, 2021. As a conservation biologist, Caitlin Wells Salerno knows that some mammals — like the… Read More