Rx for Doctors: Stop With the Urine Tests
By Paula Span, The New York Times, October 14, 2019. It’s such a common routine in a doctor’s office or clinic or hospital that patients tend to comply without thinking: Step on the scale, roll
All Patients
The secret number maternity hospitals don’t want you to know, and why we’re revealing it
By John Kelly and Alison Young, USA TODAY. March 7, 2019 | Updated 11:43 a.m. ET June 28, 2019 Shantel Smith developed an infection after a stillbirth at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans in 2011. In… Read More
Study: Millions should stop using aspirin for heart health
By Lauran Neergaard, Associated Press. Millions of people who take aspirin to prevent a heart attack may need to rethink the pill-popping, Harvard researchers reported Monday. A daily low-dose aspirin is recommended for people who have… Read More
Medical Mistakes Harm More Than 1 in 10 Patients. Many Are Preventable.
At least 12 percent of preventable errors caused permanent disability or death, according to a review of studies involving over 300,000 patients. By Linda Carroll, for NBC News. More than 1 in 10 patients are harmed… Read More
The Most Commonly Misdiagnosed Ailments
Each year, an estimated 100,000 people in the United States die or are permanently disabled due to a diagnosis that was either missed or delayed. Misdiagnoses are the most common, costly, and dangerous of medical...
Risk of Death Nearly Doubles for Patients at “D” or “F” Hospitals
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing the nation’s largest and most influential employers and purchasers of health care, released the new spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. The Leapfrog Group contracted with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute… Read More
The Most Common Preventable Medical Error
One in 20 patients (6%) is impacted by preventable medical errors, according to a recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal BMJ. What’s more, about 12% of preventable patient harm results in “prolonged, permanent disability”...
The Increasing Influence of Big Pharma on FDA Drug Advisory Committees
BY JONATHAN BLOCK, for MED Shadow. July 10, 2018 Many FDA advisory committee members later receive kickbacks from the very pharma companies whose drug they approved. How can we stem conflicts of interest? When it
Electronic Health Records Lack Accuracy for Medications, Threaten Patient Safety
By Kate Monica, EHR Intelligence. EHR medication lists are often inaccurate and incomplete, opening the door for adverse drug reactions, un-informed clinical decision-making, and poor medication monitoring, according to a new JAMA study. Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical… Read More
No money or insurance? Can Hospitals Turn Patients Away?
Privately-owned hospitals may turn away patients in a non-emergency, but public hospitals cannot refuse care. Public hospitals, funded by taxpayer dollars, are held to a different standard than privately owned for-profit hospitals. This means that… Read More