Public Health
To Save On Medi-Cal Costs, A Bid To Help Homeless Patients With Rent Money
Helping homeless Medi-Cal patients afford shelter could curb their frequent emergency room visits and save California millions of dollars a year, state housing and health care advocates say. California lawmakers are considering a measure to devote an additional $90 million in state housing money over five years to subsidize rent for homeless Medi-Cal patients. That money would […]
Nearly 1 In 3 Recent FDA Drug Approvals Followed By Major Safety Actions
The Food and Drug Administration is under pressure from the Trump administration to approve drugs faster, but researchers at the Yale School of Medicine found that nearly a third of those approved from 2001 through 2010 had major safety issues years after they were widely available to patients. Seventy-one of the 222 drugs approved in […]
Grassley, Chaffetz Send Fiery Response To HHS Memo They Say Chills Whistleblowing
Two influential Republican congressmen are blasting a Department of Health and Human Services memo to division heads as a “potentially illegal and unconstitutional” infringement on whistleblowers’ rights to call attention to waste, fraud and abuse in the executive branch. The May 3 memo from HHS Secretary Tom Price’s chief of staff, Lance Leggitt, instructed employees […]
Expertos cuestionan eficacia de la cirugía de rodilla más popular
Un panel internacional de expertos en salud y pacientes desafió la eficacia de uno de los procedimientos ortopédicos más comunes y recomendó fuertemente no realizar la cirugía artroscópica en pacientes con problemas degenerativos de rodilla. Las guías, publicadas en la revista BMJ y basadas en 13 estudios que involucraron a casi 1,700 pacientes, concluyeron que […]
For Knee Pain, Experts Say Don’t Think About Scoping It
A panel of international health experts and patients Wednesday challenged the effectiveness of one of the most common orthopedic procedures and recommended strongly against the use of arthroscopic surgery for patients with degenerative knee problems. The guidelines, published in the journal BMJ, relied on 13 studies involving nearly 1,700 patients that found the surgery did […]
Public Restrooms Become Ground Zero In The Opioid Epidemic
A man named Eddie threaded through the midafternoon crowd in Cambridge, Mass. He was headed for a sandwich shop, the first stop on a tour of public bathrooms. “I know all the bathrooms that I can and can’t get high in,” said Eddie, 39, pausing in front of the shop’s plate-glass windows, through which we can […]
Planned Parenthood Funding Could Thwart GOP Efforts On Health Bill
If there’s anything congressional Republicans want to do more than “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act it’s defund Planned Parenthood, which provides health care to women around the country. But Senate rules could prevent lawmakers from accomplishing both of those goals in the same bill, as they intend to do. The American Health Care […]
Houston Hospital Checking To See If Patients’ Cupboards Are Bare
Sherry King had lost her job as a dental assistant and was stretching her food, sometimes going without any fresh fruit or vegetables. But the suburban Houston resident didn’t reach out for any help — even from her own relatives, whom she didn’t want to worry. Then she switched to a new doctor late last […]
Segregated Living Linked To Higher Blood Pressure Among Blacks
For African-Americans, the isolation of living in a racially segregated neighborhood may lead to an important health issue: higher blood pressure. A study published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine suggested blacks living in such areas experienced higher blood pressure than those living in more diverse communities. Moving to integrated areas was associated with a decrease […]
Do Best-Selling Drugs That Calm Stomachs Damage Kidneys? The Answer’s Unclear.
Sherry Herman was watching TV when the ad popped up on the screen. Lawyers were seeking clients for a class-action lawsuit, suggesting a link between certain heartburn pills and chronic kidney disease — including the beige capsules she’d taken for years. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, yeah — me!’” said Herman, a 50-year-old […]