Aspirin for Prevention: The Story
First question: prevention of what? The evidence for daily 81 mg of aspirin (baby aspirin) for prevention of cardiovascular disease is pretty solid. Furthermore, we know that increasing the dose…
New OIG Self-Disclosure Protocol
The OIG released an updated self-disclosure protocol this week, about ten months after putting out a call for comments on the old protocol. The new protocol imposes some new burdens…
Medical Device Connectivity: Interview with Capsule’s Stuart Long
Hospitals have many devices collecting data on patients, but until recently information from those devices has not been routinely integrated nor stored in electronic medical records. In this interview, Stuart…
Federal Push for Medicaid Mental Health Expansion
Sweeping healthcare reforms are the focus right now at both the state and federal level. Sweeping healthcare reforms are the focus right now at both the state and federal level.…
Drug Take-Back Day: April 27
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and participating local law enforcement are coordinating a nationwide drug "take-back" day on April 27th from 10 am to 2 pm. This one-day event will…
Superhero “Pharmers”
At the beginning of the year, I wrote about superhero family members of patients suffering from rare and orphan diseases. These individuals amazed me with what they could accomplish. Everything…
Salesmen in the Operating Room: Whose Best Interest Is at Stake?
Industry and medicine are permanently linked together–like it or not. Attempts to separate them are fraught with difficulties. Certainly, physicians should have no financial incentives to use any particular product…
Person-Centered HealthCare: Medication Adherence
A key component of illness management is the use of prescribed medications. For those who have several chronic conditions, there are usually numerous prescribed medications to keep track of and…
The Importance of Patient Advocates for Orphan Drugs
I attended the World Orphan Drug Congress last week in Washington, DC, and Siren presented the workshop, “A Roadmap for Patient Advocacy Investment.” In the rare disease space, patient engagement…
Hospitals Make Money from Complications – And Here’s Why
A new JAMA article (Relationship Between Occurrence of Surgical Complications and Hospital Finances) by a variety of health care wonks, including some of my former Boston Consulting Group colleagues, demonstrates…
