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A piece in the New England Journal of Medicine tackles the thorny issue of confronting a colleague or referring physician about medical errors they made. They say this confrontation needs to happen — awkward as it may be. “Only a collective approach to accountability can fully meet the needs of patients and families after harmful medical errors,” the authors wrote.
Medicare paid some $23 million in benefits for more than 17,000 dead people in 2011, a government watchdog report said Thursday.
Can Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius sign up for Obamacare, as Republicans suggest she should? No, according to this Associated Press report, because she’s eligible for Medicare.
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Documents released by a congressional committee yesterday showed a mere 6 people signed up for health coverage through Healthcare.gov on the first day, a number that jumped to 248 by the end of day two.
Cardiologist Kevin Campbell, MD, expresses his disappointment in the federal government and the Affordable Care Act, saying, “I can only hope that those in power in Washington will respect the basic tenets of our democracy and, most importantly, put legacy and ego aside and do what we do best as doctors — put patients first.”
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Times columnist Michael Hiltzik blames the news media and health insurance industries for not properly explaining the ACA’s benefits to consumers who doubt or question the law’s benefits to them.
Confirming previous studies, CDC researchers analyzing National Health Interview Survey data found that people with epilepsy are at increased risk for a host of comorbidities including cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, and inflammatory diseases.
The CDC also reported Thursday that satisfaction levels and perceived success of telephonic health coaching were positive.
Americans are finally starting to eat a better diet, one market research firm says.
In related news, the journal BMJ reported that a 20% tax on sugary drinks would cut the country’s obesity rate by 1.3% overall and by 7.6% for those between age 16 and 30.
The growth of accountable care organizations has slowed. Why? ACO expert explains that the model has reached its potential for now.
Four more people in the Middle East have been diagnosed with lab-confirmed MERS infection, the WHO reports, including the first from the nation of Oman. The other three (including one fatality) were from Saudi Arabia, where most MERS cases have occurred.
The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday reversed a lower court’s ruling that found Texas’s new abortion regulations unconstitutional. The state’s provisions could take effect immediately.
Pfizer is being sued for fraud by the Louisiana Attorney General for allegedly “deceptively concealing Zoloft [sertraline]’s inefficacy,” leading to unnecessary Medicaid reimbursement, Pharmalot reports.
While Congress continues to debate tighter regulation of compounding pharmacies, the Massachusetts state Senate passed a bill requiring compounders who mix sterile drugs to obtain a special license from the state board of pharmacy.
Roughly one in 10 teens admit to abusing a prescription painkiller, a study out of the University of Michigan found.
Date: Nov 1, 2013