As artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare delivery accelerates, the imperative to prioritize patient safety cannot be overstated. Integrating AI into clinical settings presents a revolutionary opportunity to enhance the quality of care, patient safety, and …
Continue readingCategory: Healthcare Policy
Dollars and Drugs: The Battle over Drug Costs and Care Equity
The United States healthcare system is a complex interplay of providers, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies, each navigating a landscape where the cost of care and medications significantly surpasses that of other countries. A January 25, …
Continue readingWere the Japan and Alaska Airlines Safety Incidents Miracles?
We think of miracles as outcomes we have no control over. The safe return of the passengers on the Japan Airlines crash and the Alaska Airlines depressurization are not miracles in the typical way we …
Continue readingDoes Private Equity Ownership Enhance Patient Care?
While private equity (PE) strives to reduce costs and increase profits in companies it purchases, a recent JAMA article provides evidence that such purchases lead to an increase in adverse events and an overall decrease …
Continue readingBeyond Medicare: The Far-Reaching Consequences of the Inflation Reduction Act on Drug Costs
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 broadly impacts prescription drug prices in the United States and changes state Medicaid and employee health plans. The IRA introduces significant modifications to how Medicare pays for prescription …
Continue readingU.S. Infant Mortality Trends Unacceptable
The Centers for Disease Control reports a 3 percent increase in infant mortality in the U.S., reaching 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. This uptick represents a trend that had a nearly continuous decline since …
Continue readingOur Duty of Care
When I see my healthcare provider, I trust that they have my best interests at heart. I bet you do, too. But what is the basis for our trust in them? “Duty of Care” is …
Continue readingLet’s Get the Data to Deliver Healthcare Safely
After numerous accidents and deaths, in 1976, the Federal Aviation Administration launched the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) to collect data on all errors, mishaps, and mistakes in commercial and private aviation. From pilot captains …
Continue readingMiddlemen Win Big From Healthcare Spending
For 17% of GDP, we receive shorter lifespans and higher infant mortality. While most ire is directed at hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, middlemen or intermediaries – insurers, pharmacies, drug distributors, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) …
Continue readingTake Care of Them So They Can Take Care of Us
For almost three years, they have been there. Our doctors and nurses and therapists and administrative staff, accepting the unknown personal risk to their health to be sure we got the care we needed. Now …
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