Hospitals continue to be penalized for readmissions. But should we look at the size of the penalty, or the rate of improvement? More importantly, do readmission penalties improve care? Let's find out.
Policy & Ethics
A recent Supreme Court case presents the question of whether it's ethical to execute an inmate suffering from dementia, one who can no longer recall the crime.
It's a well-known fact that we spend a lot of money on the healthcare of those who are dying, especially during the last 12 months of life. But is that "wasted" money a bad thing?
Some scientific journals are publishing articles by anti-technology activists without disclosing their blatant financial conflicts of interest. Despite all the pleas for transparency, the problem is getting worse.
Beginning with Prohibition, all U.S. efforts to control drugs of abuse have made matters worse. Here's another. Methamphetamine is back, and it's killing more and more people. This was entirely predictable.
Clinical trial registries are supposed to hold researchers accountable for publishing all results. But who is responsible when they ignore the rules?
Just because something is documented in a medical chart doesn't make it more accurate. How it's conveyed, and in what context, greatly matters.
GMOs. Nuclear power. Self-driving cars. Why all the fearmongering? Because doing so produces an awful lot of money. Telling people that technology is bad generates roughly $30 million every single year. Meanwhile, UCS really ought to consider renaming itself.
Gene editing – a brilliant demonstration of how basic research can yield world-revolutionizing technology – is seen as unsafe in Europe. The good news is that some scientists aren't going to sit idly by while Europe attempts to destroy an entire field of scientific research. The scientists are striking back.
In chemo suites all over the country, there are bell-ringing celebrations when a patient's treatment ends. That's nice for the "graduate," but not so much for the terminally ill who are left behind. This is often a cruel and insensitive practice, and it needs to stop.
Chronic pain is a major public health challenge. The reason is that the treatment of chronic pain has become, in part, a political issue. And that's to the detriment of 20 million high-impact chronic patients, who are disproportionately women or poor people.
A new review from regulatory experts at the National Health Service reveals a workforce shortage crisis. Officials paint a "bleak picture" about the state of the government-run health system.