All patients should be aware of six common surgeries that carry significant risks of being done without medical necessity, according to federal data and independent studies. Cardiac angioplasty - In cases where patients were not suffering acute heart attack...
Month: June 2013
Hospital CEOs Rewarded for Volume, Not Improved Care
Hospital CEOs throughout the U.S. continue to be awarded bonuses for driving the kind of profits and expansion many say are no longer affordable for patients, employers and taxpayers, according to a recent ABC News article. Across the nation, boards at nonprofit...
Prescription Abuse Remains Rampant on College Campuses
Up to 35 percent of all college kids report using prescription ADHD pills like Adderall and Ritalin as a study tool, a staggering statistic that needs to be cracked down on immediately, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY). Colleges are urged to implement new...
Supreme Court Rules Against Human Gene Patents
Naturally-occurring human genes, including the breast cancer predisposition gene (BRCA), can no longer be patented by companies thanks to a recent decision by the Supreme Court. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been awarding patents on human genes for almost...
Dangers of Polypharmacy of Prescription Drugs
Many Americans, particularly those over the age of 60, are taking prescription drugs which harm more than help them, according to a recent review of the book Are Your Prescriptions Killing You? in The Courier-Journal. The book demonstrates how blind faith in the...
Ohio Nursing Home Abuse Caught on Camera
Patient abuse and neglect caught on surveillance cameras will shut down a Zanesville, Ohio nursing home as part of a statewide initiative to better the industry. Investigators installed cameras at Autumn Health Care without the knowledge of the staff and...
Nursing Home Elder Abuse Increasing at Alarming Rates
Mistreatment among senior citizens continues to be a nationwide crisis with an estimated three to five million older adults being victim of some form of abuse in 2011, according to the Elder Maltreatment Alliance. Among a random sample of 452 adults with...
More Hospitals Owning Up to Mistakes
While medical mistakes may be difficult for doctors to admit, more hospitals are wisely writing error disclosures into their facilities' policies to avoid similar lapses in the future. From 2002 to 2005 the proportion of hospitals with disclosure policies...
Ohio Nursing Home Ranked Among Worst Nationwide
A Cincinnati-area nursing home has been placed on a federal "Special Focus Facility" list, ranking it among the worst facilities in the country due to a history of serious quality issues. East Galbraith Health Care Center in Deer Park, Ohio, owned by...
Bill to Limit Commercial Trucks Gains Support
Families and survivors of truck crash fatalities and injuries have joined with the Truck Safety Coalition (TSC) to limit commercial truck size and weight limits by law. The safety advocates are pushing support for the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act...