Posts by hdcoadmin
Rising painkiller addiction shows damage from drugmakers’ role in shaping medical opinion
“A closer look at the opioid painkiller binge — retail prescriptions have roughly tripled in the past 20 years — shows that the rising sales and addictions were catalyzed by a massive effort by pharmaceutical companies to shape medical opinion and practice.”
Read MoreDo teachers’ absences affect student learning?
Seventy-three Western Pennsylvania public school districts paid nearly $25 million for substitute teachers to cover classes when full-time educators were not in the classroom during the last school year, according to records for 17,000 teachers reviewed by the Tribune-Review.
Read MoreFor-Profit Nursing Homes Lead in Overcharging While Care Suffers
“Thirty percent of claims sampled from for- profit homes were deemed improper, compared to just 12 percent from non-profits, according to data Bloomberg News obtained from the inspector general’s office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services via a Freedom of Information Act request.”
Read MoreIRE & NICAR Office Holiday Schedule
Most of our staff will be in and out of the office during the holidays from Thursday 12/20 through Wednesday 1/2. If you need assistance, please e-mail or leave a voice mail and your call will be answered as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience during this time.
Read MoreBrain-injured kept in nursing homes with inadequate care
Bloomberg News reports that more than 244,00 Americans with injuries are consigned to nursing homes, where patient lawyers say they are warehoused with inadequate care. In many cases, they are housed in institutions designed for geriatric care, not the specialized care they need, and in some cases they are in facilities graded poorly on measures…
Read MoreWhen children accidentally shoot siblings, parents rarely prosecuted
After a couple of recent cases invovling children accidentally shooting their siblings after finding loaded weapons in the house, Minnesota Public Radio analyzed state court data and found that prosecuting parents for leaving guns around kids is rare, but not unprecedented in Minnesota. MPR found that since 2001, 85 such cases have been prosecuted.
Read MoreUSA Today investigation prompts review, potentially freeing wrongly imprisoned
U.S. Justice Department review, triggered by a USA Today investigation, has identified 175 prisoners who must be released or resentenced because they were improperly imprisoned. In June, USA Today reported that those prisoners should not have been imprisoned because they had not committed a federal crime, and others received longer sentences than the law allows.
Read MoreWSJ finds websites base varying prices, offers on user data
Consumer websites offer their users different prices and deals based on what data they have about the user, according to a Wall Street Jounal investigation. The Journal identified several companies, including Staples, Discover Financial Services, Rosetta Stone Inc. and Home Depot Inc., that consistently adjusted prices and product offers based on user characteristics they discovered, such…
Read MorePrognosis: Profits, The rising fortunes of Charlotte hospitals haven’t always helped patients
“In the latest installment of their ongoing investigation into nonprofit hospitals, the Charlotte Observer and News & Observer of Raleigh reported Sunday that N.C. patients are likely to pay more for routine health care if their doctors are employed by a hospital.”
Read MoreDoctors face quandary of relieving pain, without feeding addiction
A growing number of health care groups in the Twin Cities are investing in strategies to make sure doctors don’t serve as unwitting spigots of medications for addicts. But there’s also concern that increased regulation could prompt physicians to stop prescribing medications to patients with legitimate pain-control needs.
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