Overdiagnosis via data and greed: One doctor’s view of a malevolent downside in medical technology
Remember that the most likely outcome of a medical intervention in a person without complaints is harm.
Robocalling for mammograms and why I’m still not getting one
Yesterday my health insurance company caught me on my home phone (yes, I still have one). They had left a message a week ago, wanting to check with me about “health screenings.” After the computer verified it was really me, the mammogram push started. Have I had one lately? (They must have known that the […]
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Critics: Community screenings at hospitals making overtreatment problem worse
Hospitals hoping to attract patients and build their brands are teaming up with medical-screening companies to promote tests aimed at consumers worried about potentially deadly heart disease or strokes. What their promotions don't say is that an influ...