Author's posts
Why the VA Needs More Competition
Despite independent studies showing that clinical quality in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system is often as good as or better than that in the private sector, numerous areas for improvement remain. Moreover, going forward, VA reform …
Sociogenetic Risks — Ancestry DNA Testing, Third-Party Identity, and Protection of Privacy
The recent capture of the suspected Golden State Killer on “National DNA Day” was a startling public illustration of the reality that DNA information may be pertinent to people far removed from the one who was tested — and the fact that information may…
A Pragmatic Trial of E-Cigarettes, Incentives, and Drugs for Smoking Cessation
Most large U.S. companies offer smoking-cessation programs for their employees, and nearly half of those companies offer financial incentives for employees who successfully stop smoking. These benefit designs are motivated by evidence that smoking rema…
The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize and the Doomsday Clock — The End of Nuclear Weapons or the End of Us?
The awarding of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) may mark a turning point in efforts to ensure that humanity survives the nuclear-weapons era. The urgency of ICAN’s work was recently highlighted…
Integrating Medical and Nonmedical Services — The Promise and Pitfalls of the CHRONIC Care Act
Efforts to provide more integrated care for Medicare beneficiaries to better address health and well-being needs that are not strictly medical have received a major boost with the enactment of the Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to…
Clinical Trial Participants’ Views of the Risks and Benefits of Data Sharing
We are rapidly moving toward a world in which broad sharing of participant-level clinical trial data is the norm. The European Medicines Agency has implemented a policy to expand public access to data concerning products it approves, the Food and Drug …
Assessing Drug Safety in Children — The Role of Real-World Data
Over the past 20 years, several legislative initiatives in the United States have resulted in hundreds of clinical trials assessing the treatment effects of various drugs in children. Since 1998, a total of 712 drug labels have been updated with inform…
Turning the Tables — The New European General Data Protection Regulation
“Action required: Make sure you receive important information!” was the alarming message my Internet service provider recently sent me. It turned out they wanted me to review my privacy settings — or, really, to agree that they could continue using dat…
Preserving Access for People with Disabilities
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in “places of public accommodation” — those that are generally open to the public, including such categories as schools, restaurants, and …
Beyond Legalization — Dilemmas Physicians Confront Regarding Aid in Dying
“What do you think about physician aid in dying?” Because 18.2% of the U.S. population lives in jurisdictions where physician aid in dying (PAD) is now legal, physicians need to anticipate that patients may inquire about or request it. Two decades ago,…
