Author's posts
Innovation for Pandemics
Over recent decades, the world has seen incredible progress in reducing child mortality and tackling infectious diseases. Thanks to better vaccines and other interventions, child mortality has decreased by more than 50% since 1990. We are on the verge …
Excluding Observation Stays from Readmission Rates — What Quality Measures Are Missing
For the past several years, health care reform efforts have focused on reducing preventable hospital readmissions. Most notably, in 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services introduced the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP), whic…
The FDA and the Next Wave of Drug Abuse — Proactive Pharmacovigilance
In response to the opioid crisis, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken action on multiple fronts. We have approved better measures for treating opioid use disorder and preventing deaths from overdose, have launched efforts to inform more ap…
Doughnuts and Discounts — Changes to Medicare Part D under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018
The Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 created a new Medicare benefit (Part D), a new insurance product (prescription-drug–only plans), and a new market. Fifteen years later, Part D is widely regarded as a succes…
Subscribing to Your Patients — Reimagining the Future of Electronic Health Records
Nearly all U.S. health care systems and many physician practices have by now migrated from paper charts to electronic health records (EHRs). But though this shift could have been a transformative change, current EHRs are largely digital remakes of trad…
Rationale, Opportunities, and Reality of Biosimilar Medications
Biologic therapies for cancer and other disorders contribute to improved outcomes for many patients but also account for a large proportion of health care expenditures. Opportunities for cost containment may emerge as the patents on originator products…
The Calorie-Labeling Saga — Federal Preemption and Delayed Implementation of Public Health Law
Passing the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) was a landmark event in health care policy. The ACA’s scope also went beyond health care. Included among myriad health insurance reforms and coverage expansions was Section 4205, a federal requirement for food…
A Randomized Trial of a Family-Support Intervention in Intensive Care Units
Approximately one in five persons in the United States dies in or shortly after discharge from an intensive care unit (ICU), typically after a decision has been made by the patient’s surrogate decision maker to forgo life-prolonging therapies. Problems…
Addressing Generic-Drug Market Failures — The Case for Establishing a Nonprofit Manufacturer
Robust competition usually keeps the price of generic drugs well below that of brand-name drugs. When there is little or no competition, however, generic-drug manufacturers can substantially increase prices, and drug shortages may occur. Such market fa…
