An expert panel convened by the FDA says the drug Makena should be withdrawn from the market because a review of its effectiveness shows it doesn’t work. But OB-GYNS who prescribe the drug disagree.
Category: NPR
‘To Stop Now Would Be Foolish’: Doubling Down On Services For High-Cost Patients
A study this month showed giving extra social services to the neediest patients didn’t reduce hospital readmissions. Now health advocates say that might not be the right measurement of success.
Patients Want To Die At Home, But Home Hospice Care Can Be Tough On Families
The for-profit hospice industry has grown, allowing more Americans to die at home. But few family members realize that “hospice care” still means they’ll do most of the physical and emotional work.
Patients Still Struggle To Balance High Costs Of MS Treatment, Despite Generic
Drugs to treat multiple sclerosis can run $70,000 a year or more. Patients hoped competition from a generic version of one of the most popular brands would spur relief, but prices went up. Here’s why.
Sweeps Of Homeless Camps In California Aggravate Key Health Issues
Cities have tasked police and sanitation workers with dismantling homeless camps that they say pose a risk to health and safety. But that’s meant some displaced people are losing needed medications.
Reduce Health Costs By Nurturing The Sickest? A Much-Touted Idea Disappoints
Matching the sickest patients with social workers and medical support doesn’t reduce costly hospital readmissions, a study finds. Still, some believe greater social investment could make a difference.
Stakes High For Democrats And Republicans In Bid To Rush ACA To Supreme Court
Both sides say they want the high court to quickly weigh in on a case that could invalidate the federal health law. Whatever the court decides will likely have consequences in 2020 elections.
Effort To Control Opioids In An ER Leaves Some Sickle Cell Patients In Pain
People with sickle cell disease aren’t fueling the opioid crisis, research shows. Yet some ER doctors still treat patients seeking relief for agonizing sickle cell crises as potential addicts.
Massachusetts May Drop Requirement That Minors Get Permission For Abortion
The state now requires women and girls under 18 to obtain permission from their parents or a judge. But in a recent poll, most Massachusetts voters favored letting minors decide on their own.
UNICEF Estimates 400,000 Babies Will Be Born On New Year’s Day
Over half those births will happen in just eight countries, according to the U.N. agency.
