As of Jan. 1, in the name of transparency, the Trump admin required that all hospitals post their list prices online. But what is popping up on medical center websites is a dog’s breakfast of medical codes, abbreviations and dollar signs — in little discernible order — that may initially serve to confuse more than illuminate
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Sometimes Patients Simply Need Other PatientsJuly 9, 2018 |
Using the internet for a diagnosis is not recommended, but there’s great power in sharing stories
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Deleting Your Online DNA Data Is Brutally DifficultJune 15, 2018 |
A reporter’s effort to erase her genetic footprint gets snared in a thicket of policies and rules
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They’re the tech-age version of donor jars at the diner: crowdfunding websites that aim to link ailing people with strangers willing to help pay for medical treatment. But new research suggests duped patients sometimes crowdfund to pay for bogus stem cell treatments.
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Ordering Five Million Deaths OnlineApril 5, 2018 |
Richard Friedman writes “Recently, out of curiosity, I typed into Google the terms “synthetic opioid and Chinese pharmacy.” Within minutes, I found a website where I could purchase the synthetic opioid carfentanil. For just $750, I could buy 100 grams of the drug, which would be shipped to me “overnight by discreet courier.””
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Rachel Ralph works long hours at an accounting firm in Oakland, Calif., and coordinates much of her life via the apps on her phone. So when she first heard several months ago that she could order her usual brand of birth control pills via an app and have them delivered to her doorstep in a day or two, it seemed perfect. She was working 12-hour days
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DNA Has Gone DigitalDecember 8, 2017 |
What could possibly go wrong? Biology is becoming increasingly digitized. Researchers like us use computers to analyze DNA, operate lab equipment and store genetic information. But new capabilities also mean new risks – and biologists remain largely unaware of the potential vulnerabilities that come with digitizing biotechnology
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Towards Patient-Centered Conflicts of Interest PolicyOctober 30, 2017 |
Our Peter Young discusses the importance of increasing access and providing context in transparently reporting physician conflicts of interests
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