There's much debate among health policy researchers about the performance of the Medicare Advantage plans, which are sold and run by private insurance companies but …
Author: Beth Duff-Brown
When it comes to health, U.S. men have long benefited from women in power
It’s always great to see the work of one of our researchers shouted out in the New York Times. It’s even better when it becomes the …
Rosenkranz Prize winner to launch microbiome research project in Africa
Ami Bhatt, MD, PhD, has a gut feeling about many medical maladies. That is, she believes that we can fight some diseases by learning more …
Should we invest in HIV prevention for people who inject drugs?
People who inject drugs make up less than 1 percent of the U.S. adult population. But about 10 percent of new HIV infections in this …
Health policy advocates push for federal “Tobacco 21” law
Science and common sense tell us that the teenage brain is more vulnerable to peer pressure and susceptible to nicotine addiction than at any other …
We are woefully unprepared for pandemic threat, says economist Larry Summers
While the world takes dramatic and costly steps to prevent the calamitous impact of climate change, preparations for a worldwide pandemic on the scale of …
It’s a no-brainer: Neuroscience should influence policy on psychoactive substances
Non-smoking campaigns that tell teenage boys that they'll get lung cancer in 30 years if they don’t stop smoking just don’t work. “But prevention programs that …
Small number of physicians account for many malpractice claims
A small number of physicians account for a disproportionately large number of malpractice claims in the United States, Stanford medical and law researchers found after …
Breast screening recommendations — finalized?
The simmering national debate over how often and at what age women should get mammograms has come to a full boil once again. This week, …
Overprescribing of opioids is not just limited to a few bad apples
More Americans are now dying of drug overdose each year than car accidents. And the biggest killer among those accidental deaths is prescribed opioids, according …
Excessive antibiotic use in flu season contributes to resistance
The cold and flu season is upon us — and with that comes the potential overuse of antibiotics. All too often, physicians prescribe antibiotics for …
Is a proposed ban on smoking in public housing fair?
Cigarette smoking kills nearly half a million Americans each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. So the …
Stanford study: Medical procedures more expensive where physicians cluster in large medical practices
As more physicians move from solo and small practices, a dozen common medical procedures are becoming more expensive in areas where physicians are clustered into …
Diagnostic errors: “A complex problem that requires a many-pronged, multi-level attack”
A landmark Institute of Medicine report released last last month showed that despite dramatic improvements in patient safety over the last 15 years, diagnostic errors have been …
Stanford journalist returns to old post in India – and finds health care still lagging
Three Stanford seniors and a second-year School of Medicine student spent their summer investigating India’s complicated health-care system — and I got to go along …
Stanford physician provides insight on use of aspirin to help keep heart attacks and cancer away
Douglas Owens, MD, is on the panel of medical experts that just recommended a daily dose of aspiring to ward off heart attacks and cancer. But he …