Hospital mergers may not be best for the patient
Consolidation of hospitals and mergers between health systems may result in lower quality care, according to experts. In a February 11, 2019 New York Times article, Austin Frakt, adjunct associate professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public…
Acknowledging gains, challenges in global health
Great strides have been made in global health in recent years, yet there’s plenty more work to be done, according to experts. A February 4, 2019 article in the New York Times, co-authored by Harvard T.H. Chan School…
Is traffic a public health problem?
Sitting in traffic isn’t only frustrating, it may be associated with myriad public health problems, ranging from increases in domestic violence to respiratory problems caused by long-term exposure to vehicle exhaust, according to a range of research. In…
Why did U.S. drug costs skyrocket in the 1990s?
Drug spending in the U.S. tripled between 1997 and 2007, slowed down until about 2013, then started rising again. Americans now pay substantially more for their drugs than their counterparts in other wealthy nations. The main reason for…
Rural hospital closings on the rise
Nearly 90 rural hospitals have closed in the U.S. since 2010 and many more are at risk of shutting, a trend that has health experts and patients worried. An October 29, 2018 New York Times article written by…
A public health wish list
Ensuring clean drinking water, boosting cancer screening, providing incentives aimed at healthy eating, and addressing socioeconomic factors that affect health such as housing and insurance are some of the measures that should be emphasized to improve public health,…
Hospitals benefitting from drug discount program under scrutiny by Trump administration
A drug discount program meant to help nonprofit hospitals cut down on spending in order to expand services for the poor has come under increased scrutiny as of late and has caught the attention of the Trump administration,…