To some extent, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is based on the “Massachusetts experiment,” the health care legislation passed by the state in 2006, leading politicians on both sides of the political aisle to claim it as a success or… Read More ›
Archive for October 2012
After Decades of Antibiotic Treatment of Honeybee Colonies, Tetracycline-resistant Bacteria Often Found in US Bees
First it was pigs and chickens that were found to harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a consequence of widespread use of antibiotics in the animals for preventive purposes. Now researchers have discovered that honeybees similarly exposed to antibiotics for decades carry… Read More ›
Author Insights: Canadian Example Offers a Possible Path to Curbing US Medicare Costs
While Medicare costs continue to rise and Democrats and Republicans promote various plans to curb such spending, 2 researchers suggest politicians look north to Canada for solutions. In a Research Letter published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the… Read More ›
JAMA Forum — A Sea Change for Medicare: The Debate We’ve Never Had
In what has been a great surprise, Medicare is moving—without any discussion or public fanfare—from being an “open-ended entitlement program” to a program that, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), will be allowed to grow only slightly faster than the… Read More ›
New Report Addresses Age-Related Diabetes Conundrum
A new consensus report addresses a conundrum that looms large on the health care horizon: adults aged 65 years or older are more likely to have type 2 diabetes than any other age group, but clinicians have the least amount… Read More ›
JAMA Forum: What’s at Risk if the Health Care Law Is Repealed or Revamped? It’s All in the Details.
The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing operates a Program for All-Inclusive Care of Elders, or PACE. The PACE effort there, for which the university assumes all financial risk, is called LIFE, Living Independently for Elders. Consider one example of… Read More ›
Author Insights: Studies That Show Large Treatment Effects Are Usually Wrong
Most medical interventions have modest effects, and studies that suggest big effects are usually small and are eventually proven wrong, according to an analysis of medical studies published in JAMA today. Studies that appear to demonstrate that a medication or… Read More ›
Task Force, Again, Recommends Against Hormone Replacement Therapy for Postmenopausal Women
Although some recent studies have hinted that hormone replacement therapy may be beneficial for some postmenopausal women, the US Preventive Services Task Force continues to recommend against its use for the prevention of chronic medical conditions. The task force’s recommendation,… Read More ›
Infectious Disease Experts Offer Updated Guidance on Fungal Meningitis Cases
San Diego—As the number of fungal meningitis cases linked to contaminated steroid injections rise, information about the outbreak and diagnosing and treating the infection continues to emerge. Since the initial report on September 21 to the US Centers for Disease… Read More ›
More Evidence That Fecal Transplant Is Effective Against C difficile
A new study adds to growing evidence that a procedure known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an effective, fast-acting treatment for potentially deadly Clostridium difficile infection. Researchers presented data today at the annual Infectious Diseases Society of America meeting… Read More ›
