Viewpoints: House Calls — A Better Idea Than Ever; Is The FDA Tightening Hold On Generics?

The New York Times: Reviving House Calls By Doctors
Surah Grumet used to be a family doctor at a clinic in the Bronx. “It always felt like I was trying to catch up,” she said. “I was always falling behind, and it was so stressful. And it was really hard to bring up my two girls, to be there for them, and still be able to practice medicine the way that I wanted to.” Now, she lives in a suburb of Raleigh, N.C. She still practices medicine, but has no office or clinic. Instead, she works with a Durham-based practice called Doctors Making House Calls. (Rosenberg, 9/27)

The Wall Street Journal: A Drug Cartel At The FDA
The anaphylactic political shock over EpiPen prices continues, and last week a House committee dragged in the company CEO. But some outrage should land on the Food and Drug Administration, which won’t approve a generic stinger that would end Mylan’s monopoly power. Instead, the agency is finishing regulation that will restrict competition precisely as patients are demanding cheaper medicines. (9/26)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: CMS Should Revamp Star Rating System
These [hospital star] ratings were designed by the federal government to help individuals, family members and caregivers compare hospitals in what they believed to be an easily understandable manner. We respect the efforts of agencies such as CMS to create transparency and accessibility around hospital ratings, and we believe strongly that individuals deserve to have information about the quality and safety of an institution. But the data that drive ratings — and the manner in which the data are reported — must be meaningful and fairly reflect the performance of the institution and quality of care. (Joseph Kerschner and Janis Orlowski, 9/26)

Real Clear Health: Congress: Act to Fix Shortsighted Home Respiratory Therapy Cuts
Although healthcare and payment policies aimed at improving the strength and longevity of the Medicare program are easy for providers, taxpayers, and lawmakers to stand behind, when those policies fall short – disrupting the care of patients who need it the most – there’s no time to delay in finding a solution. (Dan Stark, 9/26)

Stat: Fixing Electronic Health Records Is Good. Adding Scribes Is Even Better
The bold admission by athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush that electronic health records (EHRs) “inflict enormous pain on our nation’s providers and care teams, turning caregivers into box-checkers and inadvertently limiting the private sector from innovating” caught my attention. Those are strong words from the head of a company that makes a widely used EHR. ... While Bush’s company is trying to design ways to decrease the amount of time that clinicians spend working on the EHR, here’s a more immediate and practical solution: medical scribes. Let these trained professionals interact with the EHR while doctors interact with their patients. (Jared Pelo, 9/27)

Cincinnati Enquirer: Drug Addiction Isn't What Most People Think
The drug war has shaped the thought that addicts and users need to spend time in jail and learn a lesson. Trauma, life crisis or isolation is what leads to an unhealthy bond with behaviors that become addictive (like gambling, sex, checking your phone) – and with drugs. ... Time to redirect the legacy of this shameful drug war and mandate public health and law enforcement tax dollars are effective, transparent and about improving outcomes. (Barbara Boylan, 9/26)

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Talking To Your Doctor About Prescription Pain Medications
At some point, most of us have been prescribed an opioid-based pain medication such as hydrocodone (Vicodin) or oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet). Doctors and dentists often prescribe these painkillers after major surgery or dental work, or a bad fall or other accident. With all the talk about the opioid crisis, should we view these medications with newfound fear and suspicion? The short answer is “no”—as long as you use them responsibly, as your doctor directs. (Andy Carter, 9/27)

Lexington Herald Leader: 12-Step Programs Do Help Break Addictions
In the Sept. 4 Herald Leader, Dr. Rae Brown of the University of Kentucky beautifully describes the inadequate treatment of the current opioid epidemic in Kentucky. I agree completely that there is “no safe opioid dose, no safe opioid agent and no safe patient.” However, he makes some very strong statements like “medical treatment is the only treatment demonstrated to be effective,” implying that there are no others, and that medical manipulation with other addicting substances is the best treatment. There are a few long-term studies suggesting medical treatment may be helpful, just like there are few long-term studies documenting that 12-step programs work. (Dr. Gordon Hyde, 9/25)

The New York Times: Want To Make Ethical Purchases? Stop Buying Illegal Drugs
Many of my friends and classmates here in the United States care about making the world a better place, and they try to make purchases that reflect their values. Some have become vegetarians to save animals or fight climate change. Others buy cruelty-free cosmetics, fair-trade coffee or conflict-free diamonds. Yet I’ve noticed at parties and festivals that some of these same people pop Ecstasy or snort cocaine. They think this drug use is a victimless crime. It’s not. Follow the supply chain and you’ll find a trail of horrific violence. (Mario Berlanga, 9/27)

The Des Moines Register: Anonymous Medicaid Happy Tales Not Enough
Gov. Terry Branstad is desperate for good publicity about his privatization of Medicaid management. The problem: Iowans are not contacting the media to share positive experiences. Instead, numerous people have come forward with horror stories since the governor handed over administration of the government program to three for-profit insurers on April 1. (9/26)

Los Angeles Times: This Drug Company Placed A Nearly $10,000 Price Tag On Drugs That May Not Even Work
Profiteering in the drug business has been generating outrage for months now. Gilead Sciences and Mylan have been taking the heat for huge increases in the prices, respectively, for their hepatitis-C cures and injectors to fend off life-threatening allergic reactions. But at least we can say this about them: Their products work. That may not necessarily be true about some of the drugs for which Chicago-based Novum Pharma has raised prices as much as 40-fold. Two of the three topical gels for dermatological conditions distributed by Novum are listed by the Food and Drug Administration as only “possibly effective.” That’s one of the lower classifications in the FDA’s roster, coming below “effective” and “probably effective.” (Michael Hiltzik, 9/26)

Stat: Veterans' PTSD And Brain Injury Deserve Focused Research On New Treatments
Suppose that a million or more members of the US Armed Forces and veterans were suffering from an epidemic that could not be prevented, treated or cured — and 20 of them were dying from it every day. Would we address it as a national emergency, mobilizing resources, coordinating research, and insisting on answers? They are — but we aren’t. It’s time for that to change. Nearly 350,000 service member and veterans have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) since 2001. Even more have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Twenty veterans commit suicide every day, most of them as a direct result of these conditions. PTSD, TBI, and suicide represent an all-out epidemic. (Magali Haas, 9/26)

The Hill: When Tracking Steps Is The Wrong Step To Take
The latest research to shake up the fitness and health industry shows that wearing a fitness tracker to monitor your level of activity does not contribute to weight loss. With obesity rates affecting a third of the United States population, this comes as dismal news to those hoping that this billion-dollar industry would begin to make a dent in those statistics. ... Using fitness trackers can be an excellent source of data for many people and this study shouldn’t dissuade those finding it helpful to stop using them but the missing piece that many need to succeed is a connection between what those numbers mean and how they can affect the bigger picture of their overall health. Learning how daily nutrition fits in with step count and how stress or travel can derail a routine are important components that are individualized for each person. A health coach can stitch together a picture of health and work with an individual to find the right pieces and materials to achieve it. (Jennifer Gibson, 9/23)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Your Right To Smoke Ends When It Harms Children
When it comes to passive smoking the old saying "Your rights end where mine begin" is uncomfortably relevant. Yes, you have the right to smoke. What you do to your body is your choice. You know how lethal it is. You know the health risks, the financial costs, and all the other 1,001 negative consequences of your addiction. (Scott Stevens, 9/25)

San Antonio Press Express: Freestanding Emergency Centers Offer Real Value 
That new freestanding emergency center in your neighborhood might look like just an urgent care facility, but it is not. Freestanding emergency centers are equipped for full emergency care, and they offer patients an alternative to crowded hospital emergency rooms. There is no evidence that freestanding emergency centers produce poorer patient outcomes than hospital-based ERs. Nor is there any data suggesting patients are more at risk by seeking treatment at a freestanding facility. (Nick Peters, 9/26)

Los Angeles Times: Don't Scapegoat Big Sugar. Lots Of Food Producers Profited From The Demonization Of Fat
The recent revelation that Harvard scientists were paid off to downplay sugar’s harms in the 1960s shows how the food industry shockingly manipulated nutrition science for decades. Yet the news media has given the sugar industry too much credit. The real story about how sugar got a pass — while dietary fat and cholesterol were blamed for heart disease — reveals that other industries played a role, as did, surprisingly, many of the country’s leading scientists. (Nina Teicholz, 9/26)