Viewpoints: Ideas For Combating Medical Misinformation; Congress Must Act On Substance-Use Disorder
Editorial writers discuss these issues and more.
Newsweek:
Fighting Words In A COVID-19 Pandemic—Combating An Era Of Denialism
Physicians are taught to respect individuals' autonomy, guiding decision-making for their medical care beneficently, without maleficence, and justly. What do we do when patients make potentially harmful medical decisions for themselves or others? Hippocrates tells us, "Primum non nocere," or "First do no harm." (Jessica Tuan, 6/6)
USA Today:
Opioid Crisis Isn't Over For Black Americans. Congress Can't Ignore It
As the former surgeon general of the United States and a Black man, I feel compelled to tell Congress: Black Americans need your help. Substance use disorder affects communities across America, but it doesn’t affect all communities the same. The epidemic of addiction and overdose disproportionately impacts Black Americans. (Dr. Jerome Adams, 6/7)
Stat:
Study: Why Relieving Medical Debt Did Not Improve Financial Outcomes
Philanthropists and foundations like the one I work for take a lot of calculated risks. We invest in research, advocacy, strategic communications, technical assistance, and many other activities, hoping they will help us advance our strategic priorities. We evaluate our efforts whenever we can, but many defy measurement — assessing the impact of our work is a persistent challenge. Results from a recent study, currently published as a National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper, on the important topic of medical debt relief provided an all-too-rare burst of clarity. (Katherine Hempstead, 6/7)
Bloomberg:
Private Equity In Health Care Needs More Transparency
Steward Health Care System LLC was once thought to be the future. Its chief executive officer, Ralph de la Torre, was named “health care’s new maverick” by Fortune in 2012. With the help of private equity giant Cerberus Capital Management LP, de la Torre turned six Boston-area facilities into one of the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chains. (6/4)
