Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: We Have No Idea How Many Humans Have Bird Flu; Finally, OTC Birth Control Is On Shelves
Bloomberg: Start Mass Testing Dairy Workers For Bird Flu
Given how devastating another global pandemic would be, the US should start mass testing of dairy workers for the bird flu virus that’s spreading fast through cows. If necessary, either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the US Department of Agriculture should pay people to get tested. (F.D. Flam, 4/26)
The Washington Post: Finally, Birth Control Pills Can Be Purchased Over The Counter
Over the past few weeks, you might have noticed something new on the shelves of your local pharmacy: The first over-the-counter birth control pill, which its manufacturer started shipping to retailers after the Food and Drug Administration finally allowed it to be sold in stores and online without a prescription. (Leana S. Wen, 4/25)
Stat: Veterans' Should Have Easy Access To Health Care. Sadly, They Don't
I remember the day I left the military after six years of active-duty service. The crisp salute, the finality of it all. I was stepping into a world vastly different from the regimented life I had known. As a third-generation veteran, the military was more than a career; it was a legacy. But what I didn’t realize then was that leaving the military would mean entering a labyrinth of health care bureaucracy that seemed designed to confound and discourage. (Jenn Kerfoot, 4/29)
Stat: Solving Academic Medical Centers' Existential Crisis
Hospitals and health care systems across the United States have long been expected to provide patients with high-quality, cutting-edge care and outcomes — while staying cost-effective. Their shared mission is to continue to improve the care they provide their patients; their shared responsibility is to do so without increasing costs by shifting from fee-for-service to value-based care. (Ravi Thadhani and Anne Klibanski, 4/26)
Stat: Medical Students Are Caught In The Residency 'Research Arms Race'
"Going to medical Spanish class really isn’t worth my time. I’d rather use the time to do research,” one of my classmates told me during the first week of my first year of medical school. Such a comment was my introduction to the publish-or-perish environment that is increasingly pervasive amongst medical students. (Anmol Shrestha, 4/29)
