William Heisel, former investigative reporter for the Los Angeles Times, writes about investigative health reporting. He is currently the director of global engagement at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
How likely are you to get hooked if you start taking prescription painkillers? There's scant evidence because most painkiller studies focus on whether they work. Whether they are addictive is logged merely as a side effect.
What Louisa Benitez saw in the hospital ahead of her son's heart surgery heightened her anxiety about the procedure and his risk for infection. Nurses and doctors were walking in and out in their surgical scrubs. Getting coffee. Sitting down with a magazine and eating a sandwich.
Two experts respond to evidence about the potential risk for a patient without a history of addiction to become addicted to opioid pain killers.
Dr. Andrew Kolodny, the chief medical officer for the Phoenix House discusses evidence-based addiction treatment and the risk of addiction among patients treated with opioids.
Dr. Andrew Kolodny is the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President at Phoenix House Foundation in New York. He’s also a go-to source for journalists looking for perspective on the nation’s prescription drug abuse problem.
Duane Middleton died shortly after a routine colonoscopy. Then his life insurance provider denied his wife any benefits, a decision later held up in court. So how could three judges conclude that Middleton's death didn't qualify as an "accident"?
Duane Middleton's colon was torn during a colonoscopy, and he died shortly after. His death was ruled an accident. But when Middleton's wife sought benefits from his insurance policy, she was told his death didn't meet the policy's definition of an accident.
Duane Middleton died at the age of 54, from complications following a colonoscopy. Such complications are exceedingly rare. Where then does that leave his family?
Wearing gloves and gowns in health care settings lower infection rates, a new study shows. But, wait. Wearing gloves and gowns doesn’t lower infection rates. That’s from the same study. And hence the media's confusion.
Unlike hip and knee replacements, pacemakers generally come with warranties. While this might relieve you if you have device problems, companies can still argue about what a warranty covers and patients can end up in court.
