Insights

<p>Here we are discussing the prostate cancer screening guidelines, but what bothers me is that the patient is brought in as a footnote at the end of the analysis.</p>

<p>It’s worth checking in on some important health legislation recently signed by California Gov. Jerry Brown. These bills are expected to help Californians get better access to health care and to prepare the state for health reform.</p>

<p>Why is the FDA'S adverse events drug database in such a shambles? Scientist Keith Hoffman explains — and talks about how his company has found a business opportunity in that messy data.</p>

<p>If Americans could vote with their feet, I think too that they would want urologists to treat the truly important areas in urology, rather than a disease that the odds are will not cause trouble for most men.</p>

<p>Clearly, I don't have access to Jobs' medical records and this is all pure speculation. But there was an interesting article in this week's Newsweek by Sharon Begley that raises the issue that the treatments Jobs embarked on for his illness may have in fact hastened his demise.</p>

<p>I just posted the story that I wrote for The Center for Public Integrity, which focuses on how much money Medicare spends on unnecessary cancer screenings.&nbsp;It was a fascinating reporting journey and one that you may be able to partially replicate, as the debate heats up about the necessity of prostate cancer screening tests.</p>

<p>Today's <em>Daily Briefing</em> features new ideas about health disparities, a personal story about the right to die, and words of wisdom from Tom Brokaw.</p>

<p>Southern California Reporting on Health readers, take note of an exciting workshop taking place in Los Angeles next weekend. Spend a day with the National Association of Black Journalists and hear from local journalists about how to improve the news coverage of health issues.</p>

<p>In the war against ghostwriting in the medical literature, the rules can only get you so far.</p>