Insights

Did 87 California hospitals really go three years without any major patient care mistakes? Answers and more in our Daily Briefing.

<p>If you have the misfortune of suffering a heart attack, you hope at least a few things might go right when you are wheeled into the ER.</p> <p>You hope the doctor on duty will give you the right tests.</p> <p>You hope the doctor will read those tests correctly to make a solid diagnosis.</p> <p>You hope the doctor will admit you to the hospital if you need further care.</p>

<p>When Toni Yancey gave me a copy of <em>Instant Recess</em>, her new book published by UC Press, I diligently began reading, expecting measured and important public health advice, solid research, all carefully relayed in an academic tone.</p>

<p>Robert Niles at the <em>Online Journalism Review </em>wrote a blog post on Nov. 12 listing his top five picks for&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ojr.org/ojr/people/robert/201011/1908/">beats at a local website or newspaper</a>. He lists food, education, labor, business and faith. The omission of a health beat rankled some of Niles' readers and raised some important questions about local health reporting. <strong>Where should health as a specialized beat fall on the local news totem pole? Can health be covered well by food and business beats?

<p>Pop quiz: Which scenario will cause a doctor to lose her license in Tennessee?</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">A. You go into business with a convicted murderer, who also happens to be your husband, and you get caught selling drugs illegally, resulting in a felony conviction.</p> <p style="padding-left: 30px;">B. You fall behind on your professional license fees.</p> <p>If you answered “B” you are right.</p>

The connection between Native Americans, Ben Franklin and big pharma, BPA and Agent Orange, and "value for money" in health care

<p>Studies show that many people faced with home loss and housing uncertainty <a href="http://www.docgurley.com/2010/11/23/will-losing-your-home-kill-you/">can take a tremendous hit to their health</a>. If you're going through difficult times, and worried you too may lose your home, what can you do to try to buffer or reclaim your health?</p> <p>Here are some tips for ways to counteract some of the toll that constant stress (and the insomnia, distraction and desperation that go with it) can take on your health:</p>

This is one in a series of articles examining the relationship between housing loss and death in San Francisco. Check out the previous articles in the series, Looking for death, and Gunpowder on the streets....

<p><img src="http://cu.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/13706.jpg&quot; style="float: left; margin-left: 15px; margin-right: 15px;" />Here are five more great ideas I picked up at the Consumers Union Safe Patient Summit last week in Austin. The first five were <a href="../../../../../../../../blogs/