Articles
As Record Heat Sweeps the US, Some People Must Choose Between Food and Energy Bills
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — During the heat dome that blanketed much of the Southeast in June, Stacey Freeman used window units to cool her poorly insulated mobile home in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Over the winter, the 44-year-old mom relied on space heaters. In both instances, her energy bills reached hundreds of dollars a month. “Sometimes I…
Thanks to Reddit, a New Diagnosis Is Bubbling Up Across the Nation
In a video posted to Reddit this summer, Lucie Rosenthal’s face starts focused and uncertain, looking intently into the camera, before it happens. She releases a succinct, croak-like belch. Then, it’s wide-eyed surprise, followed by rollicking laughter. “I got it!” the Denver resident says after what was her second burp ever. “It’s really rocking my…
Headline: Moving the bar(rier) forward: the benefits of de-risking cytokine release syndrome
By SAMANTHA MCCLENAHAN Every breakthrough in cancer treatment brings hope, but it also comes with a staggering price, raising a critical question: how do we balance groundbreaking advances with the financial reality that could limit access for many patients? Developing new cancer medications involves extensive research, clinical trials, and regulatory approvals; a lengthy process that…
How should family spillover effects be measured in HTA?
A paper by Campbell et al. (2024) provides some guidance. The authors developed a series of recommendations based on literature review, expert interviews and an expert workshop in order to support consistent and transparent evaluation and use of validated family spillover effects in health technology assessments (HTA) and cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA). The expert panel consisted…
Everything you ever want to know about birth control and much more — Sophia Yen, Pandia Health
Dr. Sophia Yen is the Chief Medical Officer (and Founder) of Pandia Health. She is about as expert as it comes on the topics contraception, emergency contraception, medication abortion, menopause and lots more. Her PR peeps asked if I’d interview her about Pandia Health, which is a fantastic online clinic & pharmacy for women at…
Patients Suffer When Indian Health Service Doesn’t Pay for Outside Care
When the Indian Health Service can’t provide medical care to Native Americans, the federal agency can refer them elsewhere. But each year, it rejects tens of thousands of requests to fund those appointments, forcing patients to go without treatment or pay daunting medical bills out of their own pockets. In theory, Native Americans are entitled…
Errors in Deloitte-Run Medicaid Systems Can Cost Millions and Take Years To Fix
The computer systems run by the consulting giant Deloitte that millions of Americans rely on for Medicaid and other government benefits are prone to errors that can take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to update. While states wait for fixes from Deloitte, beneficiaries risk losing access to health care and food. Changes needed…
Boom, Now Bust: Budget Cuts and Layoffs Take Hold in Public Health
Even as federal aid poured into state budgets in response to the covid-19 pandemic, public health leaders warned of a boom-and-bust funding cycle on the horizon as the emergency ended and federal grants sunsetted. Now, that drought has become reality and state governments are slashing budgets that feed local health departments. Congress allotted more than…
What is the right sample size for a qualitative interview study?
The answer to this question, of course, depends on your specific research question. However, it is helpful to review what has been done in previous literature. A paper by Vasileiou et al. (2018) conducted a systematic literature review of all published studies using a single-interview-per-participant designs within three health-related journals: British Medical Journal (BMJ), British…