What do real-world doctors have to say about the advice dispensed on "The Dr. Oz Show?" Less than one-third of it can be backed up by even modest medical evidence. If that sounds alarming, consider this: Nearly 4 in 10 of the assertions made on the show appear to be made on the basis of no evidence at all. The researchers who fact-checked Dr. Mehmet Oz and his on-air guests were able to find legitimate studies related to 11 percent of the recommendations made on the show. However, in these cases, the recommendations ran counter to the medical literature.
Disappointed by the collapse of the Tenet Healthcare acquisition, Bristol Hospital leaders nevertheless say they remain optimistic about the community hospital's future. The 93-year-old hospital, Bristol's second-biggest employer behind ESPN, is on sound financial ground and will record a profit this year, according to President Kurt Barwis. "We never stopped executing our plan to operate as a stand-alone community hospital," Barwis said. "We have 28 new employees in training, we're recruiting physicians. We've never stopped going forward." Almost immediately after Tenet declared it was dropping plans to buy five Connecticut hospitals, officials at one – financially troubled Waterbury Hospital – warned that layoffs and service reductions could soon follow.
The Senate has passed the $1.1. trillion budget deal, clearing the way for President Obama to sign a measure that has disappointed many physician groups. The budget bill, which was passed by the House on Thursday, passed the Senate Saturday night by a vote of 56-40. The bill lacks any fix to the widely hated sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for physician reimbursement under Medicare. Also missing in action: an extension of the current pay bump for primary care physicians who see Medicaid patients.
A majority of Americans say they support a controversial piece of ObamaCare that requires large companies to offer healthcare to their employees or face fines, according to a poll released Thursday. Six in 10 people said they support the employer mandate, which goes into effect next year for businesses with 100 or more workers, according to a poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit group. The employer mandate has been a sticking point among Republicans, who are still trying to roll back the requirement.
Despite improvements over the past 10 years, America's health system is still not ready either for infectious disease emergencies or for the day-to-day business of preventing illness, a new report says. The "troubling and persistent gaps" were laid bare by the recent cases of Ebola, according to Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of the Washington-based Trust for America's Health."It was very disturbing that many of the most basic infectious disease controls failed when tested," Levi told reporters as he released Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases 2014.
Over the past two years, the New York Times series Paying Till It Hurts has examined the high costs of ordinary medical care in the United States, exposing the reasons and chronicling the human fallout behind the nation's extraordinary $2.9 trillion medical bill. In response, more than 10,000 readers shared individual experiences like the ones above. But how does a collection of often heartbreaking, often startling tales reflect national experiences and attitudes? The available data did not answer all of my questions. So, using reader comments as a starting point, The Times designed a questionnaire with CBS News and conducted a national poll this month.