health care

The Medical Board of California accused Peter Brabeck's doctor in 2011 of overprescribing him controlled substances. Afterward, Brabeck, who lives near Carmel, Calif., learned the doctor had hired a private investigator and gave him Brabeck's medical reco

Health & Safety

Small Violations Of Medical Privacy Can Hurt Patients And Erode Trust

5:07pm December 10, 2015

by Charles Ornstein

Breaches that expose the health details of just a patient or two are proliferating nationwide. Regulators focus on larger privacy breaches and rarely take action on small ones, despite their harm.

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Medicare Penalizes 758 Hospitals For Safety Incidents

4:51pm December 10, 2015

by Jordan Rau

More than half of the hospitals punished this year were also dinged in 2014. The government has used financial carrots and now sticks to improve the quality of care.

Nadya Suleman was dubbed "Octomom" after the birth of her octuplets.

Celebrities' Medical Records Tempt Hospital Workers To Snoop

4:13pm December 10, 2015

by Charles Ornstein

When well-known performers receive health care, the details of their cases can leak. Electronic medical records make peeking easier — and also make it easier to catch the staffers who looked.

Accused Planned Parenthood Shooter Shouts 'I'm Guilty' In Court

8:00pm December 09, 2015

by Ben Markus

Robert Dear, the man accused in the mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood office at Colorado Springs, blurted he was guilty Wednesday in court, one of several outbursts during his arraignment.

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AIDS activists poured cat litter on an image of Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli during an October protest in New York.

Senate Questions 'Egregious' Price Hikes For Specialty Medicines

4:27pm December 09, 2015

by Alison Kodjak

Some companies have bought the patents for old drugs, then abruptly upped the prices — from $13 per pill to $750 in one case. Irate senators call it price gouging.

A "speedball" mix of heroin and cocaine has caused overdose deaths for decades. Today, high-risk blends may alternatively include heroin or opioid pain pills plus Klonopin, Clonidine, or Fentanyl.

Drug Cocktails Fuel Massachusetts' Overdose Crisis

7:28pm December 08, 2015

by Martha Bebinger

A state analysis reveals that the majority of overdose deaths in 2014 came from heroin or prescription opioids taken in combination with cocaine, anti-anxiety medications or alcohol.

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Medical Students See Their Mentors As Marauding Monsters

4:48pm December 08, 2015

by Julie Rovner

Comics drawn by medical students show the intimidation and abuse they say they get from their supervisors. Depression is more common in young physicians, too. That's not good for doctor or patient.

Kentucky's New Governor Could Roll Back Medicaid, Even As State Benefits

2:27pm December 08, 2015

by Ashley Lopez

Jackson County resident Angel Strong is on Medicaid, the health program for low-income Americans, but voted for Matt Bevin because she believe too many people in Jackson County rely on the government.

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Mom Left Me Money: Do I Owe Uncle Sam For My Health Subsidy?

12:42pm December 08, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Not all income is equal when it comes to figuring out eligibility for federal tax credits that help lower-income consumers pay for their health insurance premiums.

A strain of high-cannabidiol marijuana is used to create extracts used in experimental epilepsy treatments.

Marijuana Extract May Help Some Children With Epilepsy, Study Finds

6:19pm December 07, 2015

by Angus Chen

The first studies of cannabidiol show promise for treatment-resistant epilepsy, but researchers caution that these are preliminary results and bigger, better studies are needed.