Health Headlines for Wednesday, May 4
Medical Errors May Cause Over 250,000 Deaths a Year
New York Times/Blog
If medical error were considered a disease, a new study has found, it would be the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer.
Getting High From This Drug For Diarrhea Can Be Fatal
NPR
Some people addicted to oxycodone and other opioids are now turning to widely available diarrhea medications to manage their withdrawal symptoms or get high.
What price rescue for public hospitals? City budget can’t sustain de Blasio’s health care financial fix
New York Daily News
New York can no longer afford our expensive habit of ignoring or deferring the fiscal crisis brewing at Health + Hospitals, into which Mayor de Blasio recently announced that the city will pump $700 million — warning that the number could swell to more than $2 billion by 2020.
Smokers’ Ranks Look Conspicuously Sparse In Obamacare
Kaiser Health News
Barred from restaurants, banned on airplanes and unwelcome in workplaces across America, smokers have become accustomed to hiding their habits. So it’s no surprise many may now also be denying their habit when they buy health coverage from the federal health law’s insurance exchanges.
Jury still out on celiac disease screening, U.S. doctors say
Reuters
There isn’t enough evidence yet to say whether widespread screening for celiac disease makes sense, according to draft guidelines proposed by U.S. physicians.
Polluted air may up risk of many cancers
Reuters
For elderly people in Hong Kong, long term exposure to fine-particle air pollution is tied to an increased risk of dying from many cancers, including breast, liver and pancreatic cancer, in addition to the expected lung cancer risk, according to a new study.
Martin Shkreli may face more charges in securities case
Crain’s New York Business
Disgraced drug company founder Martin Shkreli isn’t rushing to have his next showdown with the government. The 33-year-old former executive asked a judge to wait before setting a trial date for his securities fraud casem because he could soon face more charges.
Even with cash, digital health startups may find it difficult to attract new customers
Crain’s New York Business
As digital health startups proliferate in New York City, local health care providers are fielding more pitches than ever before—but it’s unclear whether these startups are truly meeting the industry’s needs.