Insights

Preliminary findings from the completed INTERSTROKE study, presented for the first time this week at the World Heart Federation’s World Congress of Cardiology, include new and important results. INTERSTROKE evaluates the importance of risk factors for stroke.

The University of Kentucky sued a reporter seeking surgical death rates and has steadfastly fought against their release, wasting time, money and reputations. Parents still aren’t any closer to understanding if their children were worse off at the hospital than elsewhere.

New data presented Monday at the World Congress of Cardiology in Melbourne, Australia shows a significant improvement in both patient adherence and risk factor control when patients at high risk of heart attack or stroke receive a polypill — a fixed-dose combination of drugs.

Are patients more likely to comparison shop when states increase pricing transparency? A recent report found that while New Hampshire's effort was effective in highlighting price gaps between providers, consumer response was tepid and costs didn't go down.

The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education (MIJE) is looking for 10 journalist to participate in two 90-minute webinars and write or produce a story on mental health issues in their community. Check out the opportunity here!

Our national health statistics suggest that health providers need to do more on the preventative health front. One way to do that is to view the hospital as a resource not only to treat disease but to prevent disease and model wellness. On-site farmers' markets are a step in the right direction.

A new analysis looks at the results of banning willful defiance suspensions in public schools. The report suggests that such suspensions are not just an educational issue, but have far-reaching impacts on public health and well-being.

A new study finds the average home is a prime reservoir of drug-resistant bacteria MRSA. For reporters, the study opens up a new set of story ideas while providing a fresh opportunity to think about how we write about such infections.

These eight myths about serious mental illness cause Congress to waste money and fail to implement policies that can improve care and keep patients public and police safer.   ...

The U.S. is way behind in switching to a more expansive system of diagnostic and procedure codes, which are far better at tracking diseases. Even worse, the rest of the world will switch to a newer medical coding system less than two years after the U.S. finally adopts ICD-10 in October 2015.