Second Opinion

Government insurance is provided to people for medically necessary care. But, when care is not necessary should it still be provided as a benefit?

Refugees are at high risk for all the stress of changing cultures while being without their usual supports. A bit of prevention may ease their integration into American society.

But, in creating new slots we need to grow health care delivery in places where the need is greatest and the trainees will have the greatest impact on improving the community’s health.

Federal laws are putting many of our young adults in a bind and creating new disparities in health care.

Do the advantages of telemedicine suggest it is an innovation that should last past COVID?

It turns out that clinicians are not very good at estimating the probability of illness which leads to unnecessary care.

Aducanumab is not just a drug that doesn’t seem to work, but it is an enormously expensive drug but provides false hope to desperate families.

If COVID-19 has taught us anything, one lesson is that we need to rethink allowing promotions for treatments that are overdone, unnecessary, or not proven effective.

For years we have used incentives and disincentives to drive people toward specific behaviors. Is driving toward COVID immunization any different?

Rather than selecting a health care provider based on ability and training, people often rely on demographic data and look for someone they think is like them.

For years pharmaceutical companies have provide gifts and kickbacks to doctors who prescribed their drugs. Medical device manufacturers are now playing the same game and it’s costing all of us.

Asking health care providers a simple question is surprisingly accurate at predicting how long a person has to live and this information can make a big difference in how people chose to live what time they have left.

It is time to re-look at laws intended to protect victims of domestic violence as they have had unintended consequences

Involuntary hospitalization is not an easy decision to make and involves balancing ethical, moral and legal issues while trying to protect a person and society.

It turns out the number of days providers treat common infections with an antibiotic is simply too long.

For years there has been a symbiotic relationship between these two giants but its time for increased transparency and some guiderails governing appropriate behaviors.

Making a diagnosis of a mental illness can be difficult and there is a great overlap between normal and illness.

Like any drug, cannabis has risks and benefits. Unfortunately, we are still limited in our knowledge of both.

Palliative care has much to offer in wrap-around services but it is being enormously underused particularly for people with illnesses other than cancer.

A new law requires all medical records including clinician’s notes to be freely available to patients. Depending on your perspective this is either a long overdue transparency benefit or a hinderance to good medical care.

Why is that results from drug research studies are so much rosier than the experience using those same drugs in the real world?

Long acting reversible contraceptive (LARC’s) are under-used and often too expensive for many women – but this significantly restricts a woman’s contraceptive autonomy. 

There as been lots of controversy on the health impact of eating eggs but some recent good studies suggest we may finally be reaching consensus.

Sex workers often experience stigma both related to their occupation as well as to mental health issues they may face.

While it often seems better to do something, there are times when it may be better to do nothing – such as taking Vitamin D or Homeopathic medicines.