- America’s public hospitals are privatizing.
- The Economist: Now is a bad time to have a heart attack. Hospitals around the world are having trouble meeting the demand.
- Wokeness comes to medical schools: Instead of thinking, “How can my patients protect themselves against health problems?” the AAMC asks medical students to think, “What kind of public collective action is necessary to confront health inequity across identifiable populations?”
- US cancer death rate is down by a third.
- Having a friend is healthier than having a life partner; it’s even as important as diet and sleep. (WaPo)
- Lottery winner gets $1.35B prize. The bulk of the prize money comes from below-average-income ticker buyers, of course, even though this lottery was created by liberal lawmakers in a liberal state. All of the critics who routinely remind us of the evils of inequality are saying …. hum … not much of anything.
Artificial Intelligence Mental Health Counseling Chatbot Worked Well Until Patients Found Out
On January 2nd I wrote about an electronic health records (EHRs) suite designed for mental health counselors. I even joked that perhaps a future version would include a mental health counselor chatbot. The following is what I had to say on the matter:
Monday Links
- Eight of the 25 major work stoppages involving 1,000 workers in 2022 were initiated by health care workers.
- Of the $586 billion spent on drugs in 2021, more than 30% ($179 billion) was captured by intermediaries such as PBMs.
- Chris Pope: America actually has five health care systems.
- An old essay that’s worth rereading: “How doctors Die.” HT: Richard Hanania.
- What its liked to be a nurse in the British NHS.
- Is there a religious (pre-Christian) argument for Canadian Euthanasia? (Ross Douthat in the NYT)
The FDA Has a Long History of Standing in the Way of Personalized Medicine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never been an agency to empower consumers. Not only does the FDA regulate and approve drugs, but the agency also regulates medical devices and at-home medical tests. Tests you can administer at home on yourself are a form of personalized medicine. The FDA has a troubled history of…