Antibiotic Resistance Among Children on the Rise
More and more children who are hospitalized in the United States are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, aka “superbugs.” Newsweek reported that while instances of superbugs in children were only 1.5% of all infections in 2015, the proportion of these infections had been just 0.2% in 2007. In addition, these children mostly weren’t contracting the superbug in the hospital. The infection was already present in many of the children when they were admitted, which indicates more superbugs are in communities.
Stepping Up Inspections at Certain Hospitals
The California Department of Public Health will increase inspections at facilities with high patient infection rates. According to the Los Angeles Times, a nonprofit group had published a list of hospitals with high infection rates that had not been inspected in years. As a result, the state, which has been backed up on inspecting facilities, will prioritize hospitals based on how long it has been since the last review and the hospital’s own reported rate of infections.
Patient Advocacy Groups Receive Industry Funding
More than 80% of patient advocacy groups, tasked with representing the interests of patients, receive funding from drug and medical-device companies, reported The New York Times. In some cases, funding made up more than half of the group’s annual income, plus industry executives sit on the boards of 40% of groups. Patient groups are less transparent about conflicts of interest and can be vague when it comes to disclosing their donations, but they maintain that they are not influenced by their corporate donors.
Study: SGLT2is Should Be Continued Despite Initial eGFR Decline in Patients With HFmrEF/HFpEF
December 6th 2023Despite an initial drop in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after 1 month of dapagliflozin, researchers say this is not associated with subsequent risk of cardiovascular or kidney events for patients with heart failure with mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
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Understanding the Unmet Need for Therapies to Treat Rare Bile Duct Cancer
May 24th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we bring you an excerpt of an interview with a co-chair of the 2022 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) annual conference, held earlier this year, about the significant unmet therapy needs facing most patients with this rare cancer.
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Exclusive Telemedicine Use Linked to Less Favorable Glycemic Outcomes for T2D Endocrinology Care
December 6th 2023Adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) undergoing endocrinology care are more likely to experience less favorable hemoglobin A1c improvements if they only use telemedicine compared with patients using in-person care or a mix of both.
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