By Harris Meyer – After terrorists slammed a plane into the Pentagon on 9/11, ambulances rushed scores of the injured to community hospitals, but only three of the patients were taken to specialized trauma wards. The reason: The hospitals and ambulances had no real-time information-sharing system.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity to expand and accelerate innovative uses of electronic health information via health information exchanges (HIEs) to support state and local public health agencies.
By Stephen M. Hahn MD & Anand Shah MD – Americans may be surprised to learn that many 21st century medical products are still being manufactured using technologies commonly employed since the middle of the last century. These manufacturing platforms are not dynamic and can increase the risk of shortages, limit flexibility during an emergency, and contribute to the high cost of medical products.
By Dr. Jenifer Leaf Jaeger, MD, MPH – For more than four months we have anguished over the coronavirus outbreak and its roiling toll on humanity, including our patients and our healthcare workforce. We feel the heavy weight and worry of a public health “mess” that seems almost insurmountable.
By Samantha Young – Three months ago, the nation watched as COVID-19 patients overwhelmed New York City’s intensive care units, forcing some of its hospitals to convert cafeterias into wards and pitch tents in parking lots.
By Phil Galewitz – Elliot Truslow went to a CVS drugstore on June 15 in Tucson, Arizona, to get tested for the coronavirus. The drive-thru nasal swab test took less than 15 minutes. More than 22 days later, the University of Arizona graduate student was still waiting for results.
By Anna Abram & Mark Abdoo – The European Union (EU) is one of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s most important collaborators in tackling public heath challenges. The FDA and the European Commission (EC) and its European Medicines Agency (EMA) have long leveraged each other’s expertise and experience…
By Carmen Heredia Rodriguez & Anna Almendrala – As a contact tracer, Teresa Ayala-Castillo is sometimes asked whether herbal teas and Vicks VapoRub can treat COVID-19. These therapies aren’t exactly official health guidance, but Ayala-Castillo isn’t fazed. She listens and then suggests other ideas — like getting rest and drinking plenty of fluids.
By JoNel Aleccia & Anna Maria Barry-Jester – “Save your business while saving lives,” reads the website of Because Health, a Seattle tech startup selling two types of tests to employers willing to pay $350 a pop to learn whether their workers have been infected with COVID-19.