Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio

Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors

Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.

Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Crisis: Expect Pain

“We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability,” says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.