Health Care AI, Intended To Save Money, Turns Out To Require a Lot of Expensive Humans
By Darius Tahir
Despite the hype over artificial intelligence in medicine, the systems require consistent monitoring and staffing to put in place and maintain. Checking whether an algorithm has developed the software equivalent of a blown gasket can be complicated — and expensive.
An Arm and a Leg: A Listener Fighting the Good Fight
By Dan Weissmann
A medical resident who listens to “An Arm and a Leg” is pushing for change with the American Medical Association and at the hospital where he works.
Daily Edition for Monday, January 6, 2025
Independent Pharmacy Will Open Jan. 13 In Santa Rosa: A new, independently owned pharmacy, Santa Rosa Pharmacy, is coming to the downtown area, aimed at filling the need not just for prescriptions but also for personalized community care. Previously, Tuttle’s Pharmacy served the area for nearly eight decades before selling its two locations to Rite Aid in early 2024. Read more from The Press Democrat.
Listen: NPR and KFF Health News Explore How Racism and Violence Hurt Health
By Cara Anthony
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony and Emily Kwong, host of NPR’s podcast “Shortwave,” talk about Black families living in the aftermath of lynchings and police killings.
Health Insurers Limit Coverage of Prosthetic Limbs, Questioning Their Medical Necessity
By Michelle Andrews
Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for “insurance fairness” on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don’t face the same kinds of coverage challenges.
Health Care Is Newsom’s Biggest Unfinished Project. Trump Complicates That Task.
By Angela Hart and Christine Mai-Duc
As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters the second half of his final term, health care stands out as his most ambitious but glaringly incomplete initiative for California residents. The issue will likely shape his national profile for better or worse. And now, Donald Trump brings a new wrinkle.
La salud, un proyecto inconcluso del gobernador de California
By Angela Hart and Christine Mai-Duc
Algunas de las iniciativas emblemáticas de Newsom en materia de salud, que podrían definir su perfil en el escenario nacional, están en peligro con el regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca.
Daily Edition for Friday, January 3, 2025
Ultra-processed foods, alcohol cancer risks, bird flu, the housing crisis, Tricare, psychedelics, weight loss drugs, and more.
Stimulant Users Are Caught in Fatal ‘Fourth Wave’ of Opioid Epidemic
By Lynn Arditi, The Public’s Radio
The migration of fentanyl into illicit stimulants such as cocaine is especially dangerous for people who are not regular opioid users. That’s because they have a low tolerance for opioids, putting them at greater risk of an overdose. They also often don’t take precautions — such as not using alone and carrying the opioid reversal medication naloxone — so they’re unprepared if they overdose.
Syringe Exchange Fears Hobble Fight Against West Virginia HIV Outbreak
By Taylor Sisk
Health workers and researchers say an HIV outbreak in West Virginia that three years ago was called “the most concerning” in the U.S. continues to spread after state and local officials restricted syringe service programs.
