Key Healthcare Issues and the 2016 Election
The 2016 Presidential election is only a few weeks away. While healthcare has not been central to the Presidential campaign, the election’s outcome will be a major determining factor in the country’s future healthcare policy. The outcome of the 2016 election is likely to influence several key healthcare issues, including […]
From Quantity to Quality: CMS MACRA Rule
On October 14, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule for the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). MACRA marks a comprehensive shift from a fee-for-service based payment system to a value-based payment system for Medicare programs. CMS states in its rule […]
The Need for Mental Health Toolkit
In 2015, one out of every four reported fatal shootings by police involved a person with a mental illness. This figure does not include injurious but non-deadly shootings. Perhaps one of the most high-profile of these cases is that of Charles Kinsey, a mental health caretaker that was shot by […]
Labelling It Healthy
What does the word “healthy” mean? The word is almost ubiquitous and is on every food, drink, or clothing label. However, there is little consensus on what the word “healthy” actually means. Does “healthy” mean low fat, low sugar, and low salt? While the word will likely still be used […]
Averting Antimicrobial Anarchy: The War on Antibiotic Resistance has Begun
On September 2, 2016, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a press release on the safety and effectiveness of antibacterial soaps, calling for the removal of 19 active ingredients, including the much used triclosan and triclocarban, from over-the-counter antibacterial hand and body washes, determining that the risks of using […]