News

One year ago, the New York Times reported on a series of serious medical errors that had occurred during the administration of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy, or IMRT. IMRT is a relatively new technology that uses sophisticated equipment to deliver high doses of radiation to very specific areas of the body, while sparing normal tissue. When administered correctly, IMRT can …

Since the January 31 decision by the Florida court that struck down the entire Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional, there has been endless speculation about what the court ruling means and what will happen next. Some Attorneys General who were party to the lawsuit have asked for an expedited decision by the Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the law; …

In my role at CHRT, I work daily with the best research minds in the country and I work with communities and “grass roots” groups. I often describe what I do as bridging two worlds and helping to translate and balance between them. The work engages solid research design but in ways that are practical and able to be translated …

Ever since Bill Clinton took a turn at health care reform, the issue has often been discussed as an economic one. Bill Clinton first framed the health reform issue in 1992 before he took office. He had famously kept as a center piece of his campaign the idea that “it’s the economy, stupid” and health care became part of that …

The terrible shootings in Arizona have been described, mourned and their causes much discussed.  There has been a particular debate about whether these crimes could possibly have been encouraged by some of the more heated political discourse that has occurred in this country over the past year or so. While it seems likely that when all is said and done, …

The Arizona Medicaid program has been much in the news lately for its decisions to deny Medicaid coverage for certain transplants. The state has variously argued several things about these decisions. First, that these are evidence based decisions; that is, that the transplants were denied because the research shows that they don’t actually work. But, when challenged by transplant surgeons …

One of the big issues that prompted the passage of health reform last year was the 39 percent rate increase proposed by Anthem California for the individual market. That action both strengthened the will of the Democrats to enact health care reform and provided a clear cut talking point about the need for reform. As a result, one of the …

Much has been written this past week about the Virginia federal court decision about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. While many have described the decision as politically motivated and delved into the politics of the various judges who have ruled or are about to rule on the Affordable Care Act, the more interesting question is: What is likely …

In 2007, the COURAGE trial (aka: Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation –a mouthful!) results were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study concluded that for those with stable coronary artery disease, the insertion of stents was no better than medication and lifestyle changes at preventing future heart attacks or strokes, nor did it extend life. There …