December 2011 - NPR Health Blog - The Network of Care

Facebook Aims To Prevent Suicides With Online Help

Facebook says it will connect people who post items about suicidal thoughts with crisis counselors via its chat service. But the intervention comes with privacy questions. Any information posted on Facebook is public information, and can be used by marketers...

Published Tue, Dec 13 2011 11:44 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Hospitals Torn On Reducing Repeat Admissions

Patients admitted repeatedly to hospitals can be a big source of revenue and a big quality problem. Soon Medicare will penalize hospitals that readmit too many patients too often. Hospitals are trying some new approaches to care to get ready for the change...

Published Wed, Dec 14 2011 2:51 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Once Routine, Autopsies Now Scarce At U.S. Hospitals

Hospitals have financial incentives to avoid autopsies. And a decline in the number of postmortem examinations performed means lost opportunities for improving medical care and distortions in health care statistics. Read More...

Published Thu, Dec 15 2011 9:48 AM by Shots - Health Blog

For Black Girls, Lack Of Exercise Heightens Obesity Risk

About half of African-American women in the U.S. are obese, compared to 30 percent of white women. Black women not only carry more weight, but they start piling on extra pounds years before their white counterparts. Around age 8 or 9, girls become less...

Published Mon, Dec 19 2011 12:27 AM by Shots - Health Blog

U.S. Says Details Of Flu Experiments Should Stay Secret

In a landmark decision, an expert panel that advises the government on research security says key details of work on the contagiousness of flu viruses should not be published openly. I Read More...

Published Tue, Dec 20 2011 11:36 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Lack Of Autopsies After Elderly Die Conceals Health Flaws

Many jurisdictions have stopped doing autopsies on people who died over the age of 60, unless it was obvious that a violent death occurred. A lack of resources, both financial and staffing, is often blamed. Read More...

Published Wed, Dec 21 2011 11:27 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Bedbug Infestations Are A Family Affair

Bedbugs' eagerness to mate with their kin is one reason their populations have taken off so dramatically, new research suggests. Inbreeding comes naturally to them, and it doesn't seem to hurt their offspring much, as is the case with most other...

Published Tue, Dec 06 2011 8:52 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Teenage Girls Will Still Need A Prescription For 'Plan B'

The Food and Drug Administration had decided that a version of the morning-after emergency contraceptive pill could be sold without a prescription to buyers of any age. But the head of the Department of Health and Human Services overruled the FDA. Read...

Published Wed, Dec 07 2011 10:10 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Women's Groups Outraged By Ruling On Morning-After Pill

The Health and Human Services secretary overruled the FDA's opinion that the "Plan B" emergency contraceptive pill is safe and effective enough to be sold without a prescription — and without any age restrictions. Women's health advocates...

Published Thu, Dec 08 2011 2:00 AM by Shots - Health Blog

A Deadly Fire That Changed How Hospitals Are Built

A ferocious fire at the largest hospital in Hartford, Conn., killed 16 people 50 years ago. The results of an investigation into the blaze led stricter fire codes and construction standards for hospitals across the country. Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 09 2011 10:27 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Care For Earliest Preemies Improves, But Low Birth Weight Remains Risky

Even very tiny preemies sometimes turn out OK, as shown by the stories of two girls who were among the smallest preemies to survive. But infants born very early and weighing very little can face a lifetime of health problems. Read More...

Published Mon, Dec 12 2011 12:55 PM by Shots - Health Blog

MRIs More Likely To Be Negative When The Doctor Profits

Maybe you didn't need that MRI, but your doctor did. Scans are more likely to find no problems if doctors make money from the MRI, a study concludes. Congress and the states have tried to crack down on doctors self-referring to scanners they own,...

Published Thu, Dec 01 2011 10:02 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Apps Can Help You Take A Pill, But Privacy's A Big Question

Apps that track personal health information can be really convenient. But they may be a big privacy risk. App makers aren't controlled by federal health privacy laws, so what they do with sensitive information is up to them. Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 02 2011 8:08 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Siri's Position On Abortion? A Glitch, Not Conspiracy, Apple Says

When it was discovered earlier this week that Apple's new iPhone assistant had trouble telling users where to find abortion providers, abortion rights groups immediately cried foul. Read More...

Published Fri, Dec 02 2011 3:08 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Report: Cuts In Federal Funding Put Public Health Preparedness At Risk

State and local health departments are better prepared to handle for public health emergencies since the Sept. 11 attacks. But budget cuts are chipping away at those gains. Read More...

Published Thu, Dec 22 2011 2:20 PM by Shots - Health Blog

December 2011 - NPR Health Blog

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