Privacy violations rising at Veterans Affairs facilities | ProPublica
A ProPublica review of VA data shows that since 2011, employees and contractors for the agency have been responsible for more than 10,000 breaches of patient privacy, and the VA has been cited by the Office for Civil Rights at HHS more often than any other healthcare provider in the country.
Health insurers to face fines for not correcting doctor directories | Wall Street Journal
Patients and providers have long complained that insurers do a poor job of keeping provider directories up-to-date, but that may soon change. Beginning Friday, the CMS can begin fining insurers up to $25,000 per Medicare Advantage beneficiary and up to $100 per beneficiary enrolled in plans through the federal insurance exchange for errors in directories listing participating plan doctors.
Ultrasound may be useful supplemental test for breast cancer | Reuters
A new study has found that ultrasounds did a better job of picking up invasive breast cancer and cancers without calcifications in women with dense breasts than mammography. Mammography was better at detecting cancers with calcifications. But the study also found that ultrasound picked up more false positives.
Opioids still prescribed to those who overdose | U.S. News and World Report
Over 90% of patients who have overdosed on opioids continued to receive prescriptions for the addictive painkillers, according to a study published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In 70% of cases, the same doctor who provided the initial prescription continued to prescribe opioids after an overdose.
