Information technology
Hackers offering bulk discount to unlock encrypted MedStar data | Baltimore SunThe hackers who locked up data on MedStar's computers this week are demanding ransom to begin unlocking it — and they're offering a bulk discount to release all of it, according to a copy of the demands obtained by The Baltimore Sun.
Why hospitals are the perfect target for ransomware | WIRED
The malware works by locking your computer to prevent you from accessing data until you pay a ransom, usually demanded in Bitcoin. Hospitals are the perfect mark for this kind of extortion because they provide critical care and rely on up-to-date information from patient records.
Pharmaceuticals
Drugs you don't need for disorders you don't have: inside the pharmaceutical industry's campaign to put us all to sleep | Huffington PostIn the United States, pharmaceutical commercials are simply part of the cultural wallpaper. But just because drug ads are ubiquitous here doesn't mean they're a normal way of informing consumers about their medical options.
Physicians
Opinion: The accidental deadly drug prescription | Wall Street JournalMy patient was a college student brought into the emergency room after a minor car accident. Although CT scans showed no spinal fractures, he had severe neck pain and spasms. Instinctively, I prescribed Percocet for pain and Valium for muscle spasms. But I didn't know then what I know now: These two drugs, when taken together, could interact and cost him his life.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
Report shows Theranos testing plagued by problems | New York TimesMedical testing done by the closely watched start-up Theranos was plagued by quality control problems that could have led to inaccurate results for patients, according to an inspection report released by federal regulators on Thursday. Among other findings in the report, which ran 121 pages, the company used unqualified or inadequately trained personnel and stored samples in freezers that were not at the proper temperature.
