Safety, quality and clinical practice
Is alcohol good for you? An industry-backed study seeks answers | The New York Times
Five alcoholic beverage manufacturers are fronting the bill for a new NIH clinical trial that seeks the answer to a vexingly unanswered question: Is one drink a day good for you?
In the U.S., infant mortality gap costs the lives of about 4,000 black babies each year | Los Angeles Times
The infant mortality rate has been falling recently, and though it's fallen more for black infants than white infants, that decrease hasn't made up for the gap in care between the two groups.
Information technology
Insider theft compromises data of rehab center residents | Health Data Management
A former employee of White Blossom Care Center, a post-acute rehab facility, may have gained unauthorized access to about 800 residents' protected health information.
Pharmaceuticals
Allergan inks $13M settlement in whistleblower marketing suit | Fierce Pharma
The suit alleged Allergan violated the False Claims Act by paying doctors to attend meetings and dinners, among other infractions.
Medical devices
Drug and device makers paid doctors $8.18 billion in 2016, CMS data show | Healthcare IT News
Doctors and hospitals received $8.18 billion in payments in 2016 from drug makers and medical device manufacturers, according to CMS Open Payments Data, which the agency aims to use to reveal the financial connections among doctors, teaching hospitals, and manufacturers.
In other news
Therapy animals are everywhere. Proof that they help is not. | The Washington Post
Llamas are in hospitals, pigs are in airports, and dogs are everywhere. But these emotional-support animals may not actually be doing what their names claims they do.
