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Information technology

Doctors are drowning in data entry as health IT policy lags | Newsday

It's the ninth anniversary of the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act - also known as the HITECH Act - and it's time to radically overhaul our nation's health IT policy.

How will biotech's latest bubble go pop? We asked some experts | STAT

A five-year bull run in biotech has made scientists into millionaires, booked bonuses for bankers, and put venture capitalists into increasingly fancy cars. But in an industry prone to booms and busts, insiders with long memories aren't getting too comfortable.

Safety, quality and clinical practice

This chef lost 50 pounds and reversed prediabetes with a digital program | NPR

People who are diagnosed with prediabetes can delay or prevent the disease if they change their lifestyle and lose a significant amount of weight. But here's the challenge: How can people be motivated to eat healthier and move more? Increasingly, the answer might include digital medicine.

Crowded shelters and the vicious flu brew perfect storm for the homeless | Kaiser Health News

If you're homeless, having the flu "might mean that you can't get up and manage to stay warm. You can't go get food. And if you have a substance abuse disorder and you need to maintain either alcohol or opioid use, then you go into withdrawal," said Eowyn Rieke, a board member of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

Pharmaceuticals

FDA approves first direct-to-consumer test for breast cancer risk | STAT

Federal regulators approved the first direct-to-consumer test for the BRCA genes, which increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, the agency announced on Tuesday.