Politically Driven Public Health Disinformation - the Latest Examples: Dread Infections, Porn Causing White Male Impotence

It used to be all about the money. We had previously noted deceptive public relations practices, including orchestrated stealth health policy advocacy campaigns, to sell health policies favoring big health care corporations.  Third party strategies used patient advocacy organizations and medical societies that had institutional conflicts of interest<br /> due to their funding from companies selling

Politically Driven Public Health Disinformation - the Latest Examples: Dread Infections, Porn Causing White Male Impotence

It used to be all about the money. We had previously noted deceptive public relations practices, including orchestrated stealth health polic...

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How to Counter Medical/ Health Care/ Public Health Disinformation

It used to be so simple.  Yes, we had to cope with deception in marketing.  Commercial sponsors of clinical research were known to manipulate the research, and even suppress research with results unfavorable to them.  Key opinion leaders spun medical education and the media.  But it was all releatively straightforward in some senses.  It was all at least mostly based on medical knowledge and

How to Counter Medical/ Health Care/ Public Health Disinformation

It used to be so simple.  Yes, we had to cope with deception in marketing.  Commercial sponsors of clinical research were known to manipulat...

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That Old Time Revolving Door Keeps Spinning

Traditionally, the American examples we have seen of the revolving door involved people leaving leadership positions in governmental bodies which regulate health care or make health care policy then soon obtaining jobs in the health care industry, particularly organizations which they previously regulated or were affected by the policies they made, the outgoing revolving door.  These examples

That Old Time Revolving Door Keeps Spinning

Traditionally, the American examples we have seen of the revolving door involved people leaving leadership positions in governmental bodies ...

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From "Forced Injections" to "Sorcery," - More Examples of Partisan Ideology and Religious Sectarianism Trumping Evidence in Health Policy and Public Health

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is about medical-decision making based on critical review <br />of the best applicable evidence from clinical research informed by <br />knowledge og biology and medicine, of the patient's biopsychosocial <br />circumstances, the patient's values, and of ethics and morality.  Advocating EBM, and evidence-based health care, public health, and health policy was sometimes slow going,

From "Forced Injections" to "Sorcery," - More Examples of Partisan Ideology and Religious Sectarianism Trumping Evidence in Health Policy and Public Health

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is about medical-decision making based on critical review of the best applicable evidence from clinical resear...

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The New (Ab)normal in Health Care Dysfunction

Introduction: The Issues Ignored by Discusisons of Health Care Reform<br /><br />After the failed attempt to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act (ACA, Obamacare) in 2017, we summarized what we thought were the main issues that traditional discussions of health care reform in the US (and sometimes in other countries) did not address.Despite some protestations to the contrary (e.g., here), the US

The New (Ab)normal in Health Care Dysfunction

Introduction: The Issues Ignored by Discusisons of Health Care Reform After the failed attempt to "repeal and replace" the Afforda...

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Why Are We Complicit? A Narrative for Our Era

Why are seemingly good people complicit with bad things?  In health care, we have seen seemingly good health care professionals and academics silent in the face of manipulation and suppression of clinical research; deception, attacks on free speech and the press, silencing of whistleblowers;  conflicts of interest; ill-informed, incompetent, self-interested leadership; and outright corruption and

Why Are We Complicit? A Narrative for Our Era

Why are seemingly good people complicit with bad things?  In health care, we have seen seemingly good health care professionals and academic...

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April, 2019, Update: How to Challenge Health Care Corruption Under a Corrupt Regime?

In these last few weeks, the US news has been dominated by the release of a redacted verion of the Mueller report which included extensive evidence of questionable behavior by President Trump, his campaign, and various Trump associates.  This week, an editorial in Mother Jones suggested:<br /><br /><br />The Russia scandal was never, in the main, about whether the president would be prosecuted for a crime. It

April, 2019, Update: How to Challenge Health Care Corruption Under a Corrupt Regime?

In these last few weeks, the US news has been dominated by the release of a redacted verion of the Mueller report which included extensive e...

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The Rise of Ideologically or Theologically Based Medicine, Public Health, and Health Policy - Recent Examples

<br />I have long been a proponent of evidence-based medicine (EBM), and evidence-based health care, public health, and health policy.  EBM, for example, is about medical-decision making based on critical review of the best applicable evidence from clinical research informed by knowledge og biology and medicine, of the patient's biopsychosocial circumstances, the patient's values, and of ethics and

The Rise of Ideologically or Theologically Based Medicine, Public Health, and Health Policy - Recent Examples

I have long been a proponent of evidence-based medicine (EBM), and evidence-based health care, public health, and health policy.  EBM, for e...

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The HIV Epidemic, and Now the Measles Outbreak: The Russian Connection

I am old enough to remember having measles as a child, a thoroughly unpleasant experience.  Some children had much unhappier results of measles than I did.  So as a parent, I was happy to see that a reasonably effective measles vaccine had practically eliminated the disease from the US and most developed countries. <br /><br />However, we currently are in the midst of a measles outbreak in the US.  The

The HIV Epidemic, and Now the Measles Outbreak: The Russian Connection

I am old enough to remember having measles as a child, a thoroughly unpleasant experience.  Some children had much unhappier results of meas...

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First the NIH Came for the Iranian Born Legal US Resident Scientists

Transparency, honesty, and collaboration are necessary to do science, including biomedical and clinical science right.  In the US, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have always had a good reputation for transparency, honesty and collaboration, although they have had some revolving door and conflict of interest issues of late (look here, here, here here, and here).<br /><br />However, an April 3

First the NIH Came for the Iranian Born Legal US Resident Scientists

Transparency, honesty, and collaboration are necessary to do science, including biomedical and clinical science right.  In the US, the Natio...

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Why Did the Head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Outsource Communications Functions to Private Public Relations Firms? - Ethical and Legal Questions

<br />There is now never a dull moment at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).  Its current director, Seema Verma, has developed a more efficient way to combine conflicts of interest with self-interest, bad management, and possibly worse. <br /><br />Outsourcing CMS Communications to Private Public Relations Firms<br /><br /><br />In summary,

Why Did the Head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Outsource Communications Functions to Private Public Relations Firms? - Ethical and Legal Questions

There is now never a dull moment at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) an agency of the US Department of Health and Human S...

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Despite Public Protestations of of Bipartisanship, Many CEOs of the Largest US Health Care Corporations Appear Partisan, and Mainly Republican

Leaders of big health care organizations clearly are interested in <br />influencing public policy and government regulation in ways that favor <br />their organizations, and often indirectly themselves. On the other hand, big health care organizations have traditionally been non-partisan.  <br />While their leaders certainly may have political views, they used to <br />keep them very quiet.<br /><br />In this sense, the

Despite Public Protestations of of Bipartisanship, Many CEOs of the Largest US Health Care Corporations Appear Partisan, and Mainly Republican

Leaders of big health care organizations clearly are interested in influencing public policy and government regulation in ways that favor th...

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The Transparency International 2018 Corporate Political Engagement Index- Pharma Appears All Too Comfortable with the Revolving Door and Making Opaque Political Contributions

Introduction: Big Organizations, Government Policy and Regulation, and Politics <br /><br />Leaders of big health care organizations clearly are interested in influencing public policy and government regulation in ways that favor their organizations, and often indirectly themselves.  We expect such leaders and organizations to make their policy preferences known.  However, increasingly we have found that

The Transparency International 2018 Corporate Political Engagement Index- Pharma Appears All Too Comfortable with the Revolving Door and Making Opaque Political Contributions

Introduction: Big Organizations, Government Policy and Regulation, and Politics Leaders of big health care organizations clearly are interes...

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For Whom the Door Revolves: Founder and Director of Multiple Biotechnology Companies Became Director of the NCI and Now Nominated to be Acting Commissioner of the FDA

Dr Scott Gottlieb, the first commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appointed by President Trump, has announced his plans to depart.  At the time of his nomination, Dr Gottlieb's many conflicts of interest were well known (see this NY Times article, for example), as were his exceedingly friendly views of the pharmaceutical/ biotechnology industry (see this long ago post, for

For Whom the Door Revolves: Founder and Director of Multiple Biotechnology Companies Became Director of the NCI and Now Nominated to be Acting Commissioner of the FDA

Dr Scott Gottlieb, the first commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) appointed by President Trump, has announced his plans...

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Another Missing Link Discovered: 1969 IRS Rule Change Allowed US Hospitals to Discriminate Among Patients Based on Ability to Pay

Prelude: the Suits in the Elevator<br /><br />Another long night on call of my interniship was over.  Having managed to wolf down breakfast and brush my teeth, disheveled and in unwashed scrubs I stumbled into the elevator on my way to the wards.  In it were some of well-groomed people in nice suits.  They looked at me with wrinkled noses, oozing disdain.  I wondered who they were: pharmaceutical

Another Missing Link Discovered: 1969 IRS Rule Change Allowed US Hospitals to Discriminate Among Patients Based on Ability to Pay

Prelude: the Suits in the Elevator Another long night on call of my interniship was over.  Having managed to wolf down breakfast and brush m...

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Don't Know Much About Health Care and Public Health: Politicans' and Pundits' Unjustified Statements About Causation, Benefits and Risks

<br /><br />A major focus of Health Care Renewal<br /> has been problems in leadership and governance of health care <br />organizations, which we believe became major causes of health care <br />dysfunction. We have discussed how leadership is often ill-informed. <br /> More and more people leading non-profit, for-profit and government <br />health care organizations have<br /> had no training or experience in actually caring for

Don't Know Much About Health Care and Public Health: Politicans' and Pundits' Unjustified Statements About Causation, Benefits and Risks

A major focus of Health Care Renewal has been problems in leadership and governance of health care organizations, which we believe became m...

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The Revolving Door Spins Again: the Now Constant Coziness Between the Health Care Industry and US Government

Just because Washington DC is now crazy town does not mean the revolving door has stopped spinning.  We have been dutifully accumulating cases, so it is time to present our latest update.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I will divide this into two sections 1) the incoming revolving door, through which come people from the health care industry to enter US government positions in which they may influence health care

The Revolving Door Spins Again: the Now Constant Coziness Between the Health Care Industry and US Government

Just because Washington DC is now crazy town does not mean the revolving door has stopped spinning.  We have been dutifully accumulating cas...

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How Stupid Do They Think We Are? - Plutocrats Using Logical Fallacies to Defend the Health Care Status Quo

In the early 21st century, the debate about health care reform in the US ramped up.  The result ultimately was the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA, ACA, "Obamacare"), which arguably improved access to health care, made some reforms in the regulation of health care insurance, but did not affect the fundamental reliance of the US on employer-paid, for-profit health care insurance

How Stupid Do They Think We Are? - Plutocrats Using Logical Fallacies to Defend the Health Care Status Quo

In the early 21st century, the debate about health care reform in the US ramped up.  The result ultimately was the Patient Protection and Af...

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Watching the Detectives: Logical Fallacies and Unsubstantiated Claims to Denigrate Investigations of Leaders' Conflicts of Interest and Alleged Corruption

Introduction: Logical Fallacies and Unsubstantiated Claims in Defense of Conflicts of Interest in Health Care <br /><br />We have long been concerned about deceptive marketing to sell health care products, and deceptive public relations to push policy positions favorable to health care organizations' leaders.  Deceptive marketing and public relations may morph into stealth marketing and stealth advocacy,

Watching the Detectives: Logical Fallacies and Unsubstantiated Claims to Denigrate Investigations of Leaders' Conflicts of Interest and Alleged Corruption

Introduction: Logical Fallacies and Unsubstantiated Claims in Defense of Conflicts of Interest in Health Care We have long been concerned ab...

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Retaliation against physicians reporting EHR flaws that cause use errors? Physicians subpoenaed in Rhode Island, allegedly after reporting EHR risks

It appears that way to my eye.  First, on use errors (as opposed to user errors from carelessness):<br /><br /><br />“Use error” is a term used very <br />specifically by NIST to refer to user interface designs that will <br />engender users to make errors of commission or omission. It is true that<br /> users do make errors, but many errors are due not to user error per se <br />but due to designs that are flawed, e.g., poorly

Retaliation against physicians reporting EHR flaws that cause use errors? Physicians subpoenaed in Rhode Island, allegedly after reporting EHR risks

It appears that way to my eye.  First, on use errors (as opposed to user errors from carelessness): “Use error” is a term used very specific...

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More Than Just Dander

First, a sort of meta-comment in the form of a shout-out to HCRenewal's intrepid editor, Dr. Roy Poses, for his just-published analysis of what we might call "blogging: rise and fall." He sees decline reflected in publications long  devoted to health and health policy, yet now flaking off.<br /><br />Methinks, however, despite the usefulness of his overview of recent decades, Dr. P need not fret

More Than Just Dander

First, a sort of meta-comment in the form of a shout-out to HCRenewal's intrepid editor, Dr. Roy Poses, for his just-published analysis ...

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Experts declare physician burnout ‘a public health crisis’ - and health IT a significant pathogen

I'm certain when the information technology hyperenthusiasts and <br />non-clinical management information systems "experts" and pundits get the technology<br /> all figured out, this burnout crisis will end.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />It will be about the same <br />time as Zefram Cochrane invents the warp drive in Bozeman, Montana just <br />prior to first contact by the Vulcans. That is in 2063 or so.<br /><br /><br /><br />Experts declare physician

Experts declare physician burnout ‘a public health crisis’ - and health IT a significant pathogen

I'm certain when the information technology hyperenthusiasts and non-clinical management information systems "experts" and pun...

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Return of the Anechoic Effect - Rest in Peace, Health Wonk Review

Introduction: Blogging About Taboo Topics in Health Care <br /><br />We started Health Care Renewal in 2004 to discuss the causes of health care dysfunction that rarely were mentioned in polite conversation at the time.  When we started Health Care Renewal, such issues as suppression and <br />manipulation of research, and health care professionals' conflicts of interests rarely appeared in the media or in

Return of the Anechoic Effect - Rest in Peace, Health Wonk Review

Introduction: Blogging About Taboo Topics in Health Care We started Health Care Renewal in 2004 to discuss the causes of health care dysfunc...

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The Mysteries Surrounding Rhodes Pharmaceuticals, the Sackler Family's Second Opioid Company

<br /><br /><br /><br /> Mysteries still abound in the not so wonderful world of health care dysfunction, so, quick, the game's afoot...<br /><br />Today's mysteries involve beneficial ownership.  Beneficial ownership questions are important to anti-corruption campaigners.  Beneficial ownership simply refers to "anyone who enjoys the benefits of ownership of a security or property, without being on the record as being the

The Mysteries Surrounding Rhodes Pharmaceuticals, the Sackler Family's Second Opioid Company

 Mysteries still abound in the not so wonderful world of health care dysfunction, so, quick, the game's afoot... Today's mysteries i...

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For the Years of Investigation to Come: a Guide to Resources for Challenging Health Care Corruption

The Enduring Problem of Health Care Corruption <br /><br />Now arrives the years of investigation.  Here in the US, a new majority in the US House of Representatives promises multi-pronged investigations of, among other topics, the corruption that now seems pervasive at the highest reaches of the US government, corruption that has badly affected efforts to truly reform US health care (look here). 

For the Years of Investigation to Come: a Guide to Resources for Challenging Health Care Corruption

The Enduring Problem of Health Care Corruption Now arrives the years of investigation.  Here in the US, a new majority in the US House of Re...

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