11/15
Health Care Policy
100 years of insulin
On July 27, 1921, Canadian doctors Frederick Banting and Charles Best successfully isolated the hormone insulin, one of the most important breakthroughs in treating diabetes. Experts from around the University share their thoughts on the medical triumph on the 100th anniversary.
Advocating reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners
The current Medicare reimbursement policy for nurse practitioners allows them to directly bill Medicare for services that they perform, but they are reimbursed at only 85% of the physician rate. A new Penn Nursing article argues that payment parity is essential.
The SCOTUS decision that keeps the Affordable Care Act intact
Penn Law professor Allison Hoffman, an expert on health care law and policy, explains the ruling on California v. Texas, the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
‘Global Health Justice and Governance’
In a special issue of the journal Global Health Governance, seven experts reflect upon Jennifer Prah Ruger’s call for a new model of global public health that prioritizes equity and cooperation between nations and agencies.
Minimum nurse-to-patient ratios policy saves lives and lowers costs
A new study shows that a policy establishing minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals saves lives, prevents readmissions, shortens hospital stays, and reduces costs.
A link between gun violence on TV and firearm deaths
Research from Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Daniel Romer and Patrick E. Jamieson found that gun use on television doubled from 2000 to 2018, rising in parallel with the proportion of homicides from firearms in the U.S. during the same period.
Medication access for opioid use disorder lower among those in criminal justice system
Penn Medicine research finds Medicaid expansion helps increase access to medications for opioid use disorder, but limitations exist to broadening access.
How to foster supported decision making for adults with cognitive impairment
Supported decision making helps medical professionals identify what people living with dementia can do, not what they can’t.
Philly Police now transport 2 of every 3 gunshot victims to hospital
A new study shows that Philadelphia Police transport two of every three gunshot or stabbing victims to area trauma centers, helping ensure exceptional survival rates.
Two Penn faculty named Hastings Center Fellows
Scott D. Halpern and Jennifer Prah Ruger are acknowledged for their outstanding accomplishments in ethics and health.
In the News
How Kennedy could make it harder for you and your family to get vaccinated
In a co-written opinion essay, PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel explains how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies in the Trump administration could discourage the use and research of vaccines.
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Penn is giving out free gun safes to help Philadelphians secure their firearms
Penn Medicine is giving out gun safes and locks to help people keep their firearms safe from children in the home, with remarks from Sunny V. Jackson and Neda Khan.
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Elon Musk asked people to upload their health data. X users obliged
Matthew McCoy of the Perelman School of Medicine recommends not contributing private health data to the X chatbot Grok as an individual user.
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Nurse suicides high during the pandemic, but feared surge never materialized
K. Jane Muir of the School of Nursing says that safeguards for nurses need to be strengthened given their higher rates of suicide compared to the general population.
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Can ‘magic’ mushrooms help one of the most painful conditions?
Dominic Sisti of the Perelman School of Medicine says there’s compelling evidence that psilocybin is efficacious, safe, and seems to help people with cluster headaches.
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Being a patient can be a full-time job. This ICU nurse wants to make it easier
Michael Anne Kyle of the Perelman School of Medicine is linking survey data and medical records to determine exactly how administrative burdens impact health care.
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