Study: Patients Cared For by Female Doctors Fare Better Than Those Treated by Men

A new study, published in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) International, reports that Medicare patients over the age of 80 were less likely to die or be readmitted within 30 days if they were treated by a female doctor; estimates based on the findings indicate that as many as 32,000 annual deaths may have been avoided if the provider had been female. While the study does not draw conclusions regarding why this is the case, anecdotally, experts hypothesize that females are generally better communicators and have higher levels of emotional intelligence. These skills play an important role in not only working with patients, but also when working with the nurses who arrange discharge, social work, home care, etc, and the family members who will play a large role in treatment after discharge.

Listen to the NPR podcast on it here.

Chicago Will License Pharma Sales Reps to Fight Opioid Overprescribing

Chicago will enact a new requirement that all pharmaceutical sales reps maintain a license based on their training for ethics, marketing regulations and industry laws; at a cost of $750, the reps will be responsible for applicable fees and annual renewals. The new ordinance also requires paperwork to be filed with the city regarding the reps’ activities and physician contact. The new regulations come after Chicago filed lawsuits against multiple drug manufacturers and their role in the current opioid epidemic. The fees are expected to exceed $1 million for the city, which will then be used to support ongoing education efforts, regulatory costs and expanding treatment availability for addicts. The pharmaceutical industry argues that the new requirements do nothing to curb opioid abuse.

Read a Stat News article on it here.

Should We Use Canada and The WHO's 'Essential Medicines' as Guides for US Drug Pricing?

Revamping our Nation’s approach to drug pricing will be a daunting task and is one that the public is expecting from our next president. Experts suggest a foundation be built from two main sources:

1. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Essential Medicines list: Containing over 445 medicines deemed as essential in satisfying the priority health care needs of a population, the Essential Medicines list could serve as a model for the U.S. in identifying important drugs that should be protected from price surges and available to the entire population.

1. The Canadian approach to drug pricing includes a review of efficacy, quality and safety; the proposed price by the manufacturer; prices of competing medications; and prices set in other countries. Negotiations for drug prices include the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance and a price is determined for all provinces of the country.

Read Stat News' article on it here.