Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

References:

1. Sept. 17, 2009 — U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied in the Los Angeles Times

WUSTL economics professor David Levine says abolishing 'intellectual property' won't solve all social ills, but it would be a big step in the right direction for solving a range of problems from the high cost of health care, to innovating our way out of the current recession. In a series of posts with his co-author, WUSTL economics professor Michele Boldrin, they will be posting here about green technology, entertainment, free speech, multinationals, and innovation over the next weeks.

References:

1. Sept. 15, 2009 — Save the Whales! Abolish Patents! in the Huffingtonpost.com

How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

References:

1. Sept. 9, 2009 — Elusive price tag for universal health coverage in the MSNBC.com

Scheduling a prime daytime slot to undergo an orthopedic procedure may lower your risk of an unplanned follow-up surgery later on, a new study published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery has found.
Includes comments by surgeon William Ricci, chief of WUSTL medical school's Orthopaedic Trauma Service.

References:

1. Sept. 7, 2009 — Let Orthopedic Surgery Wait Until Morning When Possible in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 8 others.

A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery found after-hours orthopaedic surgeries risk a slightly higher rate of necessary follow-up surgeries. WUSTL orthopaedic surgron and lead author William Ricci comments.

References:

1. Sept. 2, 2009 — After-hours bone surgery slightly riskier in the United Press International

and 3 others.

WUSTL orthopaedic surgeon and researcher Timothy Kuklo, who was accused by the Army of falsifying a medical study, delayed disclosing his consulting ties to the school, according to its response to a U.S. Senate investigation. The doctor was put on leave by the university pending an internal review. According to Chancellor Mark Wrighton, WUSTL also suspended open human research projects by Kuklo.

References:

1. July 16, 2009 — Wash. U: Doctor hid Medtronic ties in the St. Louis Business Journal online

and 2 others.

Timothy Kuklo, a former military doctor and Medtronic consultant at the center of a research scandal, did not tell WUSTL, his medical school employer for a year, about his Medtronic ties even as he was conducting company-sponsored research. The new disclosures, which WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro made in response to a Senate investigation, may intensify the controversy surrounding the physician.

References:

1. July 15, 2009 — Medical School Says Former Army Surgeon Hid Ties to Medtronic in the The New York Times

and 9 others.

The allegation that Timothy Kuklo failed to properly disclose his financial relationship with Medtronic was made in a June 23 letter from WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro to Sen. Charles Grassley, who is investigating the Kuklo matter. Kuklo is on paid personal leave at the request of WUSTL, where he is a member of the medical faculty. The university said it is continuing to investigate.

References:

1. July 15, 2009 — Disclosure by Surgeon Is Faulted in the The Wall Street Journal

Steve Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple Inc. since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a controversial liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago. The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially. WUSTL pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery professor William Hawkins and surgery professor William Chapman both comment.

References:

1. June 20, 2009 — Jobs Had Liver Transplant in the The Wall Street Journal

Orthopaedic surgeon Timothy Kuklo, a former Army physician accused of falsifying research involving injured soldiers, has taken a leave of absence from WUSTL medical school and its affiliated hospitals.

References:

1. May 23, 2009 — Former Army Doctor Accused of Research Fraud Takes Leave From University in the The New York Times

and 6 others.

There has been much hand-wringing over the dangers of medical residents' grueling schedules. One recent study advised that a solution would be to reduce the length of their shifts. But many in the medical community, including residents themselves, worry that shorter shifts could come at the expense of educational opportunities and possibly even patient safety. Includes comments by WUSTL Department of Medicine chairman Kenneth Polonsky.

References:

1. May 21, 2009 — Are Medical Residents Worked Too Hard? in the Time.com

A new study shows that allowing doctors-in-training to work fewer hours and take longer naps during their shifts will cost the nation's teaching hospitals an estimated $1.6 billion a year. And there are no guarantees that shortening the shifts will improve patient safety. WUSTL medical professor Kenneth Polonsky comments in an accompanying co-written journal editorial.

References:

1. May 20, 2009 — Limiting Work Hours for Medical Residents Could Be Costly in the U.S. News & World Report online

and 9 others.

Another study has indicated that shorter shifts for medical residents might actually increase patient harm because a departing resident hands over the patient to a fresh resident unfamiliar with the case. WUSTL medical professor Melvin Blanchard co-wrote an accompanying journal editorial that strongly disagrees with the Institute of Medicine's recommendations for shorter shifts.

References:

1. May 21, 2009 — Moves to Allow Medical Residents More Shut-Eye Rouse Opposition in the The Wall Street Journal

A top Republican lawmaker has opened an inquiry into a former Walter Reed Army Medical Center doctor whom the Army has accused of falsifying a medical study involving a product made by Medtronic, a company for whom he works as a paid consultant. The doctor currently works as an associate professor at WUSTL Medical School.

References:

1. May 19, 2009 — Senator Seeks Data on Doctor Accused by Army of Falsifying a Product Study in the The New York Times

and 1 others.

According to the Army, WUSTL orthopaedic surgery professor Timothy Kuklo, a former surgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who is a paid consultant for a medical company, published a study that made false claims and overstated the benefits of the company's product in treating soldiers severely injured in Iraq. A WUSTL official declined to say whether it was investigating Dr. Kuklo but added that he remained on the faculty.

References:

1. May 13, 2009 — Doctor Falsified Study on Injured G.I.'s, Army Says in the The New York Times

and 9 others.

So how much radiation is too much? Scientists are still figuring that out-- and they tend to disagree about the risks. But they recently found worrying signs that radiation exposure is on the rise, thanks largely to the popularity of high-tech medical exams such as CT scans. WUSTL radiology professor Henry Royal comments on the benefits and risks of tests and treatments.

References:

1. June 3, 2008 — X-Rays, sunshine: Could radiation be hurting your health? in the CNN.com/health

As personal genetic testing takes off, some worry that marketing is getting ahead of science.
With each new marketing push comes new criticism. Some say DNA testing doesn't belong in virtual clinics: One key issue is regulation.
WUSTL pediatrics and genetics specialist Thomas Morgan worries that the business is getting ahead of the science. "I might scare myself or reassure myself falsely based on the very limited knowledge that we have."

References:

1. April 21, 2008 — May We Scan Your Genome? in the Newsweek

Debra Harp, WUSTL's associate director of Student Health Services, comments on mandatory health insurance mandates by universities, including WUSTL.

References:

1. Feb. 1, 2008 — Campus Health's Hidden Costs in the U.S. News & World Report online

WUSTL researchers led by WUSTL molecular microbiology professor David Sibley have revealed that Toxoplasma gondii, a common human parasite, uses a plant-like protein for signalling when to increase its numbers and when to be dormant. T. gondii is found in one in every four humans causing serious disease in patients with weakened immune systems.

References:

1. Jan. 10, 2008 — Plant-like protein underpins common parasites' ability to infect in the DailyIndia.com (FL)

and 7 others.

WUSTL is exploring the possibility of increasing its involvement in the health of the region by establishing its own school of public health.
As part of a strategic planning process currently under way at the university, WUSTL medical school dean Larry Shapiro and social work dean Edward Lawlor are investigating how the university can expand its focus on public health, according to Rob Wild, assistant to the chancellor.

References:

1. Dec. 28, 2007 — Washington U. studies creation of public health school in the St. Louis Business Journal

and 3 others.