The Food and Drug Administration issued warnings to five distributors of pure powdered caffeine, saying their products are dangerous and potentially d
Health Care
Flaws in the U.S. health care system, federal health programs and with individual medical providers and patients
The buzz(kill) about caffeine
Caffeine is arguably the most popular drug in America. But what do you really know about it? This short video explains how the beloved stimulant became the key ingredient in top-selling soft drinks and how those drinks came to be blended with foreign-made synthetic caffeine.
Ex-hospital executive in kickback scheme looks to spread the blame
A former California hospital executive at the center of a $500 million kickback scheme that subjected injured workers to risky spinal surgeries is attempting to spread the blame by suing his alleged co-conspirators.
13 deaths blamed on abuse and neglect at California state-run homes
Abuse, neglect and lack of supervision at California’s state-run homes for the developmentally disabled have directly caused the deaths of 13 people s
Pop quiz: Can you spot the real screw?
See if you can tell the difference.
Bogus screws ended up in spines of surgery patients
The Food and Drug Administration is supposed to ensure that medical equipment going inside people’s bodies is manufactured by companies approved by the agency, but there’s a fissure in the system.
State abuse records will be public after Supreme Court sides with CIR
The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the Department of Public Health must release records relating to violations at state-run facilities for people with developmental disabilities after CIR’s three-and-a-half-year effort to make the information public.
VA gave $8,025 bonus to director of troubled Wisconsin hospital
Mario DeSanctis, director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Tomah, Wisconsin, said his performance bonus was “warranted and justified” even though the facility was being investigated over runaway painkiller prescriptions and patient overdoses.
VA inspector general finally releases report on Wisconsin hospital
The Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general’s office has publicly released its scathing report documenting runaway painkiller prescriptions and abuse of administrative authority at the VA hospital in Tomah, Wisconsin, nearly a year after it closed the case.
Investigator visit to Wisconsin veterans hospital feels like déjà vu
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs investigated problems at the Tomah VA Medical Center for two years but never released an official report of its findings, leaving some to wonder whether the agency is capable of policing itself.