Washington ranked fourth highest nationally in per-capita prescribing of methadone in 2006 (the most recent year for which reliable data is available) and 11th for oxycodone — the two biggest killers.
If you are prescribed one of these drugs, the provider who dispenses the drug to you is required to supply the system with your name, address, date of birth, the name of the prescribed drug and doctor who prescribed it, and where you picked it up.
Drug and device companies have paid $6.5 billion since 2008 to settle accusations of illegal marketing practices, but none of the more than 75 doctors named as participants have been sanctioned,
The brand-name pharmaceutical industry has a drug problem: All 10 of the most prescribed medicines in the U.S. last year were generics, led by the defending champion generic equivalents of the pain-reliever Vicodin.
“When I got home, I realized that I didn’t know a multivitamin from an immunosuppressant.” -Greg Duggins, transplant patient.
Startup firms in life sciences struggle to find local investors
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
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