June 9, 2014– August 31, 2018 Contents The following blog posts were originally published on The Lancet United States of Health Blog, which closed on December 31, 2018. 2018 43 Point of view A whole-system approach to improving cardiovascular health in 1 The underappreciated difficulty of the family caregiver for hospice women patients Women’s Heart Alliance L Beresford 45 Equality, parity, and visibility 3 Congressman Tom Reed serves as a hospice patient care volunteer R Cooney L Beresford 46 Advance care directives: making plans for future medical care 5 Bad batch: synthetic marijuana overdoses on the rise L Beresford R Cooney and A van Dorn 48 CDC director resigns over financial conflict of interest 6 A layover in the land of The Lancet A van Dorn C Sacristán 49 After a weekend of negotiations and demonstrations, shutdown 7 Trump administration’s Medicaid work rules hit a snag disrupts health agencies and services S Jaffe S Jaffe 9 An advance directive designed for living with dementia 51 One-hundred years after influenza catastrophe, is the US L Beresford pandemic-ready? 11 Sepsis: a prolific but under-recognized mass killer R Cavanaugh R Cavanaugh 13 Besieged EPA Chief still committed to Trump agenda 2017 S Jaffe 15 AAN issues new guidelines on disease-modifying therapies in MS, 53 Temporary CHIP funding falls short including switching, stopping and pregnancy S Jaffe J Otrompke 55 Alex Azar’s controversial qualifications 16 Point of view S Jaffe Educating physicians won’t solve burnout 57 The recent rise of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome Special Guest Blogger R Cavanaugh 18 Is emotional intelligence the missing link for medicine at the end 59 Coordinated care is taking on opioid abuse in one rural of life? community L Beresford M B Nierengarten 20 In the Open podcast—episode 2 61 Bursting superpower: obesity in the United States R Cooney R Cavanaugh 25 Study presented at AACR and published in The Lancet Respiratory 62 Does government quality website capture what matters to Medicine may set new standard for rare sarcoma hospice patients? J Otrompke L Beresford 27 The growing threat of antibiotic resistance and the growing need 64 Patents, licenses and drug prices for antibiotic stewardship A van Dorn R Cavanaugh 68 DACA, a dream deferred? 29 No barrier to CDC research on gun violence—except funding R Cooney S Jaffe 71 Smuggling vs trafficking: when words matter 31 Some children may now receive sex change hormone therapy R Cooney before 16: ENDO guideline 74 Hepatitis C in the US—a bigger issue than HIV J Otrompke R Cavanaugh 33 Point of view 76 This week in health and medicine On the Parkland mass-shooting: it’s time for #GunSafetyNow A van Dorn Special Guest Blogger 77 Listen in—the conversations we need to have about racism, 35 Hospices respond to community grief caused by opioid overdoses health, and medicine L Beresford R Cooney 37 Onco-cardiology—targeting the double heart break 81 When the option is the end of life J Otrompke L Beresford 39 Single payer healthcare debate takes the stage in managed care 83 This week in health and medicine J Otrompke A van Dorn 40 Point of view 84 Advance directives: planning for the end Dismantling institutional discrimination in healthcare by L Beresford empowering minority women professionals 86 This week in health and medicine Special Guest Blogger A van Dorn June 9, 2014– August 31, 2018 Contents (continued) 87 This week in health and medicine 132 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 88 Research in the lurch—unanticipated funding cuts jeopardize teen 134 Plotting the course for improving health pregnancy prevention programs R Cooney R Cooney 136 This week in health and medicine 91 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 138 This week in health and medicine 93 ACA repeal fails in Senate (for now) A van Dorn A van Dorn 140 Invasion of privacy—a new bill may give employers access to 94 This week in health and medicine genetic testing information A van Dorn R Cooney 95 All hands on deck—addressing the nation’s opioid epidemic 142 This week in health and medicine R Cooney A van Dorn 98 This week in health and medicine 144 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 100 CMS prepares for launch of comparative hospice data 146 This week in health and medicine L Beresford A van Dorn 102 This week in health and medicine 147 An alarming trend in fatty livers A van Dorn R Cavanaugh 104 This week in health and medicine 149 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 106 This week in health and medicine 150 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 108 This week in health and medicine 151 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 110 Gamechangers—who is playing, who is being played? 152 Berkeley doctor wants to help California patients, hospices with R Cooney aid-in-dying law 112 This week in health and medicine L Beresford A van Dorn 154 This week in health and medicine 113 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 156 The Women’s March and what is at stake 115 Telepsychiatry: making treatment available to Americans in M B Nierengarten under-served locations 157 Identifying and treating “super-utilizers” R Cavanaugh R Cavanaugh 116 Hospice and opioids, part II: an agency-wide quality approach 159 This week in health and medicine L Beresford A van Dorn 118 This week in health and medicine 160 CBO scores potential fallout from Affordable Care Act repeal A van Dorn A van Dorn 120 Hospice and opioids: finding a safe balance 161 This week in health and medicine L Beresford A van Dorn 122 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn 2016 124 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn 162 Year in review 125 Hospice houses for the homeless fill a growing need in an aging The Lancet USA 2016 R Cooney and A van Dorn society L Beresford 165 Voices in medicine 127 This week in health and medicine Medical training in an age of uncertainty I Premaratne A van Dorn 128 This week in health and medicine 167 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn A van Dorn 129 This week in health and medicine 168 Biomedical research bill becomes law, but critics raise concerns A van Dorn over long-term implementation S Jaffe 130 Raising awareness to end Parkinson’s R Cooney 169 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn June 9, 2014– August 31, 2018 Contents (continued) 170 This week in health and medicine 206 Democrats back Clinton, progressive platform at DNC in A van Dorn Philadelphia 171 Emergence of the corporate palliative care sector S Jaffe L Beresford 207 This week in health and medicine 173 This week in health and medicine R Cooney and A van Dorn A van Dorn 208 This week in health and medicine R Cooney and A van Dorn 174 Where next for US health and health care? Richard Lane 209 Republican Party lays out platform for Election 2016 S Jaffe 175 This week in health and medicine A van Dorn 210 This week in health and medicine R Cooney and A van Dorn 176 This week in health and medicine 211 Obama rejects Zika funding approved during Democrats’ sit-in A van Dorn S Jaffe 177 This week in health and medicine 212 Biden pleads for open data for cancer moonshot A van Dorn S Jaffe 178 How should hospices handle legalized medical marijuana? 213 Paris Climate Change agreement to be signed in New York L Beresford S Jaffe 180 Making children’s dental health part of primary care 214 Zika response threatened by funding shortage N Laniado S Jaffe 181 This week in health and medicine 215 Congress wrangles over funding for Zika research A van Dorn S Jaffe 183 The Global Burden of Disease 2015 216 Shkreli pleads the Fifth on drug price hikes A van Dorn S Jaffe 184 This week in health and medicine 217 Increasing access to mental health services—a sensible strategy for A van Dorn reducing gun violence 185 This week in health and medicine R Honberg R Cooney and A van Dorn 218 Black and white and gray all over 186 EpiPen’s price-gouging response “sickens” Congressional panel R Cooney S Jaffe 219 Some Congress members say a 1980 law may curb rising drug 187 Mental health and the White House prices R Cooney S Jaffe 191 This week in health and medicine R Cooney and A van Dorn 2015 192 The kratom bomb—DEA moves to fast-track scheduling herbal 220 Budget boon for biomedical research drug S Jaffe R Cooney 221 Paris climate change agreement faces hurdles in the USA 193 This week in health and medicine S Jaffe R Cooney and A van Dorn 222 Gene editing—a revolution from stem to stern 194 Hillary Clinton proposes mental health care reforms R Cooney S Jaffe 223 As drug prices go up, some point consumers up north 195 Palliative care seeks its place in managed care S Jaffe L Beresford 224 Stopping the drug resistance health threat 197 This week in health and medicine A Friedman R Cooney and A van Dorn 225 No bones about it 198 This week in health and medicine R Cooney R Cooney and A van Dorn 226 Can you hear me now? 199 This week in health and medicine S Jaffe R Cooney and A van Dorn 227 Drug pricing—the bitter pill 200 This week in health and medicine R Cooney R Cooney and A van Dorn 228 Precision medicine and smartphones 201 Zika virus continues to spread, CDC issues Florida travel advisory S Jaffe S Jaffe 229 US House of Representatives possibly “injured” by ACA spending, 202 Congress, contracts, and cancer: challenges in Native American judge OKs lawsuit health S Jaffe R Cooney 230 Billions served but Cleveland Clinic says no thanks to McDonald’s 205 This week in health and medicine S Jaffe R Cooney and A van Dorn June 9, 2014– August 31, 2018