Health Care Sector Targeted for 2009 EPA Study of Pharmaceutical Disposal Practices

Posted on: December 29, 2008  |   Author: Brett
Filed Under: Hospitals & Health Systems, In-House Counsel, Labor & Employment   |   1 Comment

In response to recent studies showing that substantial levels of pharmaceutical waste are present in the nation’s water supply, USEPA (or the “Agency”) has begun to focus on discharges by health care facilities. This means hospitals, clinics and physicians’ offices need to be prepared for possible inspections and information requests.

For more on this please visit http://www.hinshawlaw.com/health-care-sector-targeted-for-2009-epa-study-of-pharmaceutical-disposal-practices-12-10-2008/

Primary Care Doctors Feeling Overworked

Posted on: December 7, 2008  |   Author: Justin
Filed Under: Access to Care, HMOs & Health Plans, Labor & Employment, Other   |   1 Comment

Reuters Health Medical News published a survey on Tuesday, November 18, 2008, in which they found that many primary care doctors in the United States feel overworked and plan to cut back the number of patients they see. According to the survey, 76% of physicians said they are overworked. In fact, 60% of general practice physicians would not recommend the practice of medicine as a career path. To read more about this survey, click on the link below:

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE4AH1CE20081118

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act: Quick Fix or Permanent Solution

Posted on: July 8, 2008  |   Author: Jennifer
Filed Under: Bioethics, Health Information, Labor & Employment, Life Sciences, Other, Public Health Policy   |   1 Comment

After a 13 year journey, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) was enacted into law on May 21, 2008. H.R. 493 (2008) aims at providing protection against genetic discrimination in the areas of employment and health insurance. GINA passed both the House and Senate with an overwhelming majority with a vote of 414-to-1 in the House and 95-0 in the Senate.

Despite almost unanimous Congressional support, GINA has been met with opposition as well. The U.S Chamber of Commerce maintains its opposition to the law claiming a lack of research showing the existence of discrimination based genetic information. Insurance companies claim that they try to discriminate against their clientele in a way that ensures those in the lowest risk category pay the lowest premiums. Others challenge the notion that genetic information is different or “exceptional” to other health information. Supporters of GINA however, believe that protecting the privacy of genetic information allows those that would otherwise be fearful of discrimination to obtain genetic testing. In some circumstances, knowledge of genetic information may lead to needed treatment and prevention that may have otherwise not been obtained.

Despite the good intentions behind GINA, the practical consequences of the law may be a “mixed bag.” A number of arguments have been made that suggest that GINA acts a small fix for universal problems. For example, although GINA may prevent employers and insurers from gaining access to genetic information, this may act to increase the stigma attached to certain genetic diseases rather than mitigating discriminatory attitudes. Others believe that genetic discrimination in health insurance is merely a symptom of a larger problem of a lack of distributive justice in the U.S. health care system. For the time being however, enacting a genetic specific law may be the only feasible solution to a more sweeping problem inherent in our health care system.