March 5, 2018. The State of Maryland has many spending priorities and should not be spending millions of dollars for artificial turf fields and playgrounds that can exacerbate our children’s health problems now, and potentially cause them to develop cancer in the years to come. Let’s instead invest in safe, natural playing fields, unless any synthetic alternatives are proven in unbiased research to be as safe and as cost-effective as grass for fields and engineered wood fiber for playgrounds.
Read More »On Health Policy
NCHR Comments to USPSTF on Syphilis Screening During Pregnancy
March 5, 2018. The prevention of congenital syphilis and other negative fetal outcomes outweighs the risks of false results or unnecessary treatment with penicillin, especially when screening occurs early in the pregnancy. Overall, we agree with the USPSTF draft recommendation for syphilis screening in pregnant women.
Read More »NCHR Comments at the Risk Communication Advisory Committee on Pregnancy and Lactation Labeling Rule
March 5, 2018. Pregnancy/postpartum represent critical periods for counseling, health promotion, and health maintenance. Providers and patients must engage in informed discussions of benefits, risks, and alternatives in order to achieve shared-decision making. However, uncertainty of drug harms present a unique challenge in the overall picture of risks and benefits.
Read More »NCHR Letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee on Right To Try Legislation
February 22, 2018. Some terminally ill patients are willing to take big risks to have a chance to live longer, and if they want the “right to try” experimental treatments that are undergoing clinical trials, they should be able to do so as long as they are well informed of the risks as well as the possible benefits.
Read More »NCHR Comments on Changes to Medical Software Policies Due to 21st Century Cures Act
February 15, 2018. The draft guidance Changes to Existing Medical Software Policies Resulting from Section 3060 of the 21st Century Cures Act removes FDA evaluation of EHRs and leaves only certification by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) to ensure that software is both functional for providers and safe for patients. However, ONC certification is not sufficient to protect patients from problems with EHR software. For that reason, the draft guidance as written puts patients’ lives at risk.
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