Author: Matt

The state Medical Examining Board is looking into investigating at least 10 doctors not previously disciplined for writing sick notes the Madison School District considered fraudulent. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 12/22)

Dr. Ken Lee lives every day with reminders of a suicide car bombing: a crescent-shaped scar on his temple, thumbs that don't work correctly, constant headaches, and legs and arms that always feel like they're on fire. The attack in Baghdad nearly killed the Wisconsin National Guard's chief medical officer, leaving him with a brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder so severe that the slightest provocation sent him into a furniture-smashing rage — even as he worked to diagnose and heal fellow veterans back home. (AP, 12/22)

As Wisconsin's health programs for the poor have ballooned in recent years, the state has relied increasingly on private contractors to administer the programs, completed fewer investigations into potential fraud and not taken full advantage of cheaper ways of delivering health care, a new audit has found. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/21)

A federal advisory board on biosecurity has recommended that research published by a University of Wisconsin scientist not include details that could enable bioterrorists to replicate his experiments. The National Institutes of Health confirmed Tuesday that a federal advisory board recommended changes in the manuscripts of two researchers, including work done by UW scientist Yoshihiro Kawaoka, on H5N1 avian influenza virus, the strain known popularly as "bird flu." (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/21)

U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy introduced a set of policies to reform the American health care system last week, 11 months after voting to repeal President Barack Obama's health care package without a ready replacement. (WAUSAU DAILY HERALD, 12/20)

At least 10 doctors not previously disciplined by the state signed sick notes for Madison School District employees that the district considered fraudulent, according to a State Journal analysis of the notes submitted amid Capitol protests earlier this year. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 12/19)

Tracking pollution in theGreat Lakestakes more than monitoring goo spilling out of factories or oil gushing from a pipeline.The International Joint Commission recently highlighted a subtler source of contamination lurking in medicine cabinets throughout the region. Pain medicine, birth control, anti-depressants and other pharmaceuticals make their way into theGreat Lakesthrough municipal water systems and stormwater runoff. (ASHLAND CURRENT, 12/19)

An estimated $851 million is added to the cost of commercial health insurance to make up for the lower fees that Medicare and Medicaid pay hospitals in southeasternWisconsin, according to a study released last week. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 12/19)