Charles Ornstein, Author at Pacific Standard

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Social Justice

Mark Cuban and the Dangers of Over-Testing

The Dallas Mavericks owner suggests quarterly bloodwork for those who can afford it as a way of creating a personal benchmark. A national expert on over-testing explains why that isn’t a good idea.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

The Cost of a Cure

Medicare’s spending on drugs to treat hepatitis C soared more than 15-fold from 2013 to 2014 as new breakthroughs came to the market, according to previously undisclosed federal data. The drugs cure the disease, but taxpayers are footing the bill.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

Patient Privacy Isn’t Dead

Yet another health insurer recently reported a massive data breach, affecting the financial and medical information of 11 million people. We asked the head of the federal agency tasked with investigating these issues whether the notion of patient privacy was outmoded.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

Should It Be a Felony for Doctors and Hospitals to Film Patients Without Prior Consent?

A bill has been filed in New York that would make it one. State Assemblyman Ed Braunstein was inspired by a story about a man whose death was recorded by the real-life medical series NY Med without permission. His widow recognized her husband while watching the show on TV.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

When a Patient’s Health Problems Are Used as Hospital PR

In a recently filed lawsuit, Ebola-infected nurse Nina Pham says that a colleague videotaped her without her permission and then the hospital she was treated in released the tape to the media, violating her privacy.

Charles Ornstein

Social Justice

Why Isn’t the Department of Health and Human Services Penalizing More Hospitals for Failing to Protect Medical Records?

Federal health watchdogs say they are cracking down on organizations that don’t protect the privacy and security of patient records, but data suggests otherwise.

Charles Ornstein