Can American doctors say “No” to an aggressive and high-tech treatment they’re used to providing even when it turns out a less heroic and cheaper one works just as well? It’s an important question. The affordability of American medical care in the future will depend, in part, on the ability of physicians to simplify and economize, which are two things they’ve never been good at. With national health expenditures amounting to $2.6 trillion a year — 45 percent of it paid by government — prosperity and political stability may also be at stake. Read full article > >

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Why do cardiologists often pass up safe, low-tech treatments for chest pain?

If you’re not overweight, eat pretty well and exercise now and then, you might think you’re in good heart health. But doctors say you don’t have to look like a heart attack waiting to happen to be one.

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Being thin won’t stop heart attack

At least 12 Palestinians are killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza, doctors say, amid fresh cross-border exchanges.

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Israel strikes ‘kill 12 Gazans’

Seven Palestinians – including several family members – die in two Israeli attacks in Gaza, doctors say, amid the worst violence for years.

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Strikes on Gaza ‘kill children’

A&E doctors say nightclubs have a responsibility to employ more qualified paramedics to ease the strain on hospitals.

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Call for more club paramedics