Karen Blum

Washington, D.C., United States

Medical and Science Writer at Freelance

Contributor at Association of Health Care Journalists

Articles

Pharmacists Play Important Role in Melanoma Education

3 weeks ago | pharmacypracticenews.com | Karen Blum

Counseling survivors of melanoma on sun protection and skin health is an important role for pharmacists, said Lisa Holle, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA, FISOPP, a clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, in Storrs. “This cannot be emphasized enough,” Dr. Holle said.
Anticoagulation End-of-Life Management Considerations

3 weeks ago | pharmacypracticenews.com | Karen Blum

Patient preferences, anticoagulant benefit versus risk and limited life expectancy should be considered when managing anticoagulation treatment at the end of a patient’s life. “We have a lot of guidelines that cover when to start anticoagulants, but they’re conspicuously lacking for when and how to stop them,” said Anna Parks, MD, an assistant professor and the director of thrombosis at the University of Utah, in Salt Lake City.
Practical Issues for Pharmacists

3 weeks ago | theoncologypharmacist.com | Karen Blum |Richard Reich |Meg Barbor |Wayne Kuznar

By Sara Erickson, PharmD, BCACP; Anna Bartoo, PharmD, BCPS; Amy Wallingford, PharmD; Susan Wescott, MBA, RPh; Chelsee Jensen, PharmD, BCPS, P-RCM, RPhBiosimilars offer a significant opportunity for cost-savings yet present logistical hurdles for optimal implementation. Biosimilar savings nationwide are estimated to be $54 billion from 2017 to 2026, but these savings hinge on industry, regulatory, and policy changes to strengthen competition and sustainability in the biosimilar marketplace.
Should You Join This Medical Technology Effort?

1 month ago | medscape.com | Karen Blum

As part of her morning routine, 74-year-old Cynthia Nolan takes a blood pressure and glucose reading and submits the information through a mobile app to her doctor with Ochsner Health. The uptown New Orleans resident, who has hypertension and diabetes, is one of over 28,500 people across the country participating in the Ochsner Health’s Digital Medicine Program.
Telehealth for Medicare beneficiaries gets another reprieve

1 month ago | healthjournalism.org | Karen Blum

A continuing resolution passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in mid-March to avoid a government shutdown also extended telehealth benefits for Medicare beneficiaries for six months, all of which were set to expire today. This action bought another few months for these benefits, which previously were set to expire at the end of 2024 but were extended for three months as part of a prior continuing resolution signed on Dec. 21.
Medical gaslighting tops list of highest patient safety risks

1 month ago | healthjournalism.org | Karen Blum

The risks associated with medical professionals dismissing patient, family and caregiver concerns — also called “medical gaslighting” — ranked highest on an annual list of patient safety concerns compiled by the nonprofit organization ECRI. Insufficient governance of AI in health care, the viral spread of medical misinformation, and medical errors and delays in care resulting from cybersecurity breaches also were listed as significant concerns.
Reporter exposes network of AI-generated ‘local’ newsletters

1 month ago | healthjournalism.org | Karen Blum

Nieman Lab reporter Andrew Deck knew something seemed off when he received an e-newsletter called “Good Day” from a local journalist source. Despite claims it was produced by the local community, he and his source agreed it was generated by AI. His recent story, “Inside a network of AI-generated newsletters targeting ‘small town America’” describes how newsletters generated by artificial intelligence have infiltrated some 355 smaller towns across the country while remaining opaque.
Pharmacists Play Important Role in Sun Safety Education

1 month ago | pharmacypracticenews.com | Karen Blum

Originally published by our sister publication Specialty Pharmacy ContinuumBy Karen BlumCounseling survivors of melanoma on sun protection and skin health is an important role for pharmacists, said Lisa Holle, PharmD, BCOP, FHOPA, FISOPP, a clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, in Storrs.
Polypharmacy in Cancer Not Just an Elder Patient Woe

1 month ago | pharmacypracticenews.com | Karen Blum

Polypharmacy—the use of five or more medications—is highly prevalent among adults with cancer and multimorbidity, and is associated with high health service utilization, Canadian researchers have found. This was also true of younger adults, and most prevalent among individuals with lung cancer and those diagnosed with stage IV cancers.
A Good Year for CAR-T Therapies

2 months ago | pharmacypracticenews.com | Karen Blum

Seven chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies to help patients’ immune systems fight cancer were approved by the FDA in 2024. They include the novel therapy obecabtagene autoleucel, or obe-cel (Aucatzyl, Autolus), and six approvals for expanded indications for three other products.