Kathleen Kozak

A national database for health records would greatly reduce duplicate lab work and diagnostic testing — not to mention overmedication.

A sophisticated solicitation can convince a patient to ask for unneeded equipment, and trick a doctor’s office into going along with it.

You may get out of the pharmacy with pills in hand and money still in your wallet, but the high cost of medication will get you in the end.

Technology makes medical information available faster these days, but should it be accessible to patients without a doctor’s explanation?

As we desperately seek alternatives to addictive painkillers, a federal ban on research is obstructing one promising option.

Employers waste money requiring their workers to have physicians verify that they were legitimately sick and have now recovered.

Most of them were shut down in favor of community-based services, but that has proven to be a colossal failure.

There already was a well-regulated program in place, but new federal legislation that just took effect raises many questions.

We need to join the many states that allow over-the-counter purchases of a drug that can potentially save those addicted to painkillers.

Hawaii could save lives and shorten the waiting list for transplants by requiring people to opt out of the program instead of opting in.

Cannabis has potential for treating various disorders, but pharmaceutical companies won’t do their thing while it’s a Schedule 1 drug.

The technology is already here to transform medical services, so providers need to get on board.