Daily Rounds: A Death Foretold; More On That $40M Promise; Faux Health Plans; Bad Trauma Drugs

Troubled Teenager’s Path to Murder Charge - NYTimes.com "Mr. Roldan’s killing was, in a way, a death foretold. Whether it was preventable cannot be known. But Mr. Clergeau’s destructive and self-destructive path crisscrossed Massachusetts, taking him in and out of the custody of three state agencies as well as multiple treatment centers, hospitals, police departments and courts. Over time, Mr. Clergeau established a clear pattern of lashing out violently. In turn, the government developed a pattern, too, of shuttling him from place to place until it released him to the streets and he ended up on the doorstep of a homeless shelter with little security, few resources and no knowledge of his history." (nytimes.com)

Not Running a Hospital: What is the value of $40 million? "Let's consider how much $40 million is really worth when you spread the payment over a period of time. As economists and investors will tell you, there is a time value associated with money.  To prove this, ask yourself whether you would rather receive $40 today or a year from now.  Of course, you would want it today, as you can use or invest it today, whereas its future value is less.  As the person who owes you money, I'd rather pay it to you in the future than today, for exactly the same reason." (Running A Hospital)

Medicare, Medicaid Advocates Cast Wary Eye On Budget Deal : Shots - Health Blog : NPR "The problem for health care providers – and, potentially, patients – is that a "supercommittee" of 12 members of Congress; six from each chamber and each party; is charged with coming up with $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction in a very short period of time. "Medicare and Medicaid are just a huge part of the budget and you can't ignore the fact that the supercommittee is going to have to deal with health care costs. There's just no getting around it," Laszewski says." (npr.org)

State wins judgment on discount health plans from White Coat Notes "A Suffolk County Superior Court judge has ordered two companies accused of fraudulently marketing discount medical plans as if they were health insurance to halt the practice and to pay $2.4 million." (boston.com)

Antipsychotic Doesn’t Ease Veterans’ Post-Traumatic Stress, Study Finds - NYTimes.com "Drugs widely prescribed to treat severe post-traumatic stress symptoms are no more effective than placebos for veterans and come with serious side effects, including weight gain and fatigue, researchers reported on Tuesday. The surprising finding, from the largest study of its kind in veterans, challenges current treatment standards so directly that it could alter practice soon among doctors treating returning military personnel, some experts said." (nytimes.com)