'This is like health care’s dirty little secret'

Hospitals get dinged for reporting too many infections. In some cases, the solution is not to test, Tara Bannow reports.

September 22, 2025 Check out STAT+

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Natsumi Chikayasu for STAT STAT+ | Hospitals get dinged for reporting too many infections. In some cases, the solution is not to test To avoid fines for reporting excessive hospital-acquired infections, some facilities are dodging reports by discouraging testing. A STAT investigation by Tara Bannow. By Tara Bannow Author of reviews of gender affirming care decries 'egregious misuse' of the findings to justify bans Gordon Guyatt, researcher who coined the term 'evidence-based medicine,' says his work is being misused to back bans on gender-affirming care By Theresa Gaffney STAT+ | Pfizer to buy obesity-focused Metsera in $4.9 billion deal The deal gives Pfizer a number of weight loss drug candidates, and another chance to compete in the booming obesity drug market. By Andrew Joseph Adobe Opinion: I'm a surgeon. My society waded into gun regulation — and chose politics over science The data that the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery cited to support its endorsement of gun silencers are highly problematic. By Aru Panwar STAT+ | As medical AI use grows, industry payments to providers remain opaque Few developers of FDA-authorized AI devices disclose payments to clinicians, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. By Katie Palmer STAT+ | Most doctors believe interactions with pharma erode public trust, analysis finds Still, fewer worry about accepting modest gifts than previously, and say engagement helps educate them on treatments. By Ed Silverman SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Opinion: Trump's health and the medicalization of American politics Speculation over Trump's health reveals a deeper problem: America looks at social and political issues like a medical problem to be solved. By Eric Reinhart

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