M. Alexander Otto began his reporting career early in 1999 covering the pharmaceutical industry for a national pharmacists' magazine and freelancing for the Washington Post and other newspapers. He then joined BNA, now part of Bloomberg News, covering health law and the protection of people and animals in medical research. Alex next worked for the McClatchy Company. Based on his work, Alex won a year-long Knight Science Journalism Fellowship to MIT in 2008-2009. He joined the company shortly thereafter. Alex has a newspaper journalism degree from Syracuse (N.Y.) University and a master's degree in medical science -- a physician assistant degree -- from George Washington University. Alex is based in Seattle.
News
Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Providers Declines
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Between 2002 and 2008, the total number of ambulatory visits to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers in the...
News
Health Insurance Exchanges May Bring Sicker People Into Medical System
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Almost 40% of projected health insurance exchange enrollees will have gone without a checkup for at least 2 years, and have no...
News
Health Insurance Exchanges May Bring Sicker People Into Medical System
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Almost 40% of projected health insurance exchange enrollees will have gone without a checkup for at least 2 years, and have no...
News
Health Insurance Exchanges May Bring Sicker People Into Medical System
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Almost 40% of projected health insurance exchange enrollees will have gone without a checkup for at least 2 years, and have no...
News
Secondhand Smoke Raises Boys' Blood Pressure
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
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Ambulance Diversion Raises Risk of MI Mortality
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
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Gastric Bypass Fails to Prolong Life in Older, Obese Patients
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
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Project Denies Nonurgent Claims to Reinforce the Medical Home
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Use of patients’ medical homes increased from 60% to 80% once non–medical-home claims were denied.Data Source: An analysis of...
News
Project Denies Nonurgent Claims to Reinforce the Medical Home
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Use of patients’ medical homes increased from 60% to 80% once non–medical-home claims were denied.Data Source: An analysis of...
News
Focus Smoke-Free Home, Car Efforts on Parents of Young Children
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: If smoking parents had a child younger than age 5 years, the adjusted odds ratio for a smoke-free home was 3.17, and if parents...
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Ambulance Diversion Associated With Increased Heart Attack Mortality
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Acute MI death rates are about 3% higher if the ED closest to the patient is on 12 or more hours of diversion. Data Source: A case-...
News
Ambulance Diversion Associated With Increased Heart Attack Mortality
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Acute MI death rates are about 3% higher if the ED closest to the patient is on 12 or more hours of diversion. Data Source: A case-...
News
Parents' Deployment Raises Kids' Risk of Psychiatric Hospitalization
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: The adjusted odds ratio for hospitalization for mental health problems of a child with a deployed parent was 1.10 and 1.12 for...
News
Parents' Deployment Raises Kids' Risk of Psychiatric Hospitalization
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: The adjusted odds ratio for hospitalization for mental health problems of a child with a deployed parent was 1.10 and 1.12 for...
News
VA Study: Gastric Bypass Does Not Prolong Life in Older, Obese Patients
- Author:
- M. Alexander Otto
Major Finding: Gastric bypass provided no survival benefit to older, obese patients followed for a mean of 6.7 years after their operations, when...