Children's teaching hospitals historically lose money, and the costs associated with graduate medical education are frequently pointed to as a reason why. One factor that puts children's teaching hospitals at a disadvantage is the shortchanging of these institutions in graduate medical education funding, with federal GME funding based on the number of Medicare patients treated. Antibiotics may reduce the risk of a heart attack, according to a study published in the Feb. 3 JAMA . The findings support the theory that bacterial infections contribute to or even cause heart disease. But the study's authors were quick to caution against prescribing antibiotics to prevent coronary-artery disease.
More study is needed.