A new federal rule allows health officials to use experimental tests to determine why patients are ill during a public health emergency without the patient's permission. The rule allows labs to run blood and other tests in the event of a bioterror attack, bird flu pandemic or dirty bomb attack. But patient advocates maintain that labs are left to decide for themselves what constitutes a public health emergency, raising the prospect that conflicts of interest may play a role in their decisions.
- here's this Wall Street Journal report (sub. req.)