Editors’ Top Five Week of August 28

Smart Pill Bottles Aren’t Always Enough to Help the Medicine Go Down
Smart pill bottles are supposed to help patients remember to take their medications, but often don’t work. Why? (Lauren Silverman/NPR Health Shots)

Dying at Home in an Opioid Crisis: Hospices Grapple With Stolen Meds
Hospices have largely been exempt from the national crackdown on opioid prescriptions because dying people may need high doses of opioids. But as the nation’s opioid epidemic continues, some experts say hospices aren’t doing enough to identify families and staff who might be stealing pills. (Melissa Bailey/Kaiser Health News)

Most Hospices Fare Well in First Public Release of Medicare Quality Scores
Scores for the vast majority of hospices were near the top end of the quality range—so good, in fact, that some observers questioned whether consumers will find the data useful for comparison shopping. (Cheryl Clark/STAT)

Age Like a Former Athlete
Being a world-class distance runner in your youth does not guarantee that you will be fit and healthy in retirement. But it helps, according to a new study that followed a group of elite American runners for 45 years. (Gretchen Reynolds/New York Times)

Hispanic Americans Unsure Whether Home Health Aides Can Meet Cultural Needs
Part of the reason for that apprehension might lie in aides having problems talking or relating to Latino residents. (Tim Regan/Home Health Care News)