Latest KFF Health News Stories
Joint Commission Begins Rural Health Care Accreditation Program
The Rural Health Clinic Accreditation Program is designed to help clinics in underserved areas streamline safety and quality of care. Also in the news: Oscar Health, KKR and Healthcare Realty Trust, Amazon Clinic, and more.
Abortion Rights Amendment Blocked From New York Ballot; Appeal Planned
In other news, Idaho asks appeals court to allow enforcement of a law that prohibits strangers from secretly helping minors seek out-of-state abortions. In Florida, advocates for and against abortion contemplate legal course over other states’ shield laws.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: More Than Ozempic Is Needed To Fight Obesity; How Can Doctors Justify Immoral Actions?
Editorial writers tackle weight-loss drugs, morality in medicine, H5N1, and more.
Penn Medicine To Phase Out Greenhouse Gas Anesthetic
Desflurane is reportedly the most potent greenhouse gas used in health facilities, and reducing it can improve a hospital’s carbon footprint. Also in the news: more fallout from the Steward Health bankruptcy filing.
Lawmakers Spotlight Large Nursing Home Companies’ Staffing, Spending
Democratic lawmakers sent letters to three large chains of nursing homes, questioning their spending levels and staffing ratios, in response to new federal minimum levels. In Wisconsin, 3 in 5 homes are said to need to hire more staff.
Psych Hospital Often Falsified Records To Its Benefit, Former Staffers Allege
Workers at Jacksonville’s Brynn Marr Hospital in North Carolina say management told them to exaggerate diagnoses. In other news, researchers explore the teen mental health crisis.
‘I’m Huuungry’: After-Day Care Snacks Tend To Be Unhealthy, Study Finds
Emerging from day care tired and cranky, the foods kids eat in the hour transitioning home tend to be sugary or processed, according to a new study. Nutritionists say this is a prime opportunity to teach healthier eating habits.
Medicare Hospital Trust Fund Now Projected To Go Broke In 2036
A new financial report indicates that Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund has gained an additional five years over the previous estimate for when it will run out of money, but the overall outlook for the security net program remains grim.
The Risk Of Inheriting Alzheimer’s May Be Higher Than Was Thought
A new study into a gene long linked to risks for Alzheimer’s shows the disease may be more commonly inherited. Meanwhile, researchers found human brains were larger for people born in the late 20th century than earlier — and this may protect us against dementia.
Federal Candidates Have Carte Blanche To Raise Funds For Ballot Measures
A ruling by the FEC immediately affects campaigns in Missouri, where an amendment to enshrine abortion is on the ballot. Meanwhile, lawsuits are moving forward in New York over abortion pill “reversal” and in Alabama over its authority to prosecute those who help women travel for abortions.
Alarm Raised As Mpox Cases Surge In New York City
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene warned over rising mpox infection rates among unvaccinated people. Meanwhile, during recent health crises, including mpox, the national stockpile saw infrastructural issues.
FDA Advisers Set To Consider Use Of Psychedelic-Assisted PTSD Therapy
In June, independent advisers will discuss the possibility of recommending MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Separately, reports note how some recreational psychedelic drug users are left with long-lasting, unwanted highs.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Steward Health Files For Bankruptcy: Mass. Scrambles To Deal With Impact
Steward Health Care’s community hospitals were once feted for their benefits to Boston’s health system, The Boston Globe says. Now the state has had to activate an emergency operations plan to work with Steward-owned hospitals.
Metabolic Disorder Is Slowly Being Renamed To Remove Stigma Of Shame
Medical societies’ hope is that changing “fatty liver disease” to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease will prompt patients to seek care earlier. Meanwhile, assisted-living facilities are straining emergency services with calls to help patients who have fallen and can’t get up.
A Year Into Iowa Medicaid ‘Unwinding,’ More Lost Coverage Than Expected
Reports say at least 283,000 Iowans have been disenrolled so far, including nearly 90,000 kids — far above the state’s projections. Also in the news: STDs in Colorado and Florida; violence and abuse in North Carolina psych hospitals; and more.
Viewpoints: Congress Just Voted Against Cancer Funding; Psychiatrists Reexamining Transgender Care
Editorial writers discuss cancer funding, transgender care, frontotemporal dementia, and more.
White House Rushing Health Rules To Make Them Harder To Reverse
The Biden administration is facing a deadline of June or July to finalize any rules it wants protected from quick congressional reversal or from being easily modified by a potential Trump administration. The majority of major health regulations were issued in April, but federal officials are working to push through others.
Missourians Clear First Hurdle For Putting Abortion Rights Up To A Vote
Abortion-rights advocates delivered 380,000 signatures, twice as many as necessary. Other news is on doulas and their role in shrinking the reproductive health care gap.