Latest KFF Health News Stories
Administration Retreats On Rules For Insurers’ Networks, Standardized Options For 2017
Modern Healthcare reports on the final rule out Monday that backs down from earlier efforts by the administration to force insurers to have minimum quantitative standards for networks of hospitals and doctors and to offer standardized options for health plans. News outlets also look at health law issues in Texas, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
EHRs In The ER: As Doctors Adapt, Concerns Emerge About Medical Errors
As hospitals adopt electronic health record systems, some emergency rooms are experiencing new patterns of medical errors.
R2D2’s Next Assignment: Hospital Orderly
A gleaming new hospital in San Francisco has a fleet of robots dropping off meals, picking up trash and saving some money in a very 21st century way.
A selection of opinions from around the country.
News outlets report on health issues in Florida, California, Washington, Colorado, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Hampshire, Nebraska, West Virginia and Connecticut.
Conn. Governor Puts Hold On Hospital Mergers, Acquisitions Until Next Year
News outlets report on other hospital-related news in Florida, Minnesota and Washington.
Ohio Planned Parenthood Supporters Feel Like They’ve Been ‘Put On Mute’
Gov. John Kasich recently signed a bill prohibiting taxpayer dollars to go to agencies that promote or perform abortions, and those speaking out against the legislation say no one will listen to them. Meanwhile, in Kansas, women struggle to find preventive care after state shutters Planned Parenthood clinics.
N.C. Officials Expected Tuesday To Unveil Plan To Revamp Medicaid
The proposal, which has been under discussion for five months, is an effort to save money and make operations more efficient. At the same time, the Georgia House has moved to raise pay for doctors who accept Medicaid patients.
Retirement Communities Try To Serve Growing Demand To ‘Age In Place’
The New York Times profiles the trend toward “everything-in-one” facilities that offer both independent and assisted-living options. And USA Today reports on how the swelling ranks of adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia pose new challenges for everyone from caregivers and police to store clerks and restaurant servers.
Health Organizations To Dedicate More Resources To Cybersecurity: Poll
A Modern Healthcare survey of industry executives finds that 93 percent say the threat of security breaches will have some impact on their health IT spending this year. Meanwhile, in an example of such a cyberattack, “ransomware” hackers target Los Angeles County Department of Health Services’ computers.
Administration Concerns Mount After Court Rules On Federal Agency Vacancies
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in August that the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 “prohibits a person from being both the acting officer and the permanent nominee.” The ruling appears to affect at least two top health care officials.
Poll: Americans Rate Own Care High, But Are Less Satisfied With Health System As A Whole
Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, says the system’s built-in processes — filling out forms, dealing with co-pays, running from one specialist to the next — are what people find difficult, even if they rate the quality of care they are receiving as high. In the same series of polls, NPR and its partners look at how states are faring two years after the health law went into effect.
Zenefits, A Health Benefits Brokerage Startup, Is Laying Off 250 Workers Following Weeks Of Turmoil
The CEO says the company, which is facing scrutiny from regulators, grew too fast.
PhRMA Top Lobbyist Faces Anger, Policy Challenges
The New York Times profiles Stephen J. Ubl, the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Also in the news, AARP releases a study regarding drug-pricing trends, STAT examines how doctors increasingly offer medication advice on social media and The Wall Street Journal reports on European pharma’s difficulties in the U.S. marketplace.
Opioid Bill’s Bipartisan Foundation Could Crack Over Dem’s Demands For Emergency Funding
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., has proposed an amendment for $600 million in emergency funding to legislation that is aimed at tackling the nation’s opioid crisis, but some are worried it could put the bill’s fate in jeopardy. In other news, health officials across the country are warning about a deadly and powerful painkiller disguised as other medications, and an event delves into the racial disparity of drug charges and overdoses.
S.D. Governor’s Plan For Medicaid Expansion Aided By New Federal Policy On Indian Health Funding
Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s proposal was not getting much traction among legislators, but it could be revived by the announcement Friday that the federal government would reimburse 100 percent for Indian Health Service patients who get care at non-IHS facilities. Also, The Associated Press looks at the Republican infighting in Arkansas over the state’s unique Medicaid expansion program.
Insurance Firms’ Losses Raise Concerns About Viability Of Health Law Marketplaces
Two big companies, UnitedHealth and Aetna, have highlighted some of the problems they are seeing in the insurance exchanges, but the head of Aetna reiterates that his company wants to stay in the market.
All Eyes On Kennedy As Both Sides Gear Up For Oral Arguments In Texas Abortion Case
Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, which will be heard on Wednesday, concerns a Texas law that requires doctors who perform abortions to obtain admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and requiring clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers. Supporters of the regulations say they protect women’s health, while opponents contend they are aimed at limiting abortion access.
CDC Confirms Zika In 9 Pregnant Women In United States
Federal health officials also reported that at least two pregnant Americans have opted to get an abortion after they were infected with the virus. In other outbreak news, Puerto Rico’s fight against mosquitoes is driven by the impending rainy season, Colombian researchers study other Zika-related conditions, and nonprofit clinics are becoming Texas’ first line of defense.