Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In Era Where Cost Cuts Are King, Death Rates Following ER Discharges Raise Concerns
Stat: Medicare Patients Dying Shortly After Leaving Emergency Room, Study Finds
A new study on Medicare patients dying soon after emergency department discharges raises questions about staffing and treatment at rural hospitals and other providers who are under pressure to reduce health care costs. More than 10,000 Medicare patients who do not have life-threatening illnesses die each year in the US within seven days of being released from emergency departments, according to the study, published in the BMJ. Those hospitals with the lowest inpatient admission rates, often hospitals in rural areas, had much higher rates of unexpected deaths. (Ross, 2/1)
In other news on the quality of patient care —
Boston Globe: Transgender People Say Hostility, Ignorance Common In Doctors’ Offices, Emergency Rooms
Massachusetts prides itself on being a medical mecca, but transgender people say they regularly encounter ignorance, discrimination, and even hostility in the doctor’s office. Mason Dunn, a 31-year-old transgender man, painfully recalls being turned away from a specialist’s practice. While he has transitioned to male, he still requires routine pap smears and other gynecological care. (Kolwalczyk, 2/1)
