Latest KFF Health News Stories
Paying Hospitals To Keep People Out Of Hospitals? It Works In Maryland.
The state’s ambitious payment overhaul has begun to demonstrate savings and a change in culture, say new reports.
Bill Of The Month: For Toenail Fungus, A $1,500 Prescription
How a prescription wiped out one woman’s health reimbursement account, raising questions about prescription drug price tags and about how health care professionals deal (or don’t) with medical costs.
At New Health Office, ‘Civil Rights’ Means Doctors’ Right To Say No To Patients
The HHS civil rights division refocuses on the rights of health care providers who have moral objections to treatments such as abortion or sterilization, alarming critics.
As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives
An investigation by Kaiser Health News and the USA TODAY Network discovers that more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. More than a dozen — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies.
Never Too Late To Operate? Surgery Near End Of Life Is Common, Costly
Nearly 1 in 3 Medicare patients undergo an operation in their final year of life.
The Training Of Dr. Robot: Data Wave Hits Medical Care
Algorithms and other technologies are moving from research labs to hospitals and clinics to predict and combat disease.
Doctors Learn How To Talk To Patients About Dying
Clinicians can be so focused on fixing problems and saving lives that they often avoid talking to patients about their prognosis.
Readers And Tweeters Add Two Cents On Amazon Venture To Repackage Health Care
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Community Health Centers Caught In ‘Washington’s Political Dysfunction’
The centers, which serve 27 million people, get about 20 percent of their funding from the federal government. But that revenue is slated to end on March 31.
As States Target High Drug Prices, Pharma Targets State Lawmakers
In Louisiana, the wining and dining of lawmakers by scores of pharma lobbyists proves a valuable lesson on how to win statehouse votes and influence profits.
Expert Advice For The Corporate Titans Taking On Health Care
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are partnering up to address employee health care costs and improve satisfaction. Can they deliver? And would repackaging health insurance involve drones?
Big Pharma Greets Hundreds Of Ex-Federal Workers At The ‘Revolving Door’
A KHN data analysis finds that the door of opportunities connecting Capitol Hill, the federal government and the drug industry likely spins in Big Pharma’s favor.
It’s In The Mail: Aetna Agrees To $17M Payout In HIV Privacy Breach
In a low-tech snafu, information about HIV treatment was visible through the cellophane window on envelopes sent to about 12,000 consumers.
Podcast: What The Health? Our First Live Show: What The Health Will Happen In 2018?
In this episode of “What The Health?” — taped before a live audience — panelists discuss the potential federal government shutdown and what may be in store for health in 2018. They are joined by former Medicare and Medicaid head Tom Scully.
Inside The Global Race To Deliver A Vital Radioactive Isotope Used To Detect Cancer
Moly-99, as it’s called, is created in just six government-owned nuclear research reactors — none in North America — raising concerns about the reliability of the supply.
J.P. Morgan Health Conference All About The Deals Amid Uncertainty For Millions
The lofty ideas floated and billion-dollar deals sealed at J.P. Morgan’s elite annual conference stand in stark contrast to the uncertainty that clouds health care outside its confines.
Half Of Hospitals In Conn., Del. Hit By Medicare’s Safety Penalties
Seven states saw a third or more of their hospitals punished under the federal heath law’s campaign against hospital-acquired conditions.
Readers Have Bones To Pick, From Health System Flaws To Covering Pot Beat
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Pharmacists Slow To Dispense Lifesaving Overdose Drug
Laws in California and most other states allow pharmacists to provide naloxone to patients or their friends without a doctor’s prescription. But many don’t do so, citing lack of demand and awareness among patients, their own fears of insufficient compensation and the challenges of treating opioid users.
Care Suffers As More Nursing Homes Feed Money Into Corporate Webs
Increasingly, owners of nursing homes outsource services to companies in which they also have financial interest or control. That allows the nursing homes to claim to be in the red while owners reap hidden profits.
