Latest KFF Health News Stories
‘Orthopedic Capital Of The World’ Is Still Hiring Despite Health Law Tax
The medical device industry hopes a GOP Congress will repeal what they say is a job-killing tax, but critics say companies exaggerate its impact.
Might Your Workers Be Eligible For Medicaid? Start-Up Helps Employers Find Out
BeneStream screens for Medicaid-eligible workers, creating a win-win for both employers and employees.
Medicare Cuts Payments To 721 Hospitals With Highest Rates Of Infections, Injuries
The 1 percent penalty, mandated by the health law, will hit one of every seven hospitals in the country and fall particularly hard on academic medical centers.
Patients At Seven Miami-Dade Hospitals Are More Likely To Develop Infections
The data comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tracks six types of frequently occurring infections in hospitals as part of an effort to reduce them.
Wellness At Work: Popular But Unproven
Almost all large employers offer at least one wellness plan, but studies showing these efforts really save money are scarce.
Alaska Doctors Overwhelmed By New Federal Rules
The new requirements for electronic medical records and other technological upgrades can be a heavy burden for Alaska’s small medical practices and aging physician workforce.
Pacemakers Get Hacked On TV, But Could It Happen In Real Life?
Concerns about the potential vulnerability of medical devices are getting the attention of regulators, health care providers and manufacturers.
You Paid What? How Negotiated Deals Hide Health Care’s Cost
A patient’s portion of a health care bill is a complicated equation – but it’s simple compared to the deals between insurers and hospitals.
How The Health Law Is Using Medicare To Improve Hospital Quality
Among the tools: penalties for admitting patients too soon after they were discharged and a focus on reducing hospital-acquired infections.
How Employers Are Getting Ready For Open Enrollment
Some large employers will face penalties if they don’t offer workers health insurance in 2015. In addition, workers can expect to see increased cost-sharing and employers pushing them to “private exchanges” to save money.
Kidney Dialysis Company Expands Into The Hospital Business
DaVita HealthCare Partners, a kidney dialysis company, is picking up on a new way insurers and the government are paying for health care — by keeping people healthy through primary care.
Thinking About Enrolling In Obamacare? Keep These 5 Tips In Mind
The online health insurance marketplaces open on Nov. 15 for three months. Here’s a checklist of several things to consider.
Hospitals Take Cues From The Hospitality Industry
Satisfied patients have better health outcomes and, not incidentally, boost hospitals’ bottom lines under new Medicare reimbursement rules.
Family Doctors Push For A Bigger Piece Of The Health Care Pie
Eight physician groups have launched a multi-year campaign to win public and governmental support for a larger role.
Hospitals Struggle To Beat Back Serious Infections
KHN reporter Jordan Rau spoke on NPR about data that say about 75,000 patients per year die from infections they got in the hospital. Nearly 700 hospitals around the U.S. have higher than expected infection rates.
Hospitals’ Struggles To Beat Back Familiar Infections Began Before Ebola Arrived
Each year about 75,000 patients die from infections they caught in the hospital. A KHN analysis of federal data shows that nearly 700 hospitals have higher than expected rates of infection for at least one condition.
What CDC Can Do To Fight Ebola
The Ebola epidemic in Africa and fears of it spreading in the U.S. have turned the nation’s attention to the federal government’s front-line public health agency: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But as with Ebola itself, there is much confusion about the role of the CDC and what it can and cannot do to prevent and contain the spread of disease.
California Prop. 46, Inspired By Tragedy, Pits Doctors Against Lawyers
Opponents wage costly campaign, eroding public support.
How One U.S. Hospital Braces For Ebola
This story is part of a partnership that includes WNPR, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) Dr. Jack Ross is used to seeing potentially lethal viruses, and he is used to putting patients into isolation. Still, Ebola is different. “I think, for any hospital today, Ebola represents one step higher than anything […]
Readmissions Penalties By State: Year 3
Medicare evaluated the readmission rates of the nation’s hospitals in determining the third year of penalties in the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program. This table lists the average impact on hospitals in each state.
