Latest News On Chronic Disease Care

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Texas Clinics Busting Traditional Silos Of Mental And Physical Health Care

KFF Health News Original

Efforts to provide care that integrates physical and mental health services are spreading, partly because untreated mental health conditions negatively affect physical health and escalate health care costs.

Drug Test Spurs Frank Talk Between Hypertension Patients And Doctors

KFF Health News Original

Roughly half of patients don’t take their high blood pressure medicine as they should, even though heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. Now, a drug test can flag whether a patient is taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.

‘Scary’ Lung Disease Now Afflicts More Women Than Men In U.S.

KFF Health News Original

Barbara Bush’s case highlights that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) — a disease linked to long-term smoking and traditionally considered a men’s disease — is now more prevalent among women.

Puerto Rico’s Slow-Going Recovery Means New Hardship For Dialysis Patients

KFF Health News Original

Since massive Hurricane Maria struck in September and knocked out the dialysis center on the tiny satellite island of Vieques, more than a dozen patients needing treatment now must fly several times a week to the main island.

Scrutinizing Medicare Coverage For Physical, Occupational And Speech Therapy

KFF Health News Original

Treatment has been terminated for some seniors because therapists told them they weren’t making enough progress or that they had reached their annual limit. We examine the treatment benefits and the barriers under Medicare’s coverage rules for therapy.

Black Men’s Blood Pressure Is Cut Along With Their Hair

KFF Health News Original

A new study shows that educational sessions about high blood pressure at African American barbershops, coupled with prescribing and helping to manage medication, reduced hypertension rates significantly.