Latest KFF Health News Stories
Reporter’s Notebook: In Health Care, A Good Price (Or Any Price) Is Hard To Find
Not only are health prices hidden, industry players are contractually obligated to keep them secret. That’s why answering a simple question — how much does it cost to have a baby in Mountain View, Calif.? — became a journalistic quest.
Guess Who Pays The Price When Hospital Giants Hire Your Private Practitioner?
Gobbling up doctors’ independent practices is lucrative for hospital systems — but not necessarily a good deal for the physicians or consumers, critics say. Northern California is a case in point.
How Below-The-Radar Mergers Fuel Health Care Monopolies
Most acquisitions by hospitals of physician practices are too small to trigger antitrust attention, study says. But a buying spree of “onesies and twosies” doctor practices has driven competition down and prices up.
Another Way For Anti-Vaxxers To Skip Shots For Schoolkids: A Doctor’s Note
No longer able to get exemptions for personal beliefs in California, parents opposed to inoculations seem to be obtaining medical exemptions for their children, according to a new study.
Más médicos apoyan un sistema de salud universal
Una nueva encuesta revela que cada vez más los profesionales de la salud se inclinan a un sistema con un pagador único que se haga cargo de las cuentas médicas.
Doctors Warm To Single-Payer Health Care
Growing numbers of physicians say they support a single-payer health care system, a 180-degree turn in opinion over a decade.
Medicare ayuda a 575,000 personas a hacer planes para el final de la vida
En 2016, el Medicare comenzó a pagar por las sesiones en las que pacientes, médicos y familiares discuten sobre las decisiones a tomar cuando se acerca el final de la vida.
End-Of-Life Advice: More Than 500,000 Chat On Medicare’s Dime
In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.
Calif. Hits Nerve By Singling Out Cardiac Surgeons With Higher Patient Death Rates
The controversial practice — done by just a few other states — recently cast a spotlight on some prominent doctors. Supporters say it improves performance; detractors warn it discourages taking on complex cases.
California Sued For Allegedly Substandard Medi-Cal Care
The lawsuit is a civil rights case on behalf of Latinos, who comprise nearly half of the program’s enrollees. But the advocates who filed it also hope to get class action certification for all Medi-Cal enrollees.
Survivors Of Childhood Diseases Struggle To Find Care As Adults
Once-fatal childhood diseases, like cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease and sickle cell anemia, now can be survived into adulthood. But when those patients become too old to see pediatricians, it can be difficult for them to find physicians familiar with their conditions.
Despite A Growing Appetite, Buffet-Style Flat-Fee Clinics Shutter In Seattle
A small number of medical practices have been moving to “direct primary care,” in which patients pay a monthly retainer for unlimited services. But the collapse of Qliance in Seattle may portend problems with the business model.
“¿Cuánto tiempo me queda, doctor?” Por qué muchos pacientes con cáncer no obtienen respuestas
Muchas veces los pacientes con cáncer no reciben respuestas adecuadas a preguntas críticas, entre ellas, la más crucial y universal de todas.
‘How Long Have I Got, Doc?’ Why Many Cancer Patients Don’t Have Answers
Due to poor doctor-patient communication, most people with advanced cancer don’t know enough about their disease to make vital decisions.
Rural Doctors’ Training May Be In Jeopardy
A program designed to address the shortage of doctors in rural and poor urban areas could be in peril unless Congress acts.
For Doctors, A Clamp Down On Visas Could Have An Uneven Effect In The U.S.
New research shows that physicians getting H-1B visas account for just over 1 percent of all doctors, but some areas are much more likely to be seeking their services.
California Doctors Again Press For More Money To Treat Poor Patients
They want the state’s new tobacco tax to help pay for a raise in Medicaid rates, but so far Gov. Jerry Brown has other plans for that money.
Two Words Can Soothe Patients Who Have Been Harmed: We’re Sorry
For patients killed or maimed by medical errors, doctors and hospitals still often deny wrongdoing. But newer programs offering prompt disclosure of medical errors, an apology and compensation for them or their families are growing.
California Medical Board President Faces Questions Over Vote In Sexual Misconduct Case
After the medical board reinstated the license of doctor who molested patients, one member –now president — secured a $40 million donation for a pet project from the doctor’s relative. He says the two events are unrelated. Critics are demanding an investigation.
Cuando los padres y el pediatra no hablan el mismo idioma
Un nuevo estudio en California revela que los padres latinos que sólo hablan español son menos propensos a reportar buenas experiencias con los médicos de sus hijos que los que hablan inglés.
