Latest News On Doctors

Latest KFF Health News Stories

PrEP, a Key HIV Prevention Tool, Isn’t Reaching Black Women

KFF Health News Original

New HIV infections occur disproportionately among Black women, but exclusionary marketing, fewer treatment options, and provider wariness have limited uptake of preexposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, drugs, which reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

Mothers of Color Can’t See if Providers Have a History of Mistreatment. Why Not?

KFF Health News Original

Many women, especially Black women, have reported discrimination in maternity care, but expectant mothers lack tools to see where this happens. Funding and regulations to measure disparities have been slow in arriving, but some innovators are trying to fill the void.

Police Blame Some Deaths on ‘Excited Delirium.’ ER Docs Consider Pulling the Plug on the Term.

KFF Health News Original

The American College of Emergency Physicians will vote in early October on whether to disavow its 2009 research paper on excited delirium, which has been cited as a cause of death and used as a legal defense by police officers in several high-profile cases.

As More Patients Email Doctors, Health Systems Start Charging Fees

KFF Health News Original

Doctors say billing for email consultations reduces message volume and gives them more free time. The increasingly prevalent practice has also raised fears about negative impacts to patient care.

Pacientes reciben facturas por enviarles correos electrónicos a sus médicos

KFF Health News Original

Con un fuerte aumento de los mensajes de correo electrónico durante la pandemia de covid, un número creciente de sistemas de salud han empezado a cobrar a los pacientes cuando los médicos y otros profesionales clínicos responden a sus mensajes.

California’s Medical Board Can’t Pay Its Bills, but Doctors Resist Proposed Fixes

KFF Health News Original

Patient advocates have long alleged the Medical Board of California is ineffective at policing doctors. But a proposal to beef up its budget and overhaul procedures faces stiff resistance from the doctors’ lobby.

Médicos son reacios a preguntar el estatus migratorio de pacientes, a pesar de nueva ley de Florida

KFF Health News Original

Médicos, enfermeras y expertos en política sanitaria afirman que la ley ataca a personas marginadas que ya tienen dificultades para navegar el sistema de salud y que les disuadirá aún más de buscar ayuda médica.

Doctors Hesitate to Ask About Patients’ Immigration Status Despite New Florida Law

KFF Health News Original

Florida’s new immigration law requires hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status at admission and in emergency rooms, and report that information plus the cost of care for residents without legal status. Doctors and nurses who oppose the policy seem reluctant to criticize lawmakers for fear of political retribution.

In Wisconsin, Women’s Health Care Is Constricted by an 1849 Law. These Doctors Are Aghast.

KFF Health News Original

From the front lines of Wisconsin’s abortion battle, obstetricians describe patients who cannot comprehend having to carry nonviable pregnancies. And only one pharmacist in town can be found who will fill prescriptions for abortion pills.

Medical Debt Is Making Americans Angry. Doctors and Hospitals Ignore This at Their Peril.

KFF Health News Original

Doctors and hospitals hold an exalted position in American life, retaining public confidence even as other institutions such as government, law enforcement, and the media are losing people’s trust. But with health care debt out of hand, medical providers risk their good standing.

La atención primaria está cambiando: el acceso y la calidad están en juego

KFF Health News Original

Una relación sólida y duradera con un médico de atención primaria —que conozca el historial del paciente y pueda vigilar nuevos problemas— se ha considerado durante mucho tiempo la base de un sistema sanitario de calidad.

Burnout Threatens Primary Care Workforce and Doctors’ Mental Health

KFF Health News Original

Burnout is a widespread problem in the health care industry. Although the pandemic made things worse, burnout among doctors is a long-standing concern that health systems have become more focused on as they try to stop doctors from quitting or retiring early.

Abortion Bans Are Driving Off Doctors and Closing Clinics, Putting Basic Health Care at Risk

KFF Health News Original

Doctors say they are reluctant to practice in abortion-banned states, where making the best decision for a patient could run afoul of the law. Even former President Donald Trump’s surgeon general is concerned about the repercussions for women’s health, writes KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner.