Latest KFF Health News Stories
For Elder Health, Trips To The ER Are Often A Tipping Point
Experts provide tips for older patients and their caregivers to cope with the physical and mental declines associated with emergency room visits.
Wrecked And Retching: Obscure Vomiting Illness Linked To Long-Term Pot Use
Emergency room doctors are seeing a growing number of marijuana users with a mysterious condition that causes extreme vomiting and abdominal pain.
Near Incineration Of Psychiatric Hospital Highlights Gaping Need For More Beds
Fire almost destroyed one of two acute care facilities in Ventura County — wiping out most of the region’s inpatient capacity. In California and nationally, such hospitals are strained by demand — and disasters.
Taken For A Ride? Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills
Public outrage over surprise medical bills prompted 21 states to pass consumer protection laws. But these laws largely ignore ambulance rides, which can leave patients stuck with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills.
Surprise Ambulance Bills: A Consumer’s Guide
What to do if you get hit by an exorbitant ambulance bill — and how to avoid them in the first place.
Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?
They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.
Tending To Patients As Her New Home Burns
ICU nurse Julayne Smithson had only a few minutes to grab some things from her recently purchased home a block from the Santa Rosa hospital. Then she rushed back to help evacuate patients and has scarcely stopped working since.
Fires Prey On Frail Residents Living On Their Own
The ferocious fires in Northern California underscore the vulnerability of seniors and disabled people whose mobility is limited. Experts recommend basic precautions.
Tragedia de Las Vegas plantea la capacidad de un hospital para atender a las víctimas
En la ciudad hay un solo centro de trauma, especializado en tratar a pacientes con lesiones severas producto de disparos, caídas o accidentes automovilísticos. Qué pasa a nivel nacional
Las Vegas Faced a Massacre. Did It Have Enough Trauma Centers?
Hospitals view adding trauma care as a potential profit tool, but experts say having more centers does not necessarily improve the system’s ability to respond to a mass casualty event.
Hurricane’s Health Toll: A Texas Doctor Taps Lessons From Katrina
After weathering the catastrophe in New Orleans 12 years ago, Dr. Ruth Berggren moved to Texas, where she again finds herself in the center of a hurricane crisis. In a Q&A, she draws parallels between the harrowing events and pinpoints risks in Harvey’s aftermath.
Elder Abuse: ERs Learn How To Protect A Vulnerable Population
An emergency department at New York-Presbyterian Hospital trains staff to recognize signs of elder abuse and help victims.
Hospitals Slashed Use Of Two Heart Drugs After Huge Price Hikes
Hospital use of two popular heart medicines, nitroprusside and isoproterenol, dramatically dropped after the prices for both soared.
EMS Delays In Rural Areas Leave First-Aid Gap For Bystanders To Fill
Response times for emergency medical service units are about twice as long in rural areas as in urban areas, researchers say, underscoring the need for trained lay people to provide first aid until professional help arrives.
Influx Of Elderly Patients Forces ER To Practice Comfort Care
Despite a culture clash and lack of time and training, ER doctors see how palliative care averts suffering for elderly patients with serious illnesses.
Urgent Care Sites Cater To Cancer Patients, Letting Them Check Some Worries At Door
Hospitals and oncology practices are setting up urgent care services aimed specifically at cancer patients to help keep them out of the hospital.
What Doesn’t Kill You Can Maim: Unexpected Injuries From Opioids
Doctors are beginning to pay attention to injuries, such as brain damage or kidney failure, that can afflict people who survive an overdose.
In Remote Idaho, A Tiny Facility Lights The Way For Stressed Rural Hospitals
In a region where bears outnumber people, a small medical facility sets a modern example for rural hospitals on life support.
For Some Hospice Patients, A 911 Call Saves A Trip To The ER
Hospice groups are teaming up with specially trained paramedics to deal with common problems that worried patients or families incorrectly think need hospital care.
ER Visits Linked To Falls Spike Among California Seniors
State data show a rise of nearly 40 percent in fall-related visits from 2010 to 2015, a period in which the elderly population grew about 21 percent.
