Latest News On Emergency Medicine

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Parents Complain That Pediatricians, Wary of COVID, Shift Sick Kids to Urgent Care

KFF Health News Original

Referrals of children to urgent care clinics or emergency rooms have become so prevalent that the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with interim guidance on how practices can safely continue to see patients. The academy recommended that pediatricians strive “to provide care for the same variety of visits that they provided prior to the public health emergency.”

‘All You Want Is to Be Believed’: The Impacts of Unconscious Bias in Health Care

KFF Health News Original

One woman shares her experience trying to get care in a Bay Area hospital for COVID symptoms. At nearly every turn, a doctor dismissed her complaints. Is bias part of why people of color are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus?

‘No Mercy’ Chapter 3: Patchwork of Urgent Care Frays After a Rural Hospital Closes

KFF Health News Original

Fort Scott, Kansas, went without an ER for 18 days, after the local hospital shut down. Documenting local trauma during that “dark period” helped investigative reporter Sarah Jane Tribble unravel some of the complications that come after a rural hospital closes.

‘You’re Going to Release Him When He Was Hurting Himself?’

KFF Health News Original

Daniel Prude’s family knew he needed psychiatric care and tried to get it for him. Instead, his encounter with police hours after he was released from Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, proved fatal.

With No Legal Guardrails for Patients, Ambulances Drive Surprise Medical Billing

KFF Health News Original

Studies show that at least half of ground ambulance rides across the nation leave patients with “surprise” medical bills. And a $300-a-mile ride is not unusual. Yet federal legislation to stem what’s known as balance billing has largely ignored ambulance costs.

Veteran’s Appendectomy Launches Excruciating Months-Long Battle Over Bill

KFF Health News Original

An uninsured Colorado man owed $80,232 after two surgeries — the second to correct a complication from the first. After months of negotiating with the hospital, he still owes far more than most insurers would pay for the surgery he had.

Essential Worker Shoulders $1,840 Pandemic Debt Due To COVID Cost Loophole

KFF Health News Original

Carmen Quintero had symptoms of COVID-19, couldn’t get tested and ended up with a huge bill. She also was told to self-isolate and assume she had the coronavirus — which is hard when you live with elders.

Injured And Uninsured, Protesters Get Medical Aid From LA Doctor

KFF Health News Original

A Los Angeles ophthalmologist’s offer on Instagram has ballooned into a loose network of physicians providing medical care to protesters who were injured while rallying against police brutality and racism. While clashes with the police have died down in some parts of the country, some protesters are seeking care for festering wounds from days-old injuries.

Tear-Gassing Protesters During An Infectious Outbreak ‘A Recipe For Disaster’

KFF Health News Original

Health researchers are among the voices calling for police to stop using tear gas and pepper spray on protesters, because these chemical irritants can damage the body in ways that can spread the coronavirus and increase the severity of COVID-19. One example: Tear gas and pepper spray can sow confusion and panic in a crowd, causing people to rip off their masks and touch their faces, leading to more contamination.

COVID-19 Overwhelms Border ICUs

KFF Health News Original

Some California hospitals near the Mexican border have received so many COVID-19 patients the past few weeks that they have had to divert some to other facilities. Hospital officials say most of the infected patients are U.S. citizens or legal residents who live in, or recently traveled to, Mexico and came to the U.S. for care.

Nearly Half Of Americans Delayed Medical Care Due To Pandemic

KFF Health News Original

Of those who went without seeing a doctor or other medical provider, 11% experienced a worsened medical condition, according to the poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation. In addition, nearly 40% said stress related to the coronavirus crisis has negatively impacted their mental health.