Latest News On Health Records

Latest KFF Health News Stories

An Outdated Tracking System Is a Key Factor in Texas’ Foster Care Shortcomings

KFF Health News Original

The computer program, designed in 1996 to be a secure location for foster children’s medical and school records and histories of neglect and abuse, is older than Google — and has had far fewer updates.

How Medicare Advantage Plans Dodged Auditors and Overcharged Taxpayers by Millions

KFF Health News Original

Facing rare scrutiny from federal auditors, some Medicare Advantage health plans failed to produce any records to justify their payments, government records show. The audits revealed millions of dollars in overcharges to Medicare over three years.

Big Employers Are Offering Abortion Benefits. Will the Information Stay Safe?

KFF Health News Original

Work-based benefits may expand access to abortion for people who live in areas where the service is unavailable, but experts warn that claiming benefits could create a paper trail for law enforcement officials to follow.

Tech Glitches at One VA Site Raise Concerns About a Nationwide Rollout

KFF Health News Original

The more than $16 billion, decade-long effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs was designed to provide seamless electronic health records for patients from enlistment in the military past discharge.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Coronavirus Goes Viral

KFF Health News Original

The rapidly spreading coronavirus has led to the cancellation of sporting events, conferences and travel, with Congress and President Donald Trump scrambling to catch up to the spiraling public health crisis. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has issued long-awaited rules aimed at making it easier for patients to carry copies of their medical records. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, for extra credit, the panelists suggest their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

How Fast Can A New Internet Standard For Sharing Patient Data Catch Fire?

KFF Health News Original

The web-based standard FHIR — pronounced “fire” — could hasten the day when we can view our full medical histories on a smartphone screen. Tech giants are hungry for a piece of the pie, but obstacles remain.

Timeline: History Of Blocking Regulation Of Electronic Health Records

KFF Health News Original

Over the past decade, government efforts to create a national system to track and analyze deaths, injuries and other adverse incidents linked to electronic health records repeatedly have failed amid opposition from the technology industry and its supporters in Congress.

When A Doctor’s Screen Time Detracts From Face Time With Patients

KFF Health News Original

Electronic health records can help reduce medical errors, but when not used well they can strain the doctor-patient relationship. Dr. Wei Wei Lee, an internist with the University of Chicago Medicine, has developed strategies to make sure tech is a tool, not a barrier.

Mini-Biographies Help Clinicians Connect With Patients

KFF Health News Original

Some Veterans Affairs hospitals around the country use writers to record patients’ life stories, then place a short biography in each vet’s medical record. The My Life, My Story program gives clinicians another way to get to know their patients.