Latest KFF Health News Stories
Community Frets As Buyer For Cherished Rural Hospital Slips From View
Some residents of remote Surprise Valley in Northern California fear their hospital will close like so many others around the country, as hope wanes for financial support from a Denver entrepreneur. The businessman, Beau Gertz, had planned to raise money through lab billing for faraway patients.
A Transgender Woman’s ‘Bait-And-Switch’ $92,000 Surgery Bill
After being promised a significant discount for paying cash upfront and forgoing insurance, a Wisconsin patient gets caught in the middle between hospital and insurer — and feels snookered by a last-minute surprise and billing snafu.
¿Llegó el momento de la colonoscopía? Asegúrate que el instrumental esté esterilizado
Las infecciones por duodenoscopios contaminados pueden ser fatales. Qué hacer para ayudar a garantizar que el instrumental médico esté esterilizado.
Time For That Colonoscopy? Probe Your Doc First On How The Scopes Are Cleaned
Millions of Americans undergo procedures each year requiring medical scopes, but there’s growing concern about the risk of infection from dirty devices. Be prepared to ask questions — and bail if you’re not satisfied with the answers.
Hospitales están listos para un nuevo diagnóstico: tráfico humano
En Nueva York y California, centros de salud comienzan a entrenar a su personal para detectar señales de que el paciente puede ser víctima de esta particular forma de abuso.
Hospitals Gear Up For New Diagnosis: Human Trafficking
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.
Can A Community Hospital Stay True To Its Mission After Sale To Large Corporation?
After 130 years as a nonprofit with deep roots in western North Carolina, Mission Health announced in March that it was seeking to be bought by HCA Healthcare, the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chain.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Drug Prices And Unicorns
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico, and Erin Mershon of Stat News discuss a series of health policy court decisions on everything from prescription drug discounts to soda taxes. Plus, Rovner, interviews health care futurist and consultant Jeff Goldsmith.
El toque humano en un hospital: por qué importa que los médicos sean compasivos
La actitud de los médicos al momento de hablar de temas difíciles como el final de la vida pueden hacer la diferencia en la calidad de vida del paciente y las preocupaciones de la familia.
A Hospital’s Human Touch: Why Taking Care In Discharging A Patient Matters
Patients and caregivers often feel abandoned and lose trust in health care professionals when they sense a lack of caring during transitions. With it, they feel better able to handle concerns and act on their doctors’ recommendations.
Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Face Quandaries Over Questionable Billing Schemes
Two Missouri hospitals handed over their operations to a private company that has vastly increased the money the hospitals bring in through their laboratories, even though the lab tests are not done on-site.
A Baby Was Treated With A Nap And A Bottle Of Formula. The Bill Was $18,000.
An ER patient can be charged thousands of dollars in “trauma fees” — even if they weren’t treated for trauma.
Doling Out Pain Pills Post-Surgery: An Ingrown Toenail Not The Same As A Bypass
As the opioid epidemic rages, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and researcher is leading an effort to curb overprescribing by offering procedure-specific guidelines to ensure that post-surgical patients leave the hospital with enough, but not too much, pain medication.
‘Holy Cow’ Moment Changes How Montana’s State Health Plan Does Business
Other states are watching to see if controlling how much hospitals get paid can continue to hold down costs in “Big Sky Country.”
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
KHN’s newsletter editor, Brianna Labuskes, wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Resucitar o no resucitar: cómo evitar errores con los testamentos en vida
Expertos aseguran que los malentendidos que provocan documentos destinados a guiar la toma de decisiones al final de la vida son “sorprendentemente comunes”.
That ‘Living Will’ You Signed? At The ER, It Could Be Open To Interpretation.
End-of-life documents express your preferences for care but may not be binding medical orders. Here’s how to better prepare for the unexpected — that your last wishes won’t be carried out.
Medicare Financial Outlook Worsens
The Medicare board of trustees said the program’s hospital insurance trust fund could run out of money by 2026, three years earlier than previously forecast.
California Hospitals Urge Moms To Favor Breast Milk Over Formula
Exclusively breastfeeding babies for at least six months is widely viewed as a significant health benefit. White moms are more likely to do so than blacks, Asians or Latinas.
‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates
Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.
