Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opioids After Surgery Left Her Addicted. Is That A Medical Error?
Doctors prescribed powerful opioids for a patient after back surgery but gave her little guidance on how to take them safely. Then, she says, they misdiagnosed her withdrawal symptoms. Some experts say this situation is akin to a hospital-acquired condition.
Brokers Tout Mix-And-Match Coverage To Avoid High-Cost ACA Plans
But buyer, beware. Cobbling together “packages” designed to cover gaps in high-deductible health plans could shortchange consumers, warn advocates.
Hospitals Find Asthma Hot Spots More Profitable To Neglect Than Fix
Months of reporting and rich hospital data portray life in the worst asthma hot spot in one of the worst asthma cities: Baltimore. The medical system knows how to help. But there’s no money in it.
Attack On Asthma: Scrubbing Homes Of Allergens May Tame Disease And Its Costs
A pilot program to asthma-proof homes in Baltimore shows that even without intensive professional cleaning services, families can learn to substantially reduce home allergens on their own.
Your Plumber Offers A Money-Back Guarantee. Should Your Doctor?
Even though consumers don’t expect to pay for faulty service or goods, they are often forced to pay for bad health care. But a small number of hospitals and doctors are seeking to change that practice.
Hospitals With History Get A Second Life
The number of hospitals across the country has plummeted, but many old buildings are being resuscitated as apartments and condos.
Heated And Deep-Pocketed Battle Erupts Over 340B Drug Discount Program
Drugmakers, hospitals and lawmakers are taking sides in a showdown over a discount program that covers drug purchases at some hospitals.
Consejos para enfrentar la mala atención en hospitales
El paciente tiene derecho a reclamar si cree que no está recibiendo una atención adecuada. Y el hospital debe resolver el problema rápidamente.
Problems With Your Hospital Care? Speak Up!
If you’re in the hospital and aren’t happy with how they are treating you, here are some simple steps to improve your situation.
How Older Patients Can Dodge Pitfalls Entrenched In Health Care System
What being old and sick in America can mean — and ways to navigate the often treacherous journey through the system.
Beyond The Shattered Lives And Bodies, Money Worries Weigh On Las Vegas Victims
Many of the gunshot survivors who suffered serious injuries face not only high deductibles and out-of-network charges but also lost wages.
El doloroso costado positivo del marketing médico
Una paciente con cáncer de seno terminal asegura que los comerciales solo promueven curas milagrosas y pacientes felices. La realidad es distinta, asegura.
The Painful Side Of Positive Health Care Marketing
Advertising for hospitals, unlike pharmaceutical companies, doesn’t have to be backed up by data or facts. Cheerful messages of hope can feel like a slap in the face to a dying patient.
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.
Chasing Millions In Medicaid Dollars, Hospitals Buy Up Nursing Homes
The strategy has been used mostly in Indiana, where many county-owned hospitals purchased or leased nursing homes to take advantage of a wrinkle in Medicaid payment rules and augment federal reimbursements.
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.
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.
As Care Shifts From Hospital To Home, Guarding Against Infection Falls To Families
Despite a lack of medical training, relatives increasingly are assigned complex, risky medical tasks at home, such as maintaining catheters. If done incorrectly, blood clots, infections, even death can result.
Without Price Breaks, Rural Hospitals Struggle To Stock Costly, Lifesaving Drugs
A federal drug program blocks rural hospitals from getting discounts on rare-disease drugs, forcing staff to cut back on supplies of lifesaving medicines.
