Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Throwaway Scope: A Way To Ditch Superbugs?
Small manufacturers are betting that disposable medical scopes will slash the risk of infection during procedures. Some doctors are skeptical of the cheaper models.
Doctors And Hospitals Say ‘Show Me The Money’ Before Treating Patients
As patients’ share of medical bills has grown with the rise in deductibles, copays and coinsurance, providers have become laser focused on getting payments up front.
Slowing Down Hospital Discharge Requires Fast Action
Seniors who feel they’re being rushed out of the hospital can file an appeal to halt the process but they need to act fast.
Deadly Infections Linked To Heart Surgery Device Highlight Holes In FDA Monitoring
The federal agency took 14 months to warn the public about the potential for infections. Officials say they acted as fast as they could.
Uncertain Fate Of Health Law Giving Health Industry Heartburn
The effect of “repeal and replace” could have greatest consequences for hospitals. They accepted lower federal funding under the law because their uncompensated care was expected to fall as more people became insured.
Children’s Hospital Partnership Boosts Care For Sick Kids
An innovative partnership in which a children’s hospital shares revenue and costs with a community hospital helps improve access to specialized care.
Medical Device Employees Are Often In The O.R., Raising Concerns About Influence
The “reps,” who are there to answer any technical questions that arise during surgery, also often cultivate close relationships with the doctors, leading to questions about how much influence they wield.
Big Hospital Network Cracks Down On The Right To Sue
Some networks of hospitals, doctors and medical services are now so dominant in their region that they can hike their prices and force patients to waive the right to sue when things go wrong.
Laughing Gas For Labor Pain? It’s Poised For A Comeback
Nitrous oxide for laboring women was popular in the U.S. until the mid-20th century when it went out of favor when birth became more medicalized. Now, midwives are putting it back on the “menu” of pain relief options for childbirth.
Deadly Superbug Linked To Four Deaths In The U.S.
A deadly superbug has been linked to at least four deaths and nine other cases in the U.S. and has spread across the globe in just six years.
Vinculan súper hongo mortal con cuatro muertes en EE.UU.
Un nuevo hongo mortal resistente a los medicamentos se ha relacionado con la muerte de cuatro pacientes hospitalizados en los Estados Unidos, según un nuevo informe de los CDC.
FDA Faults 12 Hospitals For Failing To Disclose Injuries, Deaths Linked To Medical Devices
The agency found several prominent facilities had not followed rules on reporting incidents in which patients were harmed.
California Rules About Violence Against Health Workers Could Become A Model
New workplace health rules in California would go beyond existing safety standards by requiring private health care facilities to develop specific plans to mitigate risks of violence against workers.
Terminally Ill Patients Don’t Use Aid-In-Dying Laws To Relieve Pain
Ending pain and suffering has helped several states pass “right-to-die” laws, but dying patients are more concerned about controlling how they die and dying with dignity.
States See Peer-Recovery Coaches As A Way To Break The Addiction Epidemic
Rhode Island installed coaches in all of the state’s hospital emergency rooms and others are following its lead.
An Idea Borrowed From South Africa: Ordinary Citizens Fill Gaps In Health Care
A New York group seeks to show that a health coach who is also a neighbor can help patients and save money.
How Narrow Is It? Gov’t Begins Test Of Comparison Tool For Health Plan Networks
This fall, the tool will be available in four states with hopes of expanding it to other states in the future.
Hospitals Say They’re Being Slammed By Drug Price Hikes
In a report out Tuesday, hospital groups said drug prices have skyrocketed since 2013, triggering a huge increase in what hospitals spend on pharmaceuticals.
A Bygone Era: When Bipartisanship Led To Health Care Transformation
A federal law enacted shortly after the end of World War II provided grants and loans to fund hospital construction that have left a lasting legacy.
Most Hospital Palliative Care Programs Are Understaffed
Guidelines recommend that hospitals have a physician, an advanced practice or registered nurse, a social worker and chaplain on the palliative care team, but only about 25 percent of hospitals meet that standard.
