Latest KFF Health News Stories
Opioid Epidemic Fueling Hospitalizations, Hospital Costs
New research sheds light on the growing costs to the health care system associated with painkiller and heroin abuse.
Hospital Discharge: It’s One Of The Most Dangerous Periods For Patients
Bad coordination and communication can put patients at risk as they’re discharged from a hospital.
Three Hospitals Hope To Spark A Reduction In Surgeries By Inexperienced Doctors
The prestigious facilities are seeking to improve patient safety by getting surgeons and hospitals to pledge to meet minimum thresholds for 10 high-risk procedures.
Administration Says New Rules For Medicaid Plans Will Improve Service For Enrollees
Private insurers that administer Medicaid for the poor also face limits on profits and requirements to provide sufficient doctors.
Medicare Delays Plans For New Star Ratings On Hospitals After Congressional Pressure
The “overall hospital quality” rating is designed to help consumers who are sometimes confused by the variety of quality measures that the government already provides. But members of Congress had asked for the delay because of concerns that the methodology for the stars was not accurate.
At Teaching Hospitals, Aggressive Screening May Lead To Medicare Penalties
Nearly half of academic medical centers will be penalized by the government this year for high rates of infections and other avoidable complications, but the hospitals say it shows they screen better for problems.
Rise In Oncologists Working For Hospitals Spurs Higher Chemo Costs: Study
Researchers found that the facility fees hospitals and their clinics routinely add to the bill helps drive the price increases.
A Dearth Of Hospital Beds For Patients In Psychiatric Crisis
A California Assembly bill would require creating a mandatory registry for available psychiatric hospital beds, but the state hospital association calls it unworkable.
Hospitals Eye Community Health Workers To Cultivate Patients’ Successes
These non-medical workers are increasingly being seen by hospitals as a critical point of contact for patients and a way to help hold down readmission rates and improve health outcomes.
California Insurance Marketplace Imposes New Quality, Cost Conditions On Plans
In a sweeping overhaul of its contracts, the state’s insurance exchange will require health plans to hold doctors and hospitals accountable for quality and cost.
Study: More Collaboration Aids Health Care For At-Risk Populations
A new study from the National Academies of Sciences seeks best practices for health providers whose patients are disproportionately disadvantaged.
Major Employers Decry Sutter Health’s Tactics In Dispute Over Prices
Sutter Health, with dominant market share in Northern California, is insisting that employers sign arbitration agreements or face sharply higher out-of-network rates.
Hospital Software Often Doesn’t Flag Unsafe Drug Prescriptions, Report Finds
A survey conducted by the Leapfrog Group finds that though many hospitals have computer-based medication systems in place to protect against errors, many still fall short in highlighting possible problems.
Patients’ Assessment Of Their Health Is Gaining Importance In Treatment
As medicine moves to a patient-centered model, doctors and other health providers are slowly adding patients’ self-reports to the other tests and exams they use to determine care.
The Wait For Opioid Treatment Can Mean Life Or Death In New Hampshire
New Hampshire has one of the highest opioid overdose rates and one of the lowest rates of access to treatment.
Some experts say this opportunity has not been realized, but advocates and policymakers are focusing on fixes that would make the digital versions of end-of-life planning documents easy for health professionals to locate.
Hackers Seek Ransom From Two More California Hospitals
A malware attack against two Prime Healthcare hospitals in South California, which federal authorities are investigating, comes soon after a case in which hackers demanded ransom from a Los Angeles hospital.
California Insurance Marketplace Wants To Kick Out Poor-Performing Hospitals
Providers and insurers are balking at a Covered California proposal to eject hospitals with inordinately high costs and low quality from its networks.
It’s Not Just Doctors And Nurses, Patients Need To Wash Their Hands, Too
New research indicates that patients who leave the hospital for post-acute care facilities carry superbugs with them.
Back From The Brink, A Rural Texas Hospital Shines
One family’s tragedy inspired a radical change at a struggling rural hospital in Texas.
