Investigations

FDA Launches Criminal Investigation Into Unauthorized Herpes Vaccine Research

The Food and Drug Administration rarely prosecutes research violations, but its criminal division is looking into the experimental herpes vaccine research by Southern Illinois University professor William Halford.

As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives

An investigation by Kaiser Health News and the USA TODAY Network discovers that more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. More than a dozen — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies.

Listen: Got A Sky-High Bill? Don’t Write The Check.

Have you gotten a medical bill that sounds way too expensive or is just downright confusing? Send it to us. KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal talks with NPR Morning Edition Host Steve Inskeep about the launch of “Bill Of The Month,” KHN and NPR’s new crowdsourced investigation.

University Under Fire For Off-The-Grid Herpes Vaccine Experiments

Southern Illinois University’s medical school has halted all herpes research, one of its most high-profile projects, amid growing controversy over a researcher’s unauthorized methods offshore and in the U.S.

Taken For A Ride? Ambulances Stick Patients With Surprise Bills

Public outrage over surprise medical bills prompted 21 states to pass consumer protection laws. But these laws largely ignore ambulance rides, which can leave patients stuck with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in bills.