Latest KFF Health News Stories
The Case of the Two Grace Elliotts: A Medical Billing Mystery
A health system charged a woman for a shoulder replacement at a hospital across the country that she had not visited for years. She didn’t receive the care, but she did receive the bill — and the medical records of a stranger.
No Prison Time for Tennessee Nurse Convicted of Fatal Drug Error
Hundreds of nurses gathered outside a Nashville courthouse to protest RaDonda Vaught’s prosecution for a medical mistake, and cheered when her probation sentence was announced.
Why Nurses Are Raging and Quitting After the RaDonda Vaught Verdict
The former Tennessee nurse faces prison time for a fatal error. Reaction from her peers was swift and fierce on social media and beyond ― and it isn’t over.
Reaction to the RaDonda Vaught Verdict: KHN Wants to Hear From Nurses
KHN is asking nurses and other medical professionals to weigh in on the conviction of RaDonda Vaught, a former Tennessee nurse who administered the wrong drug to a patient, killing her.
Nurse Convicted of Neglect and Negligent Homicide for Fatal Drug Error
RaDonda Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, could spend years in prison after being convicted of two felonies in Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday.
In Nurse’s Trial, Investigator Says Hospital Bears ‘Heavy’ Responsibility for Patient Death
Nashville nurse RaDonda Vaught is charged with reckless homicide for giving the wrong medication to a patient at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
As a Nurse Faces Prison for a Deadly Error, Her Colleagues Worry: Could I Be Next?
Former nurse RaDonda Vaught is on trial for reckless homicide, and her case raises consequential questions about how nurses use computerized medication-dispensing cabinets.
Electronic Health Records Creating A ‘New Era’ Of Health Care Fraud
The federal government funneled billions in subsidies to software vendors and some overstated or deceived the government about what their products could do, according to whistleblowers.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: Real Lessons Doctors Can Learn From Fake Patients
Are physicians asking patients the right questions in order to provide good care? Laser-focused on biomedical symptoms, some doctors miss the psychosocial factors that can be a barrier to good health. In Episode 7 of the podcast, we hear about a creative study that uncovers how some medical errors happen.
New Rules Will Ease Patients’ Access To Electronic Medical Records, Senate Panel Says
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), head of the influential HELP committee, wants to make it easier to share and store detailed medical histories.
FDA Chief Calls For Stricter Scrutiny Of Electronic Health Records
In an interview, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reacts to a KHN/Fortune investigation of the drawbacks and risks of electronic health records.
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system is an unholy mess. Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn.
Check Your Medical Records For Dangerous Errors
Medical records often contain incorrect information that can lead to inappropriate medical treatment. Patients need to review them on a regular basis and correct any errors that creep in.
Influential Leapfrog Group Jumps In To Rate 5,600 Surgery Centers
In the wake of a KHN/USA Today Network investigation, Leapfrog will check the safety and quality of outpatient centers.
Despite Red Flags At Surgery Centers, Overseers Award Gold Seals
A decade ago, California stopped licensing surgery centers and then gave approval power to private accreditors that are commonly paid by the same centers they inspect. That system of oversight has created a troubling legacy of laxity, a Kaiser Health News investigation finds.
Readers And Tweeters Revisit Surgery Centers, Think Twice About Single-Payer
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Lax Oversight Leaves Surgery Center Regulators And Patients In The Dark
A Kaiser Health News and USA Today Network investigation finds that a hodgepodge of state rules governing outpatient centers allow some deaths and serious injuries to go unexamined. And no rule stops a doctor exiled by a hospital for misconduct from opening a surgery center down the street.
Stanford’s Chief Wellness Officer Aims To Prevent Physician Burnout
Tait Shanafelt focuses on helping doctors cope with such problems as long hours and copious record-keeping, seeking to prevent burnout and reduce the rate of physician suicide. As doctors’ well-being improves, he says, so does patient care.
Medicare Reconsiders Paying For Seniors’ Spine Operations At Surgery Centers
After a USA Today Network-Kaiser Health News investigation, Medicare announced last week that it is re-evaluating whether these procedures “pose a significant safety risk” to patients.
A medida que crecen los centros de cirugía, los pacientes están pagando con sus vidas
Hay más de 5,600 centros de cirugía en todo el país, en donde se realizan procedimientos quirúrgicos menores. Pero una investigación reveló que a veces ocurren complicaciones que hubieran sido prevenibles en un hospital.