Weekly Edition March 22, 2019
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
Fred Schulte and Erika Fry, Fortune
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.
Listen: Reporter Describes Breakdowns In Electronic Medical Records
KHN senior correspondent Fred Schulte describes a KHN-Fortune investigation into the massive push to track and share patient health care records.
FDA Chief Calls For Stricter Scrutiny Of Electronic Health Records
Fred Schulte and Erika Fry, Fortune
In an interview, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb reacts to a KHN/Fortune investigation of the drawbacks and risks of electronic health records.
Five Things To Know About The Electronic Health Records Mess
Fred Schulte
The U.S. government claimed that ditching paper medical charts for electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the digital revolution has gone awry.
Fentanyl-Linked Deaths: The U.S. Opioid Epidemic’s Third Wave
Martha Bebinger, WBUR
Overdose deaths involving fentanyl are soaring, says a new study from the CDC.
Aspiring Doctors Seek Advanced Training In Addiction Medicine
Will Stone, KJZZ
Once a tiny specialty that drew mostly psychiatrists, addiction medicine is expanding its accredited training to include primary care residents and "social justice warriors" who see it as a calling.
Health Plans For State Employees Use Medicare’s Hammer On Hospital Bills
Julie Appleby
Some plans are experimenting with the idea of closely tying hospital reimbursement rates to what Medicare pays. The approach could be a game changer in their effort to control health costs.
Costly Confusion: Medicare’s Wellness Visit Isn’t The Same As An Annual Physical
Michelle Andrews
Medicare doesn’t pay for an annual physical, but it does cover an annual wellness visit focused on preventing disease and disability by coming up with a “personalized prevention plan” for future medical issues. It is important to use the correct term when scheduling a doctor’s visit.
State Laws Ban Surprise Medical Bills. She Got One for $227K And Fought Back.
JoNel Aleccia
No one told a Washington state woman she was racking up massive out-of-pocket charges during a month-long emergency stay in an Oregon hospital. For six months, she and her husband were haunted by looming debt — and bill collectors.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Surprise! Fixing Surprise Medical Bills Is Harder Than it Looks
Joanne Kenen of Politico, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss the efforts to curb “surprise” medical bills to patients who inadvertently get out-of-network care; a look at where the 2020 presidential candidates stand on health; and the Trump administration’s efforts to end HIV in the U.S. Also, Rovner interviews Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who is leaving his job in early April.
Did Your Doctor ‘Ghost’ You? An Employment Contract May Be To Blame
Michelle Andrews
How "noncompete" clauses in contracts between doctors and hospitals or clinics prevent patients from seeing their longtime doctors.
Does It Make Sense To Delay Children’s Vaccines?
Bernard J. Wolfson
The renewed squabble over vaccinations obscures a large group of parents who aren’t anti-vaxxers but spread out their children’s vaccines at a more gradual pace than doctors recommend. Pediatricians warn that could leave small children vulnerable to disease.