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FRONTLINE CHAT: “How Would You Spend Your Final Days?”

February 12, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold co-hosted a live chat,“How Would You Spend Your Final Days?” with Frontline documentary maker Tom Jennings. They discussed Being Mortal, the film based on the book by Atul Gawande. You can watch the documentary online and check out other KHN stories about end-of-life issues.

General Electric Selling Health Care Lending Unit To Capital One For About $9B

August 12, 2015 Morning Briefing

GE Capital’s Healthcare Financial Services business lends to a variety of companies, including hospitals, drug makers and medical device specialists. GE will retain a portion of the business that lends to its medical equipment operations customers.

Rural Indiana Struggles With Drug-Fueled HIV Epidemic

By Sarah Varney May 4, 2015 KFF Health News Original

In response to an HIV outbreak of historic proportions, Indiana’s legislature passed a bill permitting drug users in areas with disease outbreaks to trade used needles for clean ones. Sarah Varney reports for KHN and PBS NewsHour from Austin, Indiana.

Patent Rule Change For Generics Reportedly Could Increase Federal Health Care Costs By $1.3B Over Decade

September 1, 2015 Morning Briefing

Meanwhile, as the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs grab attention from lawmakers and government officials, Politico reports that disease advocacy groups have been conspicuously quiet in the debate.

For Many Patients, Delirium Is A Surprising Side Effect Of Being In The Hospital

By Sandra G. Boodman June 2, 2015 KFF Health News Original

The problem, which is often preventable, is estimated to cost more than $143 billion annually and disproportionately affects people older than 65. It is often misdiagnosed as dementia.

Hospital-Acquired Condition Penalties By State

By Jordan Rau December 19, 2014 KFF Health News Original

Medicare is reducing payments to 721 hospitals with high rates of infections or other medical complications. About 1,400 hospitals, including all in Maryland, are excluded from the program and Medicare did not assess their rates of patient harm.

Measles Outbreak Sparks Bid To Strengthen Calif. Vaccine Law

By Jenny Gold February 5, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Two California lawmakers have introduced a bill to eliminate a “personal belief exemption” used by parents to sidestep a school vaccination requirement.

Medicare Part B Still A Target For Fraud, Federal Watchdog Says

June 24, 2015 Morning Briefing

Two reports from the HHS Office of the Inspector General highlight the program’s questionable billing patterns and urge the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to do more to protect Medicare Part B.

Patient Safety Advocate Sees ‘Hope And Hype’ In Digital Revolution

By Michelle Andrews April 14, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Dr. Robert Wachter says medicine’s move to a computer age can improve care but patients still face serious challenges in adapting to the new technology and the prospect of overcoming a fragmented health system.

Pentagon’s $4.3B Electronic Health Records Contract Awarded To Leidos, Cerner And Accenture Team

July 30, 2015 Morning Briefing

The work will include overhauling the Pentagon’s health records for about 9.5 million active military and veteran beneficiaries at about 1,000 sites worldwide. The contract starts at 10 years but could extend to 18 years and $9 billion.

Drug And Device Makers Paid $6.5B To Doctors, Hospitals In 2014

July 1, 2015 Morning Briefing

About 80 percent of the dollars went to doctors for consulting, speeches, research and other activities. Nearly 610,000 doctors received payments, as well as some 1,100 teaching hospitals, according to government data. The effort to highlight potential conflicts of interest is mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

How California Can Improve Oversight of Home Caregivers

January 7, 2015 KFF Health News Original

In California, hundreds of thousands of low-income elderly and disabled people receive daily care in their homes from their children, spouses, relatives and others. And, through a program called In-Home Supportive Services, the state pays many of those caregivers about $10 an hour to do the job.

Congress May Act Soon To Shore Up VA Budget With $3B Injection, VA Secretary McDonald Says

July 24, 2015 Morning Briefing

The Department of Veteran Affairs’ $2.5 billion budget shortfall has raised the risk of some VA hospitals closing as well as employee furloughs. The beleaguered agency has also made little progress decreasing vets’ wait times for health care or in hiring for 41,500 open medical positions.

$49B Federal Price Tag For 10 ‘Breakthrough’ Drugs

June 8, 2015 Morning Briefing

The drugs include several to treat hepatitis C and breast cancer. Elsewhere, the Food and Drug Administration is speeding new cholesterol drugs to trial, a closer look at kids drugs in the “Cures” bill and painkiller abuse still worries some officials, despite efforts to stem their abuse.

CDC Panel Urges Expanding Pool Of Young People Who Receive Meningitis B Shot

June 29, 2015 Morning Briefing

An advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that all 16- to 23-year-olds to consider the vaccine. Previous guidance was limited to those at high risk of exposure to the disease, like lab workers and students at colleges with outbreaks.

The Extra Cost Of Extra Weight For Older Adults

By Sarah Varney March 2, 2015 KFF Health News Original

Obese people are far more likely to become disabled as they age, and researchers say this burgeoning demographic will strain hospitals and nursing homes.

VA Threatens To Shut Down Hospitals Next Month If Congress Doesn’t Help With $2.5B Budget Shortfall

July 17, 2015 Morning Briefing

In other news on military health care, the Pentagon is narrowing the finalists for a multibillion-dollar contract to overhaul the military’s health IT system, and a Florida lawmaker calls for a former naval hospital in Lake Baldwin to be repurposed as housing for elderly and homeless veterans.

Awake, And Safe, All Night Despite Dementia

By Rachel Gotbaum March 9, 2015 KFF Health News Original

A special “daycare at night” program in the Bronx cares for Alzheimer’s patients whose internal clocks mistake night for day.

Government May Pay $50B For New Breakthrough Drugs, Study Estimates

June 9, 2015 Morning Briefing

According to a report by Avalere Health, a consulting firm, Medicare would bear the majority of the cost, spending $31.3 billion over the next 10 years on improved treatments for diseases like Hepatitis C and breast cancer. Medicaid is estimated to spend $15.8 billion on the drugs. Meanwhile, another report finds that health care costs may go up 6.5 percent next year.

Rural Hospitals, One Of The Cornerstones Of Small Town Life, Face Increasing Pressure

By Guy Gugliotta March 17, 2015 KFF Health News Original

For people in Mount Vernon, Texas, the loss of their hospital means longer trips for treatment and uncertainty when a medical crisis hits.

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