Latest KFF Health News Stories
Doctors And Hospitals Say ‘Show Me The Money’ Before Treating Patients
As patients’ share of medical bills has grown with the rise in deductibles, copays and coinsurance, providers have become laser focused on getting payments up front.
Insurers’ Flawed Directories Leave Patients Scrambling For In-Network Doctors
Many consumers find that doctors listed in their plan’s directories aren’t accepting new patients, charge large concierge fees or may not even be in the network. Regulators don’t check.
Deadly Infections Linked To Heart Surgery Device Highlight Holes In FDA Monitoring
The federal agency took 14 months to warn the public about the potential for infections. Officials say they acted as fast as they could.
A Frenzy Of Lobbying On 21st Century Cures
Three lobbyists for every member of Congress in a push to pass a bill that increases research funding and speeds up approvals.
Long-Stalled FDA Reform Sits On Senate’s Lame-Duck Calendar
The legislation would give federal officials more flexibility in evaluating the effectiveness and safety of drugs and devices and add billions of dollars to NIH funding. But critics say it could endanger patients’ safety and doesn’t do enough to stop spiraling drug prices.
Uncertain Fate Of Health Law Giving Health Industry Heartburn
The effect of “repeal and replace” could have greatest consequences for hospitals. They accepted lower federal funding under the law because their uncompensated care was expected to fall as more people became insured.
Victims Seek Payments As ‘Dr. Death’ Declares Innocence
While hundreds of his former patients submit claims for restitution, a Detroit cancer doctor convicted of making millions by purposefully poisoning them with drugs they didn’t need vows to prove his innocence.
Study Finds Nearby Retail Clinics Don’t Drive Down ER Visits
The results suggest that retail clinics may not provide a solution for reducing unnecessary emergency department visits, researchers say.
A Consumer’s Guide To Medicare’s New Rules On Doctor Pay
Federal officials have released final regulations for the new program, which will reward physicians for providing high quality, efficient care.
Medical Device Employees Are Often In The O.R., Raising Concerns About Influence
The “reps,” who are there to answer any technical questions that arise during surgery, also often cultivate close relationships with the doctors, leading to questions about how much influence they wield.
Se curaron del cáncer cuando niños, pero siguen enfermos
Aunque los avances en la medicina están salvando a más niños diagnosticados con cáncer, una nueva investigación sugiere que problemas de salud persistentes en la edad adulta están aumentando con cada generación de supervivientes.
‘Durable Cure’ Is Goal For Childhood Cancer, But Recent Patients Have Persistent Issues
People treated in the 1990s report worse health problems later in life than those treated in the two previous decades.
Bad Hombres, Russian Hackers And … A Medical Device Tax?
Why an obscure revenue raiser for the Affordable Care Act has found its way into a number of congressional campaign ads.
FDA’s Drug Approval Team Copes With 700 Unfilled Jobs As Industry Lures Staff
The FDA’s drug-approval team is short more than 700 people and losing skilled staff members to the drug industry.
Insurers, Hospitals Clash Over Help Paying Obamacare Premiums
Insurers charge that hospitals and other health providers are using third-party groups to help some low-income patients buy marketplace plans, which bring higher reimbursement rates.
FDA Faults 12 Hospitals For Failing To Disclose Injuries, Deaths Linked To Medical Devices
The agency found several prominent facilities had not followed rules on reporting incidents in which patients were harmed.
California Rules About Violence Against Health Workers Could Become A Model
New workplace health rules in California would go beyond existing safety standards by requiring private health care facilities to develop specific plans to mitigate risks of violence against workers.
Study Offers Young Doctors Strategies To Deal With Discrimination
A survey of experienced physicians offer interns and residents suggestions about how to handle patients who are prejudiced.
Drug Prices, Not The Health Law, Top Voters’ Health Priorities For 2017
Majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents support making sure high-cost drugs for chronic conditions are affordable.
Clinton Took More Conciliatory Tone With Health Care Industry In Paid Speeches
WikiLeaks documents show a cautious speaker who tried to avoid compromises on policy.
