Latest KFF Health News Stories
It’s On The Test: New Questions Require Doctors To Learn About Military Medicine
Medical licensing exams will include questions about military medicine, encouraging doctors to recognize and learn how to treat problems like PTSD.
Health Systems Dipping Into The Business Of Selling Insurance
These plans, which still are a minority in the marketplaces, can help drive consumers to use the system’s hospitals and doctors, but some also offer competitive prices.
A Med School Teaches Science And Data Mining
At NYU medical school, students learn to access huge troves of data to become doctors who understand the health care system, and individual ailments, better.
Costs May Keep Low-Income Patients From Clinical Trials, Study Finds
Insurance generally covers routine costs patients encounter in a clinical trial, but the patients can still be responsible for co-payments and other expenses, such as lost wages and travel.
UnitedHealthcare Expands Effort To Rein In Rising Costs Of Cancer Treatment
As part of an effort to pinpoint what’s driving up health expenditures, the insurer is broadening a pilot program to include about 500 more oncologists, bringing the total to 650 physicians in seven states.
Poll: Majority Of Americans Agree That The FDA Should Review Drug Ads Before They Air
Nearly eight in 10 say they have seen or heard these ads, and more than a quarter have discussed one of the drugs with a physician as a result.
Fewer Black Men Apply To Medical School Than In 1978
Just 1,337 black men applied to medical school in 2014 and 515 enrolled. Why?
In L.A., Community Health Workers Are Part Of The Medical Team
An experimental program in Los Angeles County pairs community health workers with chronically ill patients, aiming to improve patients’ health and access to care.
Suing A Nursing Home Could Get Easier Under Proposed Federal Rules
Many families must sign a binding arbitration agreement when a loved one is admitted to a nursing home, pledging not to sue if something goes wrong. Proposed rules would ban that requirement.
The North Carolina Experiment: How One State Is Trying To Reshape Medicaid
With legislation that passed last month, North Carolina is trying to build a hybrid managed care, accountable care model – with doctors, hospitals and insurance companies all sharing some risk. Advocates worry it could eclipse gains made by Medicaid in the state in the past.
No Ready-Made Rx For Rising Drug Costs
Lawmakers, insurers and others have floated proposals to combat the spike in prescription drug prices, but will any of them gain traction?
Dueling Recommendations About Need For Pelvic Exams Leaves Women Confused
The nation’s internists urge doctors to quit performing the invasive exam for most women, but gynecologists argue that it is important.
Leslie Michelson’s Checklist For Avoiding Diagnostic Errors – The KHN Conversation
Michelson, who runs a Los Angeles-based company that helps patients research their medical options and has written a book about how to avoid bad care, offers advice on how to navigate the health care system.
Buyer Beware: A Mammogram’s Price Can Vary By Nearly $1,000, Study Finds
Researchers looked at women’s health services around the country and found stark disparities between cities but also within health care markets.
Whistleblower Doctor Warns About Hospitals Hiring Physicians
Orthopedist Michael Reilly believes the surge of doctors going to work for hospitals is not a healthy trend. He had a firsthand view of what can happen.
Express Scripts To Cover Pricey New Cholesterol Drugs
To control costs, the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits manager has in place strict rules on which patients will be eligible.
Telemedicine Expands Despite Uncertain Financial Prospects
Apps and video chats are a part of many people’s days, so many industry leaders see big potential for medicine delivered remotely. But a lot of insurers still aren’t willing to pay for it.
Workplace Wellness Programs: Early Alarm For Workers’ Health Or A Recipe For Over-Testing?
Some experts worry that these programs encourage health screening that doesn’t necessarily comply with medical guidelines and is helping to drive up health care costs.
Hospital Care Unaffected By Quality Payments, GAO Finds
The Government Accountability Office found bonuses and penalties have been small, and hospital performance has been steady.
Pecked By A Chicken? Sucked Into A Jet Engine? There’s a Code For That
Voluminous and sometimes wacky new medical diagnostic codes in “ICD-10” have staffers at hospitals and doctors’ offices reaching for bromides.
