Latest KFF Health News Stories
Getting Rural Patients Psychiatric Help Fast
Patients in rural hospitals often have to wait days to see a psychiatrist. South Carolina is a leader in turning that around.
Health Care System Needs To Prepare For Global Warming
Dr. Al Sommer, the former dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who helped produce a new report on climate change, says changes expected this century could lead to many deaths and a strain on hospitals.
Shortage Of Saline Solution Has Hospitals On Edge
Manufacturers of the essential fluid say they won’t be able to catch up with demand until next year.
Drug Discount Program Has Drugmakers Crying Foul
Hospitals and drug makers are waging a pitched battle over the program — known as 340B — that requires drug manufacturers to give steep discounts to hospitals that treat a large percentage of poor patients.
More Than 750 Hospitals Face Medicare Crackdown On Patient Injuries
The 1 percent cut in payments is the latest effort by the federal government to improve hospital care.
Patient Injuries: Hospitals Most Likely To Be Penalized By Medicare
Out of all 761 hospitals that are in line to be penalized for high rates of infections and complications this fall, 175 of them are most likely to be penalized because their preliminary scores are nine or above on a scale of 1 to 10.
Q&A: Can Claims Data Crack the Health Care Cost Riddle?
More states are creating all-payer claims databases. Find out how they work.
Insurers Push Back Against Growing Cost Of Cancer Treatments
Many are encouraging the use of less-costly regimens and paying the same for drugs, whether they’re given in hospital outpatient settings or doctors’ offices.
Health Data Geeks Get Their Day
In the health information technology gold rush, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists are betting on new companies that help consumers, insurers and hospitals save money.
A Reader Asks: As An Immigrant In The U.S. Illegally, Can I Buy Insurance?
KHN’s consumer columnist explains that the health law’s online marketplaces are not an option, but other private insurance may be.
School Nurses’ Role Expands With Access To Students’ Online Health Records
In a few districts, doctors and hospitals are making their records available to school health officials to help provide better care for children with chronic conditions.
This periodic KHN feature highlights readers’ thoughts and reactions to KHN original stories.
Parents Of Mentally Ill Adult Children Frustrated By Privacy Law
Even if parents are providing health insurance, they often can’t find out about what’s happening when their adult children suffer from severe mental illnesses.
Jury Is Still Out On Medicaid Managed Care
While a growing number of states are contracting with managed care companies to manage their Medicaid programs, there are still questions about cost savings and quality.
When Doctors Need Advice, It Might Not Come From A Fellow Human
At hospitals and clinics around the country, physicians are tapping artificial intelligence systems for warnings and recommendations.
Adult Foster Care Aid May Be At Risk, Advocates Say
Among those who are worried are agencies that provide adult foster care for people who can’t live on their own, because of severe mental illness or developmental disabilities.
FAQ: VA And Military Care Are Different, But Often Confused
The health systems serving veterans and military members are separate but both are under scrutiny.
Georgia Looks To Reopen Some Closed Rural Hospitals As E.R.s
Georgia is issuing a new kind of license to rural hospitals to be stand-alone ERs. Many of these hospitals have had to close or reduce services in the past few years due to budget pressures.
A Reader Asks: Are Insurers Required To Cover HIV Prevention Medication Recently Recommended By CDC?
Federal health officials urge anyone at substantial risk of HIV to start an expensive prescription drug regimen that can prevent infection. But that doesn’t mean it qualifies for coverage without any cost sharing under the health law.
Should Medicare Pay The Same No Matter Where The Patient Gets Care?
That question was the focus of a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday, and it’s an important issue in the context of the debate over ending the Medicare SGR. Mary Agnes Carey and CQ HealthBeat’s John Reichard discuss.
