Latest KFF Health News Stories
Huge Experiment Aims To Save On Care For Poorest, Sickest Patients
An effort in California to move Medicaid patients into managed care has national significance as federal officials roll out a similar but larger program for as many as 2 million people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare.
Electronic Health Records Breed Digital Discontent For Some Docs
Two years and $8.4 billion into the government’s effort to get doctors to take their practices digital, some unintended consequences are starting to emerge. One is a lot of unhappy doctors.
One-On-One With A 2-Year-Old Cancer Patient
Child life specialist Liz Anderson of Children’s National Medical Center explains how she uses play to help 2-year-old Jade Tukan, a cancer patient, understand her medical care.
Specialists Work To Reduce Kids’ Fears In The Hospital
Child life specialists use play to help seriously ill children understand what happens in the hospital.
Hospitals Offer Wide Array Of Services To Keep Patients From Needing To Return
Free scales, diet tips and home visits from nurses all aim to curtail readmissions.
The Best Medicine For Fixing The Modern Hospital
The latest medical breakthrough is the hospital room itself.
Four NYC Hospitals Still Closed By Hurricane Sandy
Displaced patients and doctors are a challenge for some nearby hospitals and an opportunity for others, as the city’s safety net tries to deal with the disruption.
Doctors’ And Nurses’ Licenses Snagged By New Immigration Law In Georgia
The law requires everyone, no matter where they were born, to prove citizenship or legal residency to renew a license. But with too few staff to process the extra paperwork, hundreds of licenses for doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals are expiring.
Hospitals Gamble On Urgent Care Clinics To Keep Patients Healthy
Urgent care clinics are part of a growth strategy for some hospital chains. But some analysts wonder if hospitals will be able to provide good customer service at the clinics.
Halvorson: Premium Costs In The Exchanges Will ‘Depend Entirely’ On Participation
The Kaiser Permanente chairman and CEO offers his take on a wide variety of health care issues insurers face in the current marketplace.
Safety-Net Hospitals Brace For Cut To Federal Subsidies
Because more people are supposed to be insured, the health law trims funding that is used to defray the expenses of treating a large number of uninsured and poor patients.
Denver Debate: Obama And Romney On ‘Obamacare’
The bulk of Wednesday night’s presidential debate in Denver focused on the topic of health care. In this segment, President Barack Obama and former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney discuss the 2010 health law.
Medicare Revises Hospitals’ Readmissions Penalties
Federal officials made small errors in calculating how much hospitals will be docked for having too many patients return within 30 days. Many hospitals will lose a bit more money under revised calculations.
Hospitals Need Networks To Prevent Readmissions
The federal government wants many hospitals to adopt a model like Denver Health, which keeps readmissions low through its own network of neighborhood clinics.
Eyes Turn To Arkansas’ Bold Effort To Cut Medicaid Costs, Add Transparency
Arkansas hopes a unique collaboration with the state’s big insurers can help them and the state.
Boom In Trauma Centers Can Help Save Lives, But At What Price?
More than 200 centers have opened since 2009, but experts raise concerns about cost and quality.
The Next Frontier For Elite Med Schools: Primary Care
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York is now one of the only top medical schools to offer family medicine as a specialty for its students.
Q&A: What’s The Difference Between A Doctor And A Nurse Practitioner?
Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about the differences in practice and qualifications between doctors and nurse practitioners. She discusses the movement to require nurse practitioners to have a clinical doctoral degree although the 2015 timeframe she describes is a goal, rather than a requirement.
Are Medicare’s New Quality Incentives Large Enough To Change Hospital Behavior?
In October, hospitals stand to gain or lose as much as 1 percent of reimbursements. But experts say most will break even.
Hospitals Look To Become Insurers, As Well As Providers Of Care
Under new model, “the last place I’ll want you to be is in the hospital,” says CEO.
