Latest KFF Health News Stories
Pittsburgh Researchers Look For Ways To Prevent Depression In Seniors
The study is examining whether offering support for older adults with chronic illnesses, pain and cognitive problems can stave off the serious mental health issues.
Getting Help For Depression Is Important
Recommended interventions for seniors include prescription drugs, problem-solving therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and interpersonal therapy.
FAQ: Medicare Beneficiaries May See Increased Access To Physical Therapy Or Some Other Services
For years, seniors were told that they had to show improvement to keep getting skilled care but a lawsuit has changed that standard.
Hospitals Offer Better Food As Patient Satisfaction Becomes More Important Under Federal Health Law
Hospitals have gone from curing disease to curing meats to boost reviews and qualify for larger Medicare payments.
Health Law Provisions To Expand Kids’ Dental Coverage May Fall Short, Advocates Say
Some lawmakers and children’s advocates say that without changes, certain health law provisions designed to expand children’s dental coverage may not work as intended.
Patients Lead The Way As Medicine Grapples With Apps
Health apps are turning smartphones and tablets into exercise aides, blood pressure monitors and devices that transmit an EKG. But the explosion of apps is way ahead of tests to determine which ones work.
Your Smartphone Might Hold Key To Your Medical Records
Hospitals and clinics are slowly replacing paper files with electronic health records, but information often isn’t easily shared. Smartphones may be one way consumers can bridge the electronic gap.
Hospital CEO Bonuses Reward Volume And Growth
As the country tries to rein in skyrocketing health costs, hospital leaders are still rewarded for expansion and profits. A KHN investigation, in collaboration with ABC News, looks at employment contracts and incentive pay at nonprofit hospital systems.
Questions And Answers About KHN’s Hospital CEO Bonus Story
How did Kaiser Health News choose and compile the data on hospital CEO bonus pay? Here’s a list of questions and answers.
How Does The CEO Earn His Bonus? At Most Hospitals, It’s Hard to Know
Despite concerns over the rising cost of medical care, hospitals — even nonprofit ones — give their CEOs large bonuses, and it’s often hard to know just why they’re earning them.
Some Top Hospitals Shun CEO Bonus Pay
Some hospitals view bonuses for CEOs as a way to improve performance, but the leaders of some top hospitals believe all bonuses may be a mistake.
Panel Tells Congress Medicare Is Unfairly Penalizing Hospitals Serving The Poor
An important feature of the health law designed to bring down the rate of patient readmissions is backfiring on safety-net hospitals, says a report by a congressional advisory agency.
Britain’s National Health Service Visits D.C. For Some Pointers
A discussion on how to improve the British system turned up buzzwords reminiscent of the U.S. health reform debate: integrated health care, patient-centered services, cutting costs.
A Doctor Goes Viral — On Purpose
Dr. Zubin Damania, a.k.a. ZDoggMD, takes to YouTube to parody and pillory modern medicine. On his serious side, he’s founding a new kind of clinic to try to change primary care.
Entrepreneurs At Health ‘Datapalooza’ Ask Feds For More Data
The White House is trying to spur innovation by releasing more of its data from Medicare, Medicaid and other sources. But technology business leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. this week said the federal government could be a lot more forthcoming with information.
PSA Screening: New Round Of Guidelines Emphasizes Importance Of Weighing Harms And Benefits
Physicians’ and patients’ thoughts on the prostate cancer screening test are changing, with many taking a more cautious approach to the test and what it might mean.
Will Consumers Sign On For Health Law’s Co-Ops?
Created by the health law to boost competition among insurers, co-ops in 24 states emphasize primary care and treating consumers as partners, but can they compete with the big guys?
Boston Marathon Survivor Has Long Road Ahead
Marc Fucarile is one of the last two survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing to be released from the hospital. He knows he will get some compensation from Boston’s One Fund, but he wonders if it will be enough.
Proton Beam Therapy Heats Up Hospital Arms Race
Washington, D.C., is on the verge of approving two high-tech radiation facilities at a total cost of $153 million. The treatment costs twice as much as standard radiation but hasn’t been shown to work any better for most cancers.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection. We will edit for space, and we require full names.
