Latest KFF Health News Stories
How A Florida Medical School Cares For Communities In Need
In places where medical care is scare, medical schools — like Florida International University — are connecting students with people who need to see a doctor, and making it a major part of their curriculum.
Doctors Transform How They Practice Medicine
Physicians are experimenting with new business models and practice techniques in response to financial and lifestyle pressures.
Hospitals, Testing Companies Face Questions About Value Of Community Screenings
Promotions don’t disclose that many of the tests for heart disease and stroke are not recommended for those without symptoms or risk factors.
Oregon’s Medicaid Lottery: A Participant’s View
Amid the cacophony of expert views about the implications of a landmark study, a Medicaid beneficiary weighs in on the values and shortcomings of public health assistance.
California Weighs Expanded Role For Nurse Practitioners
Some 15 states are expected to consider giving advanced practice nurses more independence and authority this year. It’s part of a push to meet increased demand for primary care as more people get insurance under the health law.
Medicare Lags In Project to Expand Hospice
The 2010 health law called for an experiment to see if allowing patients to continue to have lifesaving treatments when they join hospice would improve their quality of care and save money.
Doctors’ Diagnostic Errors Are Often Not Mentioned But Can Take A Serious Toll
Diagnoses that are missed, incorrect or delayed are believed to affect 10 to 20 percent of cases, far exceeding drug errors and surgery on the wrong patient or body part, both of which have received considerably more attention.
Medicare Seeks To Limit Number Of Seniors Placed In Hospital Observation Care
The proposal, part of the annual payment update, would help ease confusion over when beneficiaries are admitted to the hospital
Advocates Head To Court To Overturn Medicare Rules For Observation Care
Some hospital stays are not considered in-patient care, but seniors often don’t know that until they find they don’t qualify for full Medicare coverage.
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.
Yes, Virginia, There Is A Medical Home
Obamacare aims to shift how doctors and hospitals are paid – they’ll be rewarded for taking care of the whole patient, not just for every test or visit. But this is an idea that some practices have already embraced, and they have seen costs decline and patient health improve.
Tip Sheet On Staying Safe In The Hospital
Here are some tips to ensure that you stay safe while you’re in the hospital.
Health Care’s ‘Dirty Little Secret’: No One May Be Coordinating Care
Breakdowns in hospital communications are common, with sometimes dire consequences for patients.
Oregon’s Dilemma: How To Measure Health
The federal government has allocated $2 billion to Oregon to test ideas for coordinating care given by doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Now, the state has to figure out how it will measure its success
Nurses Fighting State By State For Minimum Staffing Laws
Nurses say understaffing at hospitals should be illegal; hospitals say the laws tie their hands.
In recent weeks, readers have reacted to stories about climbing death rates at critical access hospitals, the readmissions penalties being imposed on some hospitals and Walgreens’ move to become the first retail chain to diagnose and treat chronic conditions. Other coverage that drew responses included a story about angry doctors as well as coverage of decisions made both by physicians and consumers that impact the cost of care.
As Refugees Settle In, Health Care Becomes A Hurdle
Dr. Ashenafi Waktola relies on his own experience as a refugee from Ethiopia to shape his practice in Silver Spring, Md. where almost 50 percent of his patients are refugees. The 76,000 new arrivals from troubled countries who come to the U.S. each year qualify for government health care for eight months, but they often face language barriers and a confounding system when that special status elapses.
Doctor-Owned Hospitals Prosper Under Health Law
Even though the 2010 health law stymies their growth, these hospitals are gaining under Medicare’s quality payments programs.
VA Drive To Hire 1,600 Mental Health Professionals Hits Community Clinics’ Supply
Some experts say the pool of psychologists, psychiatrists and others is too small and the federal effort could jeopardize understaffed local centers.
Immigrant Docs Help Ease California’s Primary Care Shortage
Jose Chavez Gonzalez was working construction but had eight years of medical training in El Salvador. A UCLA program finds its candidates working in warehouses, meat packing plants and behind the counter at McDonalds.
