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When Gary Diego's wife, Ellen, had bleeding in her brain, she ended up in an out-of-network emergency room. And he ended up with a huge bill. In a practice known as balance billing, insurers pay a portion of the out-of-network charges, and the rest is dumped on patients.
President Barack Obama spoke about health insurance, a pressed for a need to overhaul the health care system at town hall meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado on Saturday.
Section 1233 of the health overhaul bill approved by three House committees has been the subject of great debate. We present the language as written in the bill itself.
Physicians, while disputing the charges of plans for euthanasia, say the debate on what is in the House health bill on end-of-life care could help focus attention on an underfunded service.
As much as $36 billion in federal stimulus money will help physicians and hospitals go digital by 2015. But, workers need training, smaller offices may struggle to come up with down payments, and once the electronic records are up and running many say their biggest value is pointing out room for improvement. And, improvement efforts cost time and money, too.
In its current state, diagnostic imaging can be seen as "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly". Congress must separate healthy and unhealthy growth
When 14 year old Prince Jackson was diagnosed with a brain tumor, he was caught in a gray zone: public and private insurance doesn't usually cover the palliative care he desperately needed. But his mother got help from a new program that provides services for seriously ill or dying children.
In Seattle, three major hospital systems have sophisticated electronic medical records, one of the many goals of health reform. But the systems can't talk to each other. Overcoming the obstacles will take 'federal will and money.'
While health reform legislation includes additional funds for community health centers, proposals to expand health coverage to the underserved and uninsured could overwhelm facilities that already provide reduced-cost care to 18 million people.
Across the country, doctors are experimenting with a health care model that puts the focus on individualized, preventive care. In so-called medical homes, doctors are rewarded for using longer visits, phone calls and e-mails to keep patients healthy. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
As the economy has worsened, community health centers - which provide free and reduced-cost care to millions of Americans - have felt the pinch . Facilities, such as the Walker-Jones Health Center in Washington D.C., will have even more patients if Congress passes a health overhaul that expands coverage.
Some Massachusetts policymakers want to end the tradition of paying health care providers a separate fee for every service they provide. They say paying fees for every visit, test and procedure ordered is the main reason Massachusetts' health care costs are the highest in the nation. This story comes from our partner NPR News
Obama and congressional leaders hope to reduce health care spending by promoting prevention to catch disease early. But some insurance and health officials say such efforts-although laudable-may not cut overall health costs.
The little-known crime of medical identity theft can cause havoc - victims end up with big bills and wrong medical records. A new federal "Red Flags Rule" would require physician offices, among other businesses, to spot phony IDs. Doctors protest that the regulation could have "serious adverse consequences" for patients, even as the government tries to protect them.
A study published earlier this year finds 1 out of 5 older patients who are discharged from a hospital will return within a month, costing Medicare about $17 billion a year. A program in Philadelphia assigns nurses to follow up with discharged patients in order to prevent readmission. This story comes from our partner NPR News.
Powerful hospital trade associations are opposing President Obama's plan for an independent commission to determine how much Medicare pays doctors and hospitals. But certain "model" hospital systems - such as CHRISTUS Health - are breaking ranks and supporting the idea.
The Obama administration and Congress are moving forward with plans to evaluate various medical treatments for common health conditions. But how the government uses this comparative effectiveness research and how it might benefit - or complicate - medical decision-making are matters of some debate.
The hot new concept in health care--Accountable Care Organizations-- would get a test run in pilot projects included in health overhaul legislation.
This week, progress was made in developing the framework for the $33 billion health information technology initiative created by the stimulus bill. Dr. David Blumenthal, who heads the Office of the National Coordinator, is a key figure in the process. But he still faces one of the most difficult challenges -- convincing doctors that it is in their interest to participate.
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