Latest KFF Health News Stories
Out-Of-Network Ambulance Rides Can Bring Out-Of-Pocket Expenses
Consumers, who often don’t have a choice of ambulance services, can be left holding the bill when insurers refuse to pay entire cost.
Consumers May Be Unaware Of Their Right To A Review Of Health Plan Decisions
Millions of Americans gained the right under the federal health law to appeal insurance denials to an independent arbiter but many may not know they have that option.
Dr. Terance Millan discusses his role as a nocturnist at North Florida Regional Medical Center.
Protecting Yourself During The Night And Weekend
Experts offer some tips for patients and their families to help prevent problems in the hospital.
Hospitals Turning To Nocturnists
These physicians, who treat patients outside the emergency room, are seeking to reverse the “weekend effect,” or higher rates of death and complications.
Thirty Years Of AIDS (Guest Opinion)
Thirty years ago, the first five cases of what is now known as the acquired immune deficiency syndrome were reported in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The amount of knowledge gained since then has been extraordinary.
New Health IT ‘Czar’ Touts Progress On Electronic Medical Records – The KHN Interview
Dr. Farzad Mostashari, the new head of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology is enthusiastically embracing the job of encouraging doctors and hospitals to adopt electronic health records.
The Other Health Care Lawsuit: California Medicaid Case Headed To Supreme Court
The court will focus on whether outside groups, such as hospitals, pharmacists and Medicaid recipients, have the right to sue when they believe the state is violating federal law.
Medicaid Managed Care Expands In California As State Adds Many Seniors And Disabled
Even critics of managed care are warming to the idea of including nearly 400,000 seniors and disabled person now receiving health care through the traditional Medi-Cal program. The shift to managed care begins today and will be phased in.
Emergency Care, But Not At A Hospital
Originally conceived as a way to provide care in rural areas without hospitals, these freestanding ERs are cropping up in more developed areas.
Hospitals Face New Pressure To Cut Infection Rates
Under laws in more than two dozen states and new Medicare rules that went into effect earlier this year, hospitals are required to report infections, risking their reputations as sterile sanctuaries, or pay a penalty. That’s left hospital administrators weighing the cost of ‘fessing up against the cost of fines.
Quality Prescription For Primary Care Doctors: Do Less
A group of doctors who want to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of primary care tinkered with some Top 5 lists for of dos and don’ts for pediatricians, family doctors and internists. They found that less is often more.
Many On-The-Job Clinics Offer Primary Care
These workplace centers are increasingly expanding beyond job injuries to offer on-site preventive tests and screenings and health coaching.
States Cutting Back On Drug Programs For HIV Patients
Budget shortfalls are forcing many states to tighten their AIDS drug assistance programs and bump low-income patients to waiting lists.
Administration Offers New Path For ACOs
Facing strong criticism of the proposed regulation for accountable care organizations, the Obama administration announced new options to lure hesitant hospitals and doctors.
Decline In Autopsies May Obscure Understanding Of Disease
Hospitals perform the postmortem exams in only about 5 percent of patients who die. Experts fear that for others, key details about diagnosis and the effect of treatments are lost.
Florida Pushing New Fees For Most Medicaid Recipients
But the provision could get a chilly reception from federal officials, who would have to approve the changes.
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
In this video, KHN reporter Jenny Gold interviews Dr. Herbert Smitherman about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
Dr. Herbert Smitherman talks about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.
A Success Story: Expanding Health Care Options For Detroit’s Poor-The KHN Interview
Dr. Herbert Smitherman talks about the Voices of Detroit Initiative that tracked 33,000 uninsured people and helped get more than half of them into coordinated care systems.
