Latest KFF Health News Stories
Federal Task Force On Preventive Care Faces New Challenge Under Health Law
Panel’s recommendations on preventive care will determine which services are covered fully by insurance. That could make it a political lightning rod for lobbyists and disease advocates and conflict with its tradition of scholarly dedication to the science of randomized medical trials.
Tired Of Waiting For the Doctor? Try One That Gives Same-Day Appointments
Patients typically wait 20 minutes or more to see the doctor, the AMA says. But a new scheduling system that allows patients to see the doctor on the day they call for an appointment has surprising success in cutting that delay.
The End Of The Doctor’s Waiting Room
Dr. Dennis M. Dimitri, a family physician, runs an unusual office. Few appointments are accepted in advance – patients call in the morning and are assigned a time slot later that day and they don’t have to spend hours in a waiting room.
HHS Relaxes Some Rules For Doctors, Hospitals To Get Aid For Electronic Health Records
The federal government is providing $27 billion over the next decade to reward doctors and hospitals for installing electronic health systems. But some hospital officials say the regulations are still too onerous.
Hospitals Hope To Improve Outlook By Turning For-Profit
Deals in Detroit and Boston may be the leading edge of a trend, hospital analysts say.
In Texas, Rural Hospitals Ask For State Help
Rural health advocates asked state lawmakers Wednesday to help pay for improvements to rural hospitals in up to 42 Texas counties. Without state help, they said, the rural hospitals have no hope of doing necessary renovations to catch up to federal and state hospital codes.
Consumers Can Now Compare Hospitals On Medical Scans
The federal government recently handed consumers a new trove of data about how hospitals use their fancy medical scanners. The implicit message: Avoid hospitals that lean too heavily on devices that can expose you to radiation and other risks.
Transcript: Dr. Donald Berwick’s Speech To The British National Health Service
President Obama’s appointment – during a congressional recess – of Dr. Donald Berwick to head the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services is focusing new attention on Berwick’s record and beliefs, in particular a 2008 speech about Britain’s National Health Service. This is an edited transcript.
Price Fixing And Kickbacks Sully Medical Supply Business
The new health care law does not address costs for medical supplies
Latest Destination For Medical Tourism: The U.S.
Forget sending workers overseas for lower cost medical care: A growing number of employers are encouraging workers to travel within the states to medical facilities they say have better quality and lower costs.
Want To Know What A Hospital Charges? Good Luck
More than 30 states and Congress have passed laws requiring hospitals to publish their prices, but the information often is of little use to consumers.
More Calls For Moderation In Use Of CT Scans
A pair of papers in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine add to a growing chorus urging doctors to be more judicious in their use of CT scans.
Text: The Obama Administration’s New ‘Patient’s Bill Of Rights’
The White House today released a “Fact Sheet: The Affordable Care Act’s New Patient’s Bill of Rights,” the Obama administration’s summary of new regulations issued by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Heart Disease: Why Costs Rise as Prevention Improves
The number of people hospitalized or killed by serious heart attacks each year is down sharply, new studies show. The overall rate of hospitalization for heart disease is down, too. Experts attribute improving heart health to the decline in smoking, more people getting treated for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and the greater attention many people now give to eating healthier foods and getting exercise. Prevention clearly pays off for those who pay attention.
Most Elite Medical Schools Rank Low On ‘Social Mission’
When it comes to “social mission,” traditionally high-ranked private medical schools are not as successful as public universities and historically black colleges.
Cutting C-Sections Helped Babies
Florida hospital administrators for years have said the state’s high rate of preterm births — and the infant health problems that result — are beyond their control. But that’s not true, as Tallahassee Memorial Hospital has proved.
Heart Problem Underscores Need to Test Competing Treatments
More than 2.2 million Americans have atrial fibrillation, the most common heart arrhythmia, but treatment choices vary widely
A Look At Comparative Effectiveness Research
Under the new health law, a nonprofit entity called the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute will be established to carry out a comparative effectiveness research agenda, starting in 2012. The law bars the government from using findings as the sole basis for decisions about what Medicare will cover.
Pregnant Women And New Mothers Will Get Benefits, Services Under Health Care Law
New health plans must cover tests, supplements for pregnant women, and home visits for young mothers.
The Health Care Economy: New Questions About Costs, Quality And Care
The health care industry is bulletproof when it comes to increasing spending or creating jobs as growth rates often double the rest of the economy.
