Health Industry

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Pandemic-Stricken Cities Have Empty Hospitals, But Reopening Them Is Difficult

KFF Health News Original

In Philadelphia, New Orleans and Los Angeles, former safety-net hospitals sit empty in the middle of the city. But reopening a closed hospital, even in the midst of a pandemic when health resources are scarce, is not easy or cheap.

KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: All Coronavirus All The Time

KFF Health News Original

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing changes to the U.S. health system that were previously unthinkable. Yet some fights ― including over the Affordable Care Act and abortion — persist even in this time of national emergency. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews KHN’s Liz Szabo about the latest installment of KHN-NPR’s “Bill of the Month.”

California Hospitals Face Surge With Proven Fixes And Some Hail Marys

KFF Health News Original

California is entering the most critical period in its battle against COVID-19, and may need thousands of hospital beds and ventilators to accommodate a surge of critically ill patients. Hospitals are taking extreme measures, such as using 3D printers to make ventilator parts and turning cafeterias into wards.

California y COVID-19: hospitales se alistan para la crisis con acciones probadas y desesperadas

KFF Health News Original

A medida que California ingresa al período más crítico contra COVID-19, los 416 hospitales, grandes y pequeños, públicos y privados, se esfuerzan por tener la capacidad necesaria para una avalancha de pacientes críticos.

A pesar de la pandemia, profesionales de salud no son inmunes a los despidos

KFF Health News Original

Consultorios y grupos médicos en todo el país están dando licencia forzada a personal no médico. Y también recortando salarios luego que se suspendieran procedimientos electivos y se comenzaran a cancelar citas no urgentes.

‘Red Dawn Breaking Bad’: Officials Warned About Safety Gear Shortfall Early On, Emails Show

KFF Health News Original

As President Donald Trump called the nation “in good shape” to handle COVID-19, a cache of emails released by officials in Washington state show that top public health authorities feared gear shortages and doctor safety in the early epicenter of sickness and deaths.

The Nation’s 5,000 Outpatient Surgery Centers Could Help With The COVID-19 Overflow

KFF Health News Original

A coalition of anesthesiologists wants to repurpose the country’s more than 5,000 surgery centers to serve as emergency overflow amid the coronavirus pandemic. The centers have trained medical staff largely sitting idle, anesthesia machines that could be turned into ventilators, and empty medical space. But obstacles such as federal payment rules, logistics and some skepticism are getting in the way.