Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Insurers Prod Doctors, Hospitals To Stop Elective Early Deliveries
Medicaid and private insurers seek to reduce deliveries before 39 weeks to reduce complications and costs.
Hospices, Wary Of Costs, May Be Discouraging Patients With High Expenses
A survey finds that more than three-quarters of hospices have restrictive enrollment policies designed to keep away patients with high-cost medical needs.
Slowly Dying Patients, An Audit And A Hospice’s Undoing
For one San Diego Hospice, the trouble began with a federal audit.
Emergency Departments Are On The Frontline Of The Flu
More patients with the flu are seeking care at the emergency room this year, and despite the 112 million Americans who have gotten a flu shot, it remains to be seen if this year’s version will be just bad or historically bad.
As ‘Bodega Clinicas’ Fill Void, Officials Are Torn on Embracing Them
The storefront doctor’s offices serve a vast number of uninsured Latino residents, in a kind of parallel, cash-only health system. But officials have little information on the quality of health care the clinicas provide, and whether they might be able to help fill persistent and profound gaps in Los Angeles’ strained safety net.
‘The Matrix’ Meets Medicine: Surveillance Swoops Into Health Care
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is testing how using technology to monitor seniors’ health can save money on medical costs and help seniors feel secure enough to “age in place.”
Behind The Fiscal Cliff Deal, A Prolonged Hospital Finance Fight
Hospitals complain they are bearing the brunt of sustaining payment levels for doctors but the changes in Medicare were a long time coming.
Letters to the Editor is a periodic KHN feature. We welcome all comments and will publish a selection.
Health Law Seen Boosting Xerox, HP
Data companies are poised to profit from the expansion of Medicaid.
Medicare Discloses Hospitals’ Bonuses, Penalties Based On Quality
Under a program set up by the health law, payments to 1,557 hospitals will be increased, while 1,427 will drop.
How Hospitals’ Quality Bonuses And Penalties Were Determined And How To Use The Data
Payments to hospitals are adjusted to reflect how they follow standards of care and patients’ ratings of their experiences.
By State: Hospital Quality Bonuses and Penalties
This chart shows the average effect by state of the value-based purchasing program on hospitals’ Medicare reimbursements per hospital stay for the federal spending year that runs from last October through September 2013.
As Population Diversifies, Rethinking How We Care For Elderly
Gerontologist Peggye Dilworth-Anderson discusses why we need to rethink what we perceive of as “normal” aging.
Q&A: Options For Patients Who Get Out-Of-Network Care
Consumer columnist Michelle Andrews answers a reader question about handling an out-of-network bill from a provider the patient didn’t choose.
In Many Communties, Nurse Practitioners Fill An Important Void
Many states are trying to loosen decades-old licensing restrictions, known as “scope of practice laws,” that prevent nurse practitioners from playing the lead role in providing basic health services.
Huge Experiment Aims To Save On Care For Poorest, Sickest Patients
An effort in California to move Medicaid patients into managed care has national significance as federal officials roll out a similar but larger program for as many as 2 million people who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare.
Electronic Health Records Breed Digital Discontent For Some Docs
Two years and $8.4 billion into the government’s effort to get doctors to take their practices digital, some unintended consequences are starting to emerge. One is a lot of unhappy doctors.
One-On-One With A 2-Year-Old Cancer Patient
Child life specialist Liz Anderson of Children’s National Medical Center explains how she uses play to help 2-year-old Jade Tukan, a cancer patient, understand her medical care.
Specialists Work To Reduce Kids’ Fears In The Hospital
Child life specialists use play to help seriously ill children understand what happens in the hospital.
Hospitals Offer Wide Array Of Services To Keep Patients From Needing To Return
Free scales, diet tips and home visits from nurses all aim to curtail readmissions.
