Latest Morning Briefing Stories
The Most Commonsensical And Hopeless Reform Idea Ever (Guest Opinion)
Two experts want to change hospital care in a way that may well rank as both the most commonsensical and most hopeless health reform proposal ever.
Mistakes In Outpatient Care Raising Concerns
Although safety measures are often directed at hospitals, experts say physicians’ offices and urgent care centers should get more scrutiny since the bulk of medical care is delivered there.
Growing Hospice Care Costs Bring Concerns About Misuse
Although the benefit is intended for patients who have no more than six months to live, 19 percent now receive hospice services for longer.
Effort To End Surgeries On Wrong Patient Or Body Part Falters
Experts thought simple steps, such as marking the surgical site and taking a timeout to confirm the details, would end the problem. But it turns out to be more complicated to change the culture of hospitals and doctors.
Low-Income Families’ Rx For Health Reform (Guest Opinion)
For health reform to truly take root, we should take our cue from the millions of low-income Californians who have the most at stake
‘Double’ Chest Scans Increase Costs And Exposure To Radiation
Many hospitals are performing unusually large numbers of a type of CT scan experts say should be done sparingly.
Enthusiasm Rises Among Med Students For Primary Care-The KHN Interview
Dr. Andy Bindman says educators at the University of California, San Francisco, are seeing a “pretty significant uptick” in applicants for primary care residencies.
Panel Urges Crackdown On Medicare’s Use Of Imaging
Congressional advisory group recommends that doctors who order a lot of MRIs, CT scans and other such procedures be forced to get prior approval.
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.
