Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Patient-Induced Trauma: Hospitals Learn To Defuse Violence
Health care workers face a greater threat of workplace violence than workers in most other industries. Hospitals are installing security cameras and panic buttons, arming security guards with stun guns and teaching their employees how to handle potentially violent situations.
Pharma’s Take On The Pelosi Drug-Pricing Bill: Fair Warning Or Fearmongering?
The pharmaceutical industry’s argument that capping drug prices would compromise drug innovation stands “on very shaky ground.”
Anthem Blue Cross Gets Flagged And Fined More Than Other Insurers
Anthem Blue Cross has received a disproportionate share of violations and fines from California’s largest health insurance regulator, mostly related to its mishandling of patient grievances.
Medical Device Failures Brought To Light Now Bolster Lawsuits And Research
Millions of injuries and malfunctions once funneled into a hidden Food and Drug Administration database are now available.
‘I Feel Like I’m In Jail’: Hospital Alarms Torment Patients
As alarms proliferate, hospitals are working to sort through the cacophony that can overwhelm staff and cause them to overlook real signs of harm.
UVA Doctors Decry Aggressive Billing Practices By Their Own Hospital
In the wake of a Kaiser Health News investigation, doctors want the University of Virginia’s health system to stop suing its patients over unpaid bills.
Readers React: UVA Doctors Outraged Over Their Own Health System’s Billing Practices
Kaiser Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Timeline: History Of Blocking Regulation Of Electronic Health Records
Over the past decade, government efforts to create a national system to track and analyze deaths, injuries and other adverse incidents linked to electronic health records repeatedly have failed amid opposition from the technology industry and its supporters in Congress.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: A Medical Bill Ninja Shares Her Secrets
On Season 3, Episode 2 of the podcast “An Arm and a Leg,” an Illinois woman harnesses a lifetime of experience — and frustration — with health care finances to help other people solve their medical bill problems.
No Safety Switch: How Lax Oversight Of Electronic Health Records Puts Patients At Risk
Special interests and congressional inaction blocked efforts to track the safety of electronic medical records, leaving patients at risk.
Efforts To Move The Needle On Flu Shot Rates Get Stuck
In the past decade, federal and state governments have removed cost and access obstacles, but immunization rates remained flat. That worries public health officials.
The Case Of The ACA’s Disappearing Taxes
When passing the Affordable Care Act, Democrats touted the fact that they had included many measures to pay for the bill’s expanded coverage. But nearly 10 years later, many of the “pay-fors” have been eliminated.
New California Law May Expand Use Of HIV Prevention Drugs, With Caveats
Legislation that takes effect next July will let people buy the medications without a prescription for a limited period. Medical professionals say it’s a step in the right direction but will not significantly increase the use of the medicine without additional efforts.
Para bebés con problemas de audición, nuevas pruebas abren un mundo de sonidos
Al 98% de los bebés en el país se les hace la prueba de audición en los primeros días después del nacimiento. Los que necesitan ayuda son referidos de un inmediato a un especialista.
Vacuna “gratuita” contra la gripe tiene un costo sorprendentemente alto
En una pequeña muestra de una aseguradora, Kaiser Health News encontró diferencias dramáticas entre los costos para sus propios empleados.
For Newborns With Hearing Loss, Screening Opens Window To A World Of Sound
Most infants in the United States have a hearing screening in their first few days of life. Twenty years ago, before universal newborn screening, many kids missed out on early intervention services that help children with hearing loss access sound and develop spoken language.
The Startlingly High Cost Of The ‘Free’ Flu Shot
Although many consumers pay nothing out of pocket for flu shots, insurers foot the bill. And those prices vary dramatically.
Startup Seeks To Hold Doctors, Hospitals Accountable On Patient Record Requests
Despite laws requiring that health care providers hand over copies of patient records in a timely fashion, many people have trouble getting theirs. Ciitizen, a Palo Alto, Calif., company that helps cancer patients with the task, recently published a scorecard that rates hospitals, doctors and clinics on their compliance with records requests.
La Casa Blanca revela norma final sobre transparencia de precios en salud
La norma establece que, a partir de 2021, los hospitales deben publicar los precios de todos sus servicios en internet, para que los consumidores tengan información.
