Medicine’s Power Couples: A Challenge In Recruiting Physicians To Rural Areas

A research letter published in JAMA suggests that physicians increasingly marry people who match them in terms of educational levels and career pursuits, making it more difficult to attract them to small-town practices.

Women Increasingly Having Outpatient Mastectomies, New Federal Data Show

Agency For Healthcare Research and Quality data show that more women with breast cancer are opting for mastectomies over less-invasive options, and more are having the procedure in outpatient facilities where they don’t spend even one night in the hospital.

In Freddie Gray’s Neighborhood, The Best Medical Care Is Close But Elusive

Last year’s Baltimore unrest highlighted deep distrust between police and poor African-Americans. Dozens of interviews and little-seen data show a similar gap between that community and the city’s renowned health system.

Map: In Poor Baltimore Neighborhoods, Life Expectancy Similar to Developing Countries

In Sandtown, where Freddie Gray lived and the median household income is less than a quarter of Roland Park’s, the life expectancy is 70 years. That matches the average life expectancy in North Korea, an impoverished dictatorship where millions suffer from chronic undernourishment, according to the United Nations.

Study Finds ‘Mortality Gap’ Among Middle-Aged Whites

A Commonwealth Fund report says that stalled progress in fighting leading causes of death for this group is a bigger culprit than substance abuse and suicide for worse-than-expected rates.

Combined Effects Of Maternal Obesity, Diabetes ‘Substantially’ Raise Autism Risks

A study published in the February issue of Pediatrics examines both the independent and combined effects of these two maternal health factors on children’s likelihood of developing autism spectrum disorder.

A Deeper Look Into The Planned Parenthood Videos And Indictment

KHN’s Julie Rovner joined four other panelists Wednesday on WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show, where they discussed what makes an undercover investigation criminal and the ongoing political battle over Planned Parenthood’s role and funding.

A Closer Look At The Senate’s Investigation Of Tainted Medical Scopes

A Senate investigation recently found that 16 hospitals around the U.S. failed to file mandatory paperwork with the federal government after patients at their hospitals became infected or died from the use of tainted medical scopes. KHN’s Chad Terhune, who reported on the story for the Los Angeles Times, spoke with Madeline Brand on KCRW’s Press Play about the investigation and steps the scope maker is taking to stop the infections.