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In the mid-1970s, an unconventional researcher named Jack Wennberg discovered an unusually high rate of hysterectomies in Lewiston, Maine. That was just one of a series of studies that led to a very surprising conclusion about health care: a large portion of the medical care Americans get is unnecessary.
Facility fees, charged to patients who get treatment in hospital-owned outpatient clinics, are used defray to hospital overhead, pay salaries and meet stringent standards, hospital officials say. Critics say the fees are a way to increase the cost of care when patients can least afford it.
The cornerstone of Atlanta medical care strives to turn a corner, but fight over dialysis center underscores difficulties of meeting increasing demands in a poor economy.
Fewer than half of all graduating medical students say they have a good sense of how to navigate health care systems or the economics of practicing medicine, according to a new study.
A study comparing U.S. treatment outcomes and other indicators among 30 developed nations found "no hard evidence" that American system stands out.
To get to universal coverage in a fiscally sound way, we need to come up with a "chronic care bailout" plan. The way to do this is through health payment reform.
As part of the series, "Are You Covered?" KHN and NPR profile Audrey Bernfield, 71, a two-time breast cancer survivor. When her cancer returned, her Medicare coverage enabled her to choose her own doctors, move closer to her family and get the best treatments for her situation. She says she prefers Medicare over a private insurer. |
Several states are implementing "medical home" programs, which shifts the health care system from emphasizing acute care for emergencies, such as heart attacks and strokes, to one focusing more on treating - or preventing - chronic illnesses.
Policymakers are looking for ways to trim medical spending. In a single procedure, a cardiologist might throw away two heart stents that cost $2,000 apiece. That's just part of providing proper care, the doctor says - it's the economics of precision and technological advance. This story comes from our partner
Health care reform is the serious-minded media event of the summer, but one element of the story has inspired relatively little serious discussion: the role of nursing.
Doctors paid a salary, rather than per procedure ordered, shift their emphasis to prevention. This story comes from our partner
The GOP has long said that many of the ills of the nation's health care system can be remedied with a cap on medical malpractice suits. Democrats say limits on pain and suffering awards are not the answer. Could a compromise save the president's health care initiative? This story comes from our partner
Despite TV portrayals of best medicine, health reform proponents says patients could get good treatment -- and cheaper care -- if high tech tests were used more judiciously.
As economic conditions force a tighter job market, new nurses find it's harder than ever to land their dream job-or any job, for that matter. It's especially difficult in metropolitan areas.
For policymakers to cut medical spending, they must persuade doctors that some procedures are unnecessary. A friendly debate between two cardiologists over using stents to unclog arteries shows how hard it may be to achieve that consensus. This story comes from our partner
At a forum in Chicago, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Vice President Joe Biden announced Thursday the release of $1.2 billion of stimulus money to help with the adoption of electronic medical records at a forum in Chicago.
When a claim is denied, an out-of-network fee is too costly, or an uninsured patient confronts an unclear or towering bill, an advocate may be able to help.
When Gary Diego's wife, Ellen, had bleeding in her brain, she ended up in an out-of-network emergency room. And he ended up with a huge bill. In a practice known as balance billing, insurers pay a portion of the out-of-network charges, and the rest is dumped on patients.
President Barack Obama spoke about health insurance, a pressed for a need to overhaul the health care system at town hall meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado on Saturday.
Physicians, while disputing the charges of plans for euthanasia, say the debate on what is in the House health bill on end-of-life care could help focus attention on an underfunded service.
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