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911 outages have hit at least eight states this year. Theyāre emblematic of problems plaguing emergency response communications due in part to wide disparities in capabilities and funding.
The Biden administration set stringent new federal staffing rules. But for years, nursing homes have failed to meet the toughest standards set by states.
Increasingly, Americans pay for the privilege of seeing a doctor. Research shows concierge medicine can further hamper access to care for those who canāt afford the upgrade.
Faulty lead test kits made by Magellan Diagnostics may have been used as late as 2021 to test children for exposure to the toxic metal. The company agreed to pay $42 million to settle criminal charges that it concealed malfunctions.
California is the ninth state to set annual health spending targets for the industry. Already hospitals and doctors are voicing resistance to the fledgling Office of Health Care Affordability, even as they avoid overtly opposing its goals.
In contrast to police statements, volunteer medics said they treated serious wounds as UCLAās pro-Palestinian protest was besieged by police and counterprotesters, including some injuries that appeared to be caused by āless lethalā projectiles fired by cops.
The leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States ā including suicides and fatalities linked to substance use disorders ā stem from mental health conditions. Now a federal task force has recommended strategies to help women who are at risk during or after pregnancy.
Millions of new parents in the U.S. are swamped by medical debt during and after pregnancy, forcing many to cut back on food, clothing, and other essentials.
Puff inhalers can be lifesavers for people with asthma and other respiratory diseases, but some types release potent greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. That, in turn, worsens wildfires, contributes to air pollution, and intensifies allergy seasons ā which can increase the need for inhalers. Some doctors are helping patients switch to more eco-sensitive inhalers.
Oregon is giving Medicaid patients air conditioners and other equipment to help them cope with soaring heat, smoky skies, and other dangers of climate change. Oregon health officials hope to show other states and the federal government that they can save lives and money.
For more than 20 years, children in Arkansas have been measured in school as part of a statewide effort to reduce childhood obesity. But the letters have had no impact on weight loss ā and obesity rates have risen. Still, the practice of sending letters has spread to other states.
The surge in overdose deaths among teens is opening a new path to treatment: pediatricians. A doctor in Massachusetts shows how it works with a 17-year-old patient.
Itās estimated that an older patient can spend three weeks of the year getting care ā and that doesnāt count the time it takes to arrange appointments or deal with insurance companies.
The FDA and some oncologists have resisted efforts to require a quick, cheap gene test that could prevent thousands of deaths from a bad reaction to a common cancer drug.
Four years since the covid pandemic emerged, health care workers want rules that protect them during outbreaks. They worry the CDC is repeating past mistakes as it develops a crucial set of guidelines for hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities that provide health care.
State laws requiring doctor training on how bias affects treatment violate teachersā right to free speech, opponents say.
After a decade of work, a Kentucky program launched to diagnose lung cancer earlier is beginning to change the prognosis for residents by catching tumors when theyāre more treatable.
Doctors, patients, and hospitals have railed for years about the prior authorization processes that health insurers use to decide whether theyāll pay for patientsā drugs or medical procedures. The Biden administration announced a crackdown in January, but some state lawmakers are looking to go further.
Abortion restrictions in 18 states have curtailed access to training in skills that doctors say are critical for OB-GYN specialists and others. A new California law makes it easier for out-of-state doctors to get experience in reproductive medicine.
Even in states where laws protect minorsā access to gender-affirming care, malpractice insurance premiums are keeping small and independent clinics from treating patients.
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