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Trying to discredit the Dartmouth data is a distraction from the real work that's needed to understand and remedy the extraordinary amount of money spent on care that does not appear to make a difference in health.
The finances of Hillsboro Medical Center in North Dakota improved after it got a "critical access" designation. Sens. Conrad, D-N.D., Wyden, D-Ore., Pryor, D-Ark., and Brownback, R-Kan., want to make it easier for other rural hospitals to get the designation as part of health reform.
A list of some vital statistics about children's oral health and dental insurance.
All of the Democratic health proposals would expand children's dental care - a serious need. Currently about twice as many children are without dental coverage as those without medical coverage. At the same time, some insurance experts worry that the legislation may have unintended consequences, disrupting adult coverage.
Even as Congress moves to expand health insurance coverage to millions of Americans, it's doing little to ensure there will be enough primary care doctors to meet the expected surge in demand for treatment. One prediction: the shortage of family doctors will reach 40,000 by 2019, as medical schools send about half the needed number of graduates into primary care medicine.
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
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