Many On-The-Jobs Clinics Offer Primary Care
May 24, 2011
These workplace centers are increasingly expanding beyond job injuries to offer on-site preventive tests and screenings and health coaching.
Decline In Autopsies May Obscure Understanding Of Disease
May 17, 2011
Hospitals perform the postmortem exams in only about 5 percent of patients who die. Experts fear that for others, key details about diagnosis and the effect of treatments are lost.
The Old Practice Of House Calls Is Returning To Some Areas
May 10, 2011
Businesses and individuals looking for convenience are contracting with services that will provide same-day medical appointments at home or office.
For Young Adults, Best Option Is Likely Their Parents' Plans
May 3, 2011
The health law guarantees that until the age of 26, children can stay on a family plan. There are exceptions, however, including when the young adult is offered insurance at work.
Some Church Groups Form Cooperatives To Cover Medical Costs
April 26, 2011
The programs are financed through monthly fees, and those revenues are divvied up and sent to members when they have have health care expenses.
Some Insurers Refuse Live Organ Donors Health Coverage
April 19, 2011
Live organ donors – who offer kidneys or part of their liver, lung or pancreas – are often denied coverage or charged very high premiums because insurers consider them to have a pre-existing medical.
Health Overhaul Could Double Community Health Centers' Caseloads
April 12, 2011
The centers, designed to help low-income and uninsured people, offer an affordable option for care, but it can also be tough to get an appointment.
Some Doctors Prescribe Painkillers Only After Patients Sign Contracts
April 5, 2011
Critics say the agreements, designed to help educate consumers about the dangers of opioids, invade patient privacy and damage trust.
Programs Work To Improve Quality Of Life For Patients With Serious Medical Problems
March 29, 2011
Very ill patients, even when not facing death, can benefit from better pain and symptom management, care coordination and help setting goals from specially trained teams, which typically include a doctor, a nurse, a social worker and a spiritual counselor.
Psychologists Seek to Expand Role By Prescribing Drugs
March 22, 2011
Waits for appointments with an expert can be long and psychiatrists especially are in short supply.
Pharmacists Expand Role To Help Educate and Coach Patients
March 15, 2011
Consumers often find it easier to get time with a pharmacist than a doctor, so drug stores are offering more outreach programs about chronic health problems.
Some Medical Practices Move To Monthly Membership Fees For Patients
March 8, 2011
These new plans cut out insurance policies and offer unlimited access to doctors and nurse practitioners for a modest, set fee.
Some Plans Cut Premiums By Eliminating Expensive Doctors, Hospitals
March 1, 2011
Insurers are either offering consumers a hefty break if they pay more out-of-pocket when they use certain high-cost providers in their network or are cutting the providers from the coverage entirely.
Health Law Forces Changes To Reduce Quick Readmissions
February 22, 2011
20 percent of Medicare patients are back in the hospital within 30 days, a trend that endangers patients and raises health costs.
Experts Seek To Simplify Medication Labels That Often Confuse Patients
February 15, 2011
Many patients do not take drugs as directed—skipping doses, taking the wrong number of pills or taking them at the wrong time of day. Poor adherence results in millions of dollars of medical expenses each year.
Some Doctors Dispute The Claims Of Preventive Benefits
February 8, 2011
Dartmouth researchers maintain that ordering screenings for people with no symptoms too often leads to costly treatment for people who would likely never have gotten sick.
Mediation Offers An Alternative to Lawsuits
February 1, 2011
Patients seeking redress may find this option provides the same benefits as a court battle but quicker and with less emotional toll.
Should Infertility Treatments Be Considered Essential?
January 24, 2011
Currently, policies provide only skimpy coverage for these services, which are often expensive. But this is an issue that regulators are wrestling with as they determine what conditions should be included in plans under the health law.
Making End-Of-Life Decisions Is Hard On Family Members
January 18, 2011
Few people have advance directives and even when they do, the documents often don’t cover the exact situation, leaving loved ones to make critical decisions in a void.
Some States Have Options To Help Consumers Find Individual Health Coverage
January 11, 2011
For people who can’t get insurance through work, finding a plan is often difficult. In addition to the high-risk pools that have recently generated a lot of attention, other options may be available, depending on which state a consumer lives in.
Insurers Sometimes Reject Neonatal Intensive Care Costs
January 4, 2011
In these specialized units for premature infants or babies with special needs, the doctors and other personnel may not be under contract with an insurer’s network even though the hospital is covered.
Read 2010's Insuring Your Health stories.