Jul 17 How much does it cost to have a baby? By Michelle Andrews, Kaiser Health News Which hospital parents pick to deliver their baby can have serious cost consequences, according to a new study. Continue reading
Jul 16 Watch 5:59 Kindergarteners with good social skills turn into successful adults, study finds By PBS News Hour In a report released today, researchers found that kindergarteners’ social skills, like cooperation, listening to others and helping classmates, provided strong predictors of how those children would fare two decades later. Judy Woodruff speaks to Damon Jones of Pennsylvania State… Continue watching
Jul 16 Home Health Agencies Get Medicare's Star Treatment By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News The federal government released on Thursday a new five-star rating system for home health agencies, hoping to bring clarity to a fast-growing but fragmented corner of the medical industry where it’s often difficult to distinguish good from bad. Continue reading
Jul 15 Do cell phones belong in the operating room? By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News Next time you’re on the operating table and you have one last look around as the anesthesiologist approaches, don’t be too sure that that person in scrubs looking at a smartphone is pulling up vital health data. He or she… Continue reading
Jul 15 Long-term care costs vary greatly by state and type By Laura Santhanam, Megan Crigger It's not a surprise that long-term care can be expensive, but the cost differences based on location, level of care and comfort are staggering, according to recent reports. Continue reading
Jul 15 California, Oregon first to allow birth control pills without prescription By Barbara Feder Ostrov, Kaiser Health News California and Oregon will be the first states in the nation to allow women to get birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives directly from their pharmacists -- without a doctor’s prescription. Continue reading
Jul 13 Watch 8:36 Telemedicine puts a doctor virtually at your bedside By PBS News Hour Video conferencing technology can now connect patients and physicians almost instantaneously, offering convenience, efficiency and savings. But what happens to the doctor-patient relationship if you're never in the same room? Hari Sreenivasan reports. Continue watching
Jul 13 Officials propose new rules for nursing home care By Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News After nearly 30 years, the Obama administration wants to modernize the rules nursing homes must follow to qualify for Medicare and Medicaid payments. Continue reading
Jul 11 Just how accurate are online symptom checkers? By Andrew Mach A new study published this week found that online symptom checkers often give inaccurate diagnoses. Continue reading
Jul 09 Once politically toxic, Medicare plans to cover end-of-life counseling By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Matt Sedensky, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Six years ago, a proposal for Medicare to cover end-of-life counseling touched off a political uproar that threatened to stall President Barack Obama's health care law in Congress. This week, when Medicare finally announced it would make the… Continue reading