Aug 17 Why won't hospitals let patients sleep? By Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News It's a common complaint -- if you spend a night in the hospital, you probably won't get much sleep. There's the noise. There's the bright fluorescent hallway light. And there's the unending barrage of nighttime interruptions: vitals checks, medication administration,… Continue reading
Aug 04 Watch 5:55 CDC offers new call to arms on nightmare bacteria By PBS News Hour Drug-resistant bacteria infect at least 2 million people and kill 23,000 each year. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued a call to slow the rate of hospital-acquired infections. Gwen Ifill talks to Dr. Michael Bell from… Continue watching
Jul 31 Quiz: How much do you know about long-term care at hospitals? By Margaret Sessa-Hawkins Take this quiz to see how much you really know about the role hospitals play in long-term care. Continue reading
Jul 29 Hospitals look to laborists to fill gaps left by on-call obstetricians By Phil Galewitz, Kaiser Health News Despite concerns about turning obstetrics into “shift” work similar to emergency physicians, the trend of employing laborists, hospitalists who handle births and obstetrical and gynecological emergencies, is growing as hospitals seek to improve patient safety and physicians increasingly recognize they… Continue reading
Jun 02 For many patients, delirium is a surprising side effect of being in the hospital By Sandra G. Boodman, Kaiser Health News When B. Paul Turpin was admitted to a Tennessee hospital in January, the biggest concern was whether the 69-year-old endocrinologist would survive. But as he battled a life-threatening infection, Turpin developed terrifying hallucinations, including one in which he was performing… Continue reading
May 01 Medicare reveals how much it spends on prescription drugs for Americans By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News The data show that 14 drugs cost the federal government and Medicare beneficiaries more than $1 billion each, accounting for nearly a quarter of Medicare prescription drug spending in 2013. Most of those drugs are used to treat chronic conditions… Continue reading
Apr 08 Loony Medicare rules can turn a hospital visit into a costly adventure By Philip Moeller Whether your visit to a hospital is considered a formal admission or an observational stay is hugely important, because Medicare pays a whole lot less for observational stays. This is true even if the actual care a person receives in… Continue reading
Mar 18 Small town hospitals face increasing pressure By Guy Gugliotta, Kaiser Health News MOUNT VERNON, Texas — Despite residents’ concerns and a continuing need for services, the 25-bed hospital that served this small East Texas town for more than 25 years closed its doors at the end of 2014, joining the ranks of… Continue reading
Mar 10 Hundreds of hospitals struggle to improve patient satisfaction By Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News SALISBURY, N.C. — Lillie Robinson came to Rowan Medical Center for surgery on her left foot. She expected to be in and out in a day, returning weeks later for her surgeon to operate on the other foot. Continue reading
Dec 02 'Ebola treatment centers' now in place at 35 U.S. hospitals By Jason Kane Dozens of hospitals throughout the United States are “prepared, trained and ready” to treat patients with Ebola, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Continue reading