Dick And Jane Sign Up For The Exchange
Signing up for health insurance is intimidating — even if you know you might get some help paying for it. The federal government is trying hard to come up with a way to make the process a bit more palatable — about as simple as, say, doing your taxes online. The Centers for Medicare and […]
A Bump In The Road To Accountable Care?
The Pioneer accountable care organizations have long been the shining stars of the Affordable Care Act’s strategy to rein in the country’s out-of-control spending on health care. The 32 organizations are part of a Medicare pilot project called for in the health law that could revolutionize the health system by paying doctors and hospitals for […]
Hospital Consolidation Dance Heats Up In NYC
The health care game of musical chairs is picking up speed in New York City, one of the most competitive markets in the country. The Mount Sinai Medical Center and Continuum Health Partners announced Thursday that their boards of trustees have reached a tentative agreement on a possible merger. The announcement comes less than nine months after Continuum, which […]
Survey: Better Hours For Residents? Not So Fast
The new rules regulating duty hours were supposed to make life easier for medical residents, but both program directors and doctors-in-training give the changes mixed reviews. These latest changes, implemented in July 2011, limit first-year residents, also called interns, to 16-hour shifts. They were put in place by the private, nonprofit Accreditation Council for Graduate […]
Religious Nonprofits Won’t Pay For Birth Control Under Proposal
After a year of controversy, the Obama administration proposes a way for women who work at nonprofit religious institutions to get free birth control without requiring their employers to pay for it.
Post-Sandy, NYU Langone Has Reopened, But Can It Regain Market Share?
Some 500 NYU doctors found refuge at other hospitals while NYU was closed following Hurricane Sandy. Now, the question looms whether all of the patients and doctors will return.
Emergency Departments Are On The Frontline Of The Flu
More patients with the flu are seeking care at the emergency room this year, and despite the 112 million Americans who have gotten a flu shot, it remains to be seen if this year’s version will be just bad or historically bad.
Triage System Helps Colleges Treat Mentally Ill Students
Colleges and universities across the country have seen an influx of students with mental health needs.
After Newtown Shootings, Questions About Mental Health Insurance Coverage
Gaps in insurance coverage for mental health treatment persist despite new laws — including the health law and the Mental Health Parity Act of 2008 — expanding such coverage. Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about mental health care in America.
Specialists Work To Reduce Kids’ Fears In The Hospital
Child life specialists use play to help seriously ill children understand what happens in the hospital.
In Juvenile Detention, Girls Face Health Care Designed For Boys
Up to 90 percent of incarcerated girls have experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse, creating a complex set of health problems that the juvenile justice system is ill-equipped to handle. One woman is on a crusade to change that.
Hospitals Gamble On Urgent Care Clinics To Keep Patients Healthy
Urgent care clinics are part of a growth strategy for some hospital chains. But some analysts wonder if hospitals will be able to provide good customer service at the clinics.
Health Care Issues On The Ballot: The Final Tally
The rich variety of health issues at stake in Tuesday’s elections included the federal health law, abortion, medical marijuana and more. Here’s a round-up of state health initiatives and the results: Implementation of the 2010 federal health law Four states—Alabama, Florida, Montana and Wyoming—had provisions to block the federal health law’s requirement that almost all Americans have insurance or pay a […]
Accountable care organizations are widely touted as one of the most effective cost-containing measures of the 2010 federal health law. Yet they have a great deal in common with the integrated delivery networks of the 1990s, leaving some wondering whether the bold experiment might come to the same disappointing end. “I don’t think these things […]
For Med Students, How To Define ‘Best’ Residencies
Attention medical students: When selecting your residency program, there’s more than just geography and the hospital’s reputation to consider. The nation’s 23 top academic medical centers also vary drastically in what researchers are calling “the intensity” of care they provide patients at the end of life, according to a new report from the Dartmouth Atlas Project. And more intense […]
Trinity Health, Catholic Health East Announce Plans To Merge
Big news today in the land of hospital mergers and acquisitions. The boards of two leading Catholic health systems, Trinity Health and Catholic Health East, have announced plans to join forces in 2013. The consolidated Catholic health system would include 82 hospitals and 89 continuing care facilities, home health and hospice programs. The two health […]
Adderall For Healthy Kids: A Cost Shift To Medicaid?
Doctors in Georgia are prescribing ADHD medications to help low-income children struggling in elementary school, even when they do not have an attention deficit disorder, reports a front-page article in Tuesday’s New York Times. The story focused on Dr. Michael Anderson in Canton, Ga., who said he had little choice in the matter if he […]
For Patients, What A Difference A Note Makes
Doctors are required by federal law to provide patients with a copy of their medical notes upon request, but few patients ask and doctors generally don’t make the process easy. When patients were offered online access, however, 90 percent read their doctors’ notes with some impressive results. A study published in the most recent issue […]
Lawmaker Pitches New FDA Office Of Mobile Health
A bill set to be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives later this month aims to smooth the FDA’s evaluation process for mobile health apps.
The Next Frontier For Elite Med Schools: Primary Care
Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York is now one of the only top medical schools to offer family medicine as a specialty for its students.
