Out-of-network "surprise bills" are a growing problem. Patients think they're staying in their coverage network only to receive a bill for thousands of dollars after a procedure from, say, an anesthesiologist who wasn't included in their plan. So far, proposed solutions have proven controversial.
Medicare levies penalties against hospitals in an effort to reduce the number of infections patients pick up at these facilities.
This year alone, I have learned of three doctors, two of whom I personally know and one who I went to medical school with, being disciplined by the Medical Board of California. They're all men. Likewise, a recent study found male doctors were more likely to be disciplined. What's going on here?
Medicare levies penalties against hospitals for lack of quality care, but does the system punish those facilities that accept lower-income patients?
By now you’ve heard about the launch of the new California Healthcare Compare website, which allows users to compare cost and quality on common procedures throughout the state. Less noted, however, are some of the site’s serious limitations. Bill Heisel breaks them down for us.
Hospitals are penalized by Medicare for high readmission rates, but does this system really encourage better healthcare?
Created by the Affordable Care Act to cut costs and improve quality, Medicare’s penalty programs disproportionately impact hospitals serving the sickest and poorest patients.
In the third installment of the San Diego 6 News series “Mind Your Health,” Neda Iranpour looks into a place many of us spend a lot of our time: at work. Iranpour profiles Dr. Bronner’s, a socially-conscious soap-maker to find out why offering free wellness and health care to employees pays off.
While we may think doctors and medical students don’t have time to “sit still,” UC San Diego is finding that the act of meditating is helping create better medical professionals. The school's Center for Mindfulness is now serving as an example to many universities and hospitals.
How do you find out how skilled a surgeon is? Asking a surgeon's peers for their opinion is one obvious route, since surgeons are adept at spotting colleagues' skill levels. But getting hold of such peer reviews isn't easy for patients. Can a new surgery market change that?
