Recent data and survey results suggest that health reform's promise of getting people out of the ER and into less costly care settings hasn't come to pass yet. There's a growing realization that it's going to take more than health insurance to change patients' longterm habits.
Death and birth records are crucial to public health and health reporting. They can help verify causes of death, point you to family members, or allow you to track larger public health trends. Here's how to start using them for your stories, if you aren't already.
How much time should elapse before a patient returns for a follow-up visit? The answer, of course, is that it depends on the situation. But as a recent JAMA article made clear, there are surprisingly few evidence-based answers to guide doctors here.
The University of Minnesota is replacing the chairman of its psychiatry department following two scathing reviews of its safety protocols in research involving human subjects and its recruitment of a troubled man who later died by suicide in a schizophrenia drug trial.
California leads the nation when it comes to fostering the health of undocumented immigrants, according to a recent report. Meanwhile, state legislators are considering legislation that would expand coverage to undocumented residents.
When reporting on hospitals, it pays to download and read the hospital’s Joint Commission report. These reports are an important first step in understanding the basic outlines of how a hospital is performing relative to others.
Reporter Kathleen O'Brien of the New Jersey Star-Ledger stayed flexible in her reporting and ultimately uncovered system-wide computer problems that were only affecting New Jersey's poor. Here she shares the lessons she learned while working on the project.
Even as the ACA transforms the nation’s health care system, its future remains uncertain. But no matter what happens, the law and its impact will remain a central subject for health care journalists for years to come, as AHCJ 2015 panelists Sarah Kliff and Julie Appleby explained.
The strategy of using cell phones and texts to nudge people toward healthier decisions makes a lot of sense. But as L.A. Times' Eryn Brown discovered in reporting her series on "m-health," the promise of these programs is still far ahead of the reality.
The high-deductible health plans sold under the "bronze" banner may look lousy at first glance. But while they may not be ideal coverage, they're far better than the high deductible plans sold before Obamacare. And they can supply a critical lifeline when misfortune strikes.
