William Heisel

The Bay Area News Group published an op-ed on beverage warning labels in March, but the outlet failed to point out the author's ties to the beverage industry. It's part of larger pattern of industry allies pushing back in the press.

Dan Markingson suffered from schizophrenia and killed himself in May 2004 while taking part in a clinical trial for an antipsychotic drug made by AstraZeneca. The evolving case continues to highlight problems of research oversight at the university and state levels.

High blood pressure kills more people every year than smoking, obesity, and alcohol. And, according to a new study by CDC researchers, it’s getting worse. The study relied on an essential source of public health information all reporters should know about.

Are you making good use of hospital and nursing home inspection records in your reporting? If not, a few key database resources can help get you started. A review of several years can show patterns of medication errors, nursing lapses, or may highlight a horrific case.

Leah Beth Ward's sustained reporting in The Yakima Herald-Republic on the impacts of Washington’s dairy industry has helped spur important changes. In the second half of our Q&A, Ward discusses the reaction to her series, both from the industry and the broader community.

The Yakima Herald-Republic has an august history of reporting on Washington's dairy industry and its effects on health. Contributor William Heisel interviews the paper's Leah Beth Ward about her reporting on the impacts of such dairies, which has helped prompt new court rulings.

A federal law forbids hospitals from simply kicking their patients to the curb, a practice called patient dumping. Hospitals are required to treat patients who arrive at the ER. Here's how to check whether hospitals in your coverage area are violating the rules.

Even with all the changes in the health care landscape, there are still more not-for-profit hospitals in the U.S. than profit-driven organizations or government-run hospitals. Finding out information isn't always easy, but using IRS 990 forms can offer a powerful window into their workings.

Doctors usually train in a specialty, but they don’t have to practice in that specialty. And, in most states, they don’t have to tell you how they trained before they treat you. Records from medical specialty boards can help reporters figure out if doctors are board-certified and in which field.

Medicare made more than $583 billion in payments in 2013. But, for one of the fastest rising areas of Medicare spending, the agency has no way of knowing whether all that money was spent wisely.