Rural paramedics are making routine house calls to avoid costly emergency room visits

Jun 28, 2024
Experts say community paramedicine programs, which involve paramedics checking in on people with known health issues before an emergency happens, can cut costs and ease strains on health care systems in rural areas.
Paramedic Alexandria Hollenbeck and Terlingua Fire and EMS Chief Susan Martin are involved in the first community paramedicine program in rural Terlingua, Texas.
Travis Bubenik/Marfa Public Radio

Amid shortage, nurses abroad wait longer for visas

Jun 24, 2024
Qualified and experienced nurses are in high demand. And the Health Resources & Services Administration projects a shortfall of tens of thousands of registered nurses annually.
One way employers could help alleviate the nursing shortage? Do more to retain the nurses they already have.
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February cyberattack causes chronic pain for health care industry

May 20, 2024
When malicious hackers stole data from Change Healthcare and demanded a ransom, providers lost an estimated $100 million per day early on.
Change Healthcare processes between a third and a half of all medical insurance claims in the U.S. and is still working to get its services running smoothly.
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The high cost of mental health inequities

May 16, 2024
Lots of people in this country don’t have access to good mental health care — and that's expensive for society.
Investing in things like housing, education, food and medical care makes a big difference in a person's health outcomes.
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Fewer medical students apply for residencies in states with abortion bans

May 14, 2024
According to new data from the Research and Action Institute at the Association of American Medical Colleges, OB/GYN, internal medicine, and emergency medicine programs saw the biggest drops — around 7% or 8%.
Across the board, applications for medical residencies in states that banned abortions fell by more than 4%
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Why one New York health system stopped suing its patients

May 14, 2024
Most U.S. hospitals aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills. One New York hospital system decided to work with them instead.
Nationally, nearly half of adults are unable to cover a $500 medical bill without going into debt, a 2022 KFF poll found.
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More companies are adopting policies to support employees recovering from addiction

May 13, 2024
Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. have a substance use disorder, and most are in the workforce. Could employers take a bigger role in recovery?
Research shows that recovery-supportive workplace policies can reduce turnover costs, injuries, accidents and health care costs.
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For public good, not for profit.

How GE made history: a look back at an iconic conglomerate

May 8, 2024
In April, General Electric split itself up to focus on wind power, aerospace and health care. Its finance and media divisions are long gone.
A General Electric employee viewed rows of wind turbine parts in 2021. GE was an "incredible industrial company and built truly incredible things," reporter Ted Mann said.
Sebastien Salom-Gomis/AFP via Getty Images

Lawmakers and hospitals are divided on providing free care for tax breaks

Nonprofit hospitals say legislative efforts that require them to provide more free care could hurt the people they are intended to help.
Nonprofit hospitals in the U.S. provided $16 billion in charity care in 2020, according to health policy research group KFF, while receiving $28 billion in tax breaks.
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Feds establish new rules for health care staffing and pay

Apr 24, 2024
The changes aim to bolster pay for providers — many of them low-income immigrants — and require higher minimum staffing levels.
New standards from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aim to upgrade the pay and services provided by home health aides.
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