Doctors

Why this key chance to getting permanent birth control is often missed

11:24am July 12, 2022

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Doctors say they're seeing a surge in the number of women who want their "tubes tied." But hospital capacity, paperwork, religion and personal opinion are just some of the reasons requests get denied.

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Physicians must treat in line with patients' wishes and standards of care. Some medical ethicists say that abortion bans will force doctors to disregard these obligations in order to follow the law.

For doctors, abortion restrictions create an 'impossible choice' when providing care

5:32pm June 24, 2022

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Physicians must treat in line with patients' wishes and standards of care. Some medical ethicists say that abortion bans will force doctors to disregard these obligations in order to follow the law.

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Caregivers working with COVID-19 patients in a Barnes-Jewish Hospital intensive care unit write a message of love and support on the glass door facing a patient's room.

ICU teams report fatigue and frustration as they brace for omicron surge

4:41pm December 31, 2021

by Jon Hamilton

A resurgence in COVID-19 cases is testing the endurance of health care workers who care for the sickest patients, most of whom are unvaccinated.

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Dr. Ricardo Nuila, a physician in Houston, had already begun writing a book when the pandemic began. He felt lucky to have something to escape to when he felt powerless. A typewriter sits with a page typed out that says "Chapter One". He says, "One day yo

Health & Safety

Why your doctor may be quilting and your nurse may have a podcast

4:02pm December 29, 2021

by Grace Farris

You could call them hobbies. But for some health workers facing burnout, creative outlets provide more than solace — they give a sense of meaning and community.

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says doctors who are balking at the rules of the No Surprises Act aren't looking out for patients. "I don't think when someone is overcharging that it's going to hurt the overcharger to now have to [accept] a fair price," Bece

Doctors are mad about surprise billing rules. Becerra says stop gouging patients

2:57pm November 22, 2021

by Michael McAuliff

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says health providers who have exploited a complicated system to charge exorbitant rates will have to bear their share of the cost — or close.

Dr. Simone Gold discourages vaccination against COVID-19 and promotes alternative, unproven therapies. She has spent much of the past year speaking at events like this one held in West Palm Beach, Fla., in December. The conference was aimed at young peopl

This Doctor Spread False Information About COVID. She Still Kept Her Medical License

10:36am September 14, 2021

by Geoff Brumfiel

Simone Gold isn't alone. NPR found other physicians who retained their licenses despite spreading misinformation online and to the media about effective COVID-19 vaccines and unproven treatments.

In Idaho, a record number of people are hospitalized with COVID-19, raising the possibility of rationing medical care. Many states are grappling with the fallout of the delta variant's surge in cases.

Health & Safety

A COVID Surge Is Overwhelming U.S. Hospitals, Raising Fears Of Rationed Care

7:00am September 05, 2021

by Will Stone

The delta variant is pummeling America's hospitals, taxing an already-depleted health care workforce. Once again, some states are facing the prospect of rationing medical care.

Medical attendant Gurmesh Kumawat prepares to administer supplemental oxygen to a coronavirus patient in the emergency ward at the BDM Government Hospital in mid-May in Kotputli, India.

COVID-19 Has Pushed India's Junior Doctors To Their Limits

2:55pm May 26, 2021

by Lauren Frayer

They're treating as many as 200 patients a day. Many have seen more suffering than they expected in an entire career. A psychiatrist warns this will be "a generation of doctors who are traumatized."

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A car accident in 2019 smashed six of Mark Gottlieb's teeth and severely damaged four vertebrae. The spinal surgery he needed as a result led to medical bills that exhausted the personal injury coverage in his auto insurance.

Surprise: The Charge For His Spine Surgery After A Car Crash Topped $700,000

10:14am April 22, 2021

by Julie Appleby

Generous personal injury coverage on your auto insurance policy may not be enough to cover your medical bills. Patients can get financially blindsided when car and health insurance policies differ.

An illustration shows medical student Elizabeth Blackwell at Geneva Medical College (later Hobart College) in upstate New York, as she eyes a note dropped onto her arm by a male student, during a lecture in the college's operating room.

'Doctors Blackwell' Tells The Story Of 2 Pioneering Sisters Who Changed Medicine

2:40pm January 19, 2021

by Dave Davies

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman in America to earn her medical degree. Her sister Emily followed in her footsteps. Janice Nimura tells the story of the "complicated, prickly" trailblazers.

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