health care

Share of Americans reporting they were up to date with certain cancer screenings in 2013

Health & Safety

Screening Rates Stalled For Common Cancers

11:56am May 08, 2015

by Scott Hensley

Many Americans aren't getting recommended screening tests for colorectal, breast and cervical cancer. Despite a public health push, there has been a lack of progress in reaching screening goals.

Ann Allen (right) and Marie Birsic (left) take part in a demonstration to prevent the closure of Lakewood Hospital on Cleveland's West Side. Birsic says the neighborhood will "go down into a ghost town" once the hospital is turned into an outpatient cente

Losing A Hospital In The Heart Of A Small City

5:02pm May 07, 2015

by Sarah Jane Tribble

Economic forces are squeezing the city of Lakewood, just outside Cleveland, forcing the closure of one hospital even as another is built in a more affluent suburb.

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks Wednesday with reporters in Washington, D.C., after a meeting with Sylvia Burwell, head of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Fla. Governor Leaves Meeting With U.S. Health Secretary Empty-Handed

8:48am May 07, 2015

by Phil Galewitz

Despite a "good conversation" with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, Gov. Rick Scott gets no sign that Florida will receive the more than $1 billion he wants for health care.

Leana Wen on stage at the TEDMED conference.

What Does It Take To Bring Transparency To Medicine?

11:45am May 06, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Doctors in the U.S. don't have to tell patients about conflicts of interest. When physician Leana Wen asked her fellow doctors to open up, the reaction she got was frightening.

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During a Pap smear, doctors collect cells from in and on the cervix to test for abnormal cells that might be cancer or lead to it.

The Great Success And Enduring Dilemma Of Cervical Cancer Screening

1:30pm May 05, 2015

by Tara Haelle

The Pap smear has dramatically decreased rates of cervical cancer, but testing too often has a downside, too. Many women say they aren't yet ready to follow new guidelines and skip the annual tests.

Sepsis, A Wily Killer, Stymies Doctors' Efforts To Tame It

12:48pm May 05, 2015

by Richard Harris

It's a deadly combination of infection and inflammation striking more than a million Americans every year. Doctors can treat the symptoms of sepsis, but they still can't treat the underlying problem.

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Baltimore residents clean up outside a CVS store Tuesday, after an evening of riots following the funeral of Freddie Gray.

Triage And Treatment: Untold Health Stories From Baltimore's Unrest

12:48pm May 05, 2015

by Leana Wen

Shuttered pharmacies and concerns about public safety in Baltimore contributed to health problems ranging from unfilled prescriptions to people delaying care for asthma and diabetes.

In order to improve the quality of healthcare and reduce its costs, researchers need to know what works and what doesn't. But hospitals and doctors have lots of reasons for keeping any data that's collected private.

Who Keeps Track If Your Surgery Goes Well Or Fails?

4:37pm May 04, 2015

by Richard Harris

The outcomes of many medical procedures and treatments done in hospitals nationwide aren't tracked or even measured, says a surgeon who thinks that's bad. Understanding outcomes, he says, saves lives.

Health & Safety

When Hospitals Close, Frequent Fears About Care Aren't Realized

4:27pm May 04, 2015

by Jordan Rau

Mortality rates for Medicare patients don't rise in communities after their hospitals shut down, say Harvard researchers who analyzed 195 closures across the country.

Health & Safety

Brand-Name Medicines Dominate Medicare's $103 Billion Drug Bill

8:18am May 04, 2015

by Jordan Rau

Federal officials released prescription histories of hundreds of thousands of doctors and identified the most common and costly drugs. Medicare spent the most on a purple pill for heartburn.