Hospitals

A copper bedrail can kill germs on contact.

A Copper Bedrail Could Cut Back On Infections For Hospital Patients

11:05am December 24, 2014

by Hannah Bloch

Around the world, patients acquire new infections simply from spending time in a hospital. One way to fight back: replacing hospital bed rails with copper, a natural infection-killer.

NYU Langone Medical Center is one of the teaching hospitals being penalized by Medicare for its rate of medical errors.

Health & Safety

Teaching Hospitals Hit Hardest By Medicare Fines For Patient Safety

2:18pm December 19, 2014

by Jordan Rau

Medicare will cut payments to hospitals with high rates of patient infections and injuries. Half of the nation's academic medical centers will be docked for making too many medical mistakes.

Health & Safety

Why The ER Doctor Asks Patients What's Happening At Home

3:15pm December 02, 2014

by Leana Wen

Some people would argue that the emergency room isn't the right place to deal with patients' personal problems. But the ills that lead people to seek care are often tied to their challenging lives.

Sal Morales found an Obamacare health plan this year that costs him $145 per month — versus the $560 he'd been paying.

They Paid How Much? How Negotiated Deals Hide Health Care's Cost

1:43pm November 17, 2014

by Sammy Mack

A patient's portion of a health care bill is the result of a complicated equation. But it's simple compared with the variety of deals insurers negotiate with hospitals and doctors.

Queue Listen Now

Ouch! Jeffrey Craig Hopper got good emergency treatment after being hit in the eye with a baseball in June. But months later he was slapped with an extra medical bill he never expected.

Surprise Medical Bills: ER Is In Network, But Doctor Isn't

11:28am November 13, 2014

by Carrie Feibel

When Jennifer Hopper's husband was hit in the eye with a baseball, she rushed him to a hospital she knew was within their insurance plan. Then the ER doctor sent her an extra bill for more than $700.

Queue Listen Now

Dialysis giant DaVita HealthCare Partners is moving into the hospital business.

Kidney Dialysis Company Expands Into The Hospital Business

7:08pm November 10, 2014

by Eric Whitney

DaVita HealthCare partners, a provider of dialysis for kidney patients, says its expertise working with very sick patients can help hospitals expand into wellness and prevention.

Queue Listen Now

A nurse at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco protests lack of Ebola preparedness in October. The issue will be the focus of national demonstrations Wednesday.

California Nurses Say They'll Strike, Without Talking Wages

1:24pm November 10, 2014

by April Dembosky

Wages and benefits are usually the big sticking points in labor negotiations. But so far both sides are focusing on things like Ebola preparedness, separating patient care from economics.

Ebola patient Amber Vinson arrived by ambulance at Emory University Hospital on Oct. 15. Now healthy, Vinson was discharged from the hospital Tuesday.

Emory Hospital Shares Lessons Learned On Ebola Care

11:56pm October 29, 2014

by Jim Burress

The same Atlanta hospital that treated the first U.S. Ebola patient in August discharged its fourth patient Tuesday. All survived. Patients in isolation need extra emotional support, the team says.

Queue Listen Now

For Hospitals, Doing More On Ebola May Mean Less Elsewhere

6:50pm October 24, 2014

by Alison Bruzek

The majority of hospitals are training their staff to care for Ebola patients, a survey finds. But infection control specialists say that can mean losing the capacity to handle more common infections.

A lone Mayo Clinic wheelchair sits on the Cascade Creek walking trail near Kutzky Park in Rochester, Minn.

In Minnesota, Abandoned Wheelchairs Are Just Part Of The Landscape

3:20pm October 24, 2014

by Elizabeth Baier

If you live in Rochester, Minn., you'll get used to seeing wheelchairs left in odd places. The city is home to the Mayo Clinic, after all. But some of those wheelchairs venture far afield indeed.