Medical Treatments

When The Cost Of Care Triggers A Medical Deportation

4:08pm April 09, 2016

by John Henning Schumann

Hospitals are legally obligated to find suitable places to discharge patients, but their insurance status makes all the difference. Things get complicated if people have entered the country illegally.

Steve Julian, a radio host with KPCC in Los Angeles, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer last November. He and his wife, Felicia Friesema, turned to social media for solace, support and the space to process their heartbreaking journey.

Online Comfort For Real-World Cancer Can Be Surprisingly Sweet

10:10am April 08, 2016

Steve Julian is a morning anchor for KPCC-FM in Los Angeles, a playwright and a former cop. His communities are legion, and all cared deeply when he got his terminal diagnosis. How best to reach out?

Dr. Hong Jung Geun, chief surgeon at Metro Plastic Surgery Clinic in Seoul (left), performs a pro-bono scar removal procedure on a former North Korean.

How S. Korea's Plastic Surgeons Are Helping Scarred N. Korean Defectors

6:38pm April 07, 2016

by Elise Hu

Assimilating into South Korean society is rarely easy for North Korean defectors. Top plastic surgeons are volunteering their services to help minimize the scars they bear from painful, abusive pasts.

Queue Listen Now

Asafa Powell of Jamaica was barred from competition after testing positive for the stimulant oxilofrine.

Some Fat-Burning Supplements Contain Banned Stimulant Drug

9:33am April 07, 2016

by Katherine Hobson

Some supplements sold to improve workouts contain a stimulant that's been banned and may pose health risks, according to tests. The Food and Drug Administration has warned seven manufacturers.

People in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, make their way through a fumigation fog that's meant to kill the mosquito that transmits the Zika virus.

White House Says It Will Cut Ebola Funding To Address Zika

4:22pm April 06, 2016

by Rae Ellen Bichell

The Obama administration requested $1.9 billion in emergency funds to prepare for Zika, but Congress has yet to respond. Now the White House plans to divert funding intended for Ebola.

Along with the diagnosis, patients often want to talk about how much treatment will cost.

Health & Safety

Patients Miss Out On Savings When Doctors Fail To Talk About Costs

4:45pm April 04, 2016

by Shefali Luthra

Doctors aren't used to discussing financial barriers to care, and many think it's inappropriate to bring up money at all during conversations with patients.

Create Prosthetics' 3-D printers give anyone in the world access to a design operation in Lake Placid, N.Y., that, for $500, creates a personalized cover for a prosthetic device.

Fashionable Prosthetics Trade Realistic Color For Personal Pizzazz

9:16am April 02, 2016

by David Sommerstein

A firm in New York is making brightly colored, personalized covers for prosthetic legs that each wearer helps design — sort of like a tattoo.

Queue Listen Now

Dr. Alexis LaPietra (left) and Dr. Mark Rosenberg have developed a program that tries to treat emergency room patients' pain without using opioids, which pose fatal risks.

Health & Safety

No Joke: N.J. Hospital Uses Laughing Gas To Cut Down On Opioid Use

6:06am April 02, 2016

by Hansi Lo Wang

Physicians at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center say they hope treating ER patients with alternatives to opioid painkillers will serve as a model for cutting down on opioid abuse nationwide.

Queue Listen Now

"You really never know how you're going to respond to a crisis until that time happens." — Ken Kamler

When Crisis Strikes On Everest — How Do You Respond?

8:55am April 01, 2016

by NPR/TED Staff

Physician Ken Kamler describes his experience as a doctor on Mount Everest during one of its deadliest days in its history.

Queue Listen Now

Health & Safety

Doctors Grapple With When To Prescribe Opioids For Pain

2:32pm March 31, 2016

Renee Montagne talks to Dr. Sushrut Jangi, an internist at Beth Israel Hospital, who says doctors wrestle with how to help their patients with pain without contributing to drug abuse.

Queue Listen Now