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Health Inc. : Shots - Health News As spending on care rises, the business of health keeps getting more important. We feature news on and analysis of drugmakers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors and others in the business of providing health care.

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Health News From NPR

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Thursday February 28, 2013

New York Medical School Widens Nontraditional Path For Admissions

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New York Medical School Widens Nontraditional Path For Admissions

February 28, 2013 • The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is making it easier for more nontraditional students to become doctors. Applicants don't have to have taken the standard admissions test or a full slate of premed classes to be considered. The school's leadership hopes the move will foster greater diversity.

Tuesday February 26, 2013

Women To See Higher Prices For Long-Term Care Insurance

Rates for female applicants could be up to 40 percent higher under Genworth Financial's new pricing policy. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

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Women To See Higher Prices For Long-Term Care Insurance

KFF Health News

February 26, 2013 • Rates for female applicants could be up to 40 percent higher under the new pricing policy from Genworth Financial, the country's largest long-term care insurer. The company says women account for two out of every three dollars spent on claims.

Tuesday February 19, 2013

Why The Hospital Wants The Pharmacist To Be Your Coach

Walgreens is one of several pharmacies that have partnered with hospitals to help manage patients after they've returned home. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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Why The Hospital Wants The Pharmacist To Be Your Coach

CPR News

February 19, 2013 • Hospitals are partnering with pharmacies to keep discharged patients from returning too soon. Walgreens, for one, is helping hospitals to manage patients' medications after they go home.

Why The Hospital Wants The Pharmacist To Be Your Coach

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Thursday February 14, 2013

Would You Open Your Checkbook For Science?

Car commercial? Nope. Jessica Richman, Zachary Apte (center) and William Ludington are looking to the crowd for money to fund uBiome, which will sequence the genetic code of microbes that live on and inside humans. Courtesy of uBiome hide caption

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Courtesy of uBiome

Health Inc.

Would You Open Your Checkbook For Science?

February 14, 2013 • Crowd funding has proved popular for bands raising money to produce a new album and for producers of documentary films. Now scientists are getting into the act, and some are raising money from the very people they're studying.

Wednesday February 13, 2013

Report: Action Needed To Wipe Out Fake And Substandard Drugs

Shoppers buy smuggled counterfeit drugs at the Adjame market in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in 2007. Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Issouf Sanogo/AFP/Getty Images

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Report: Action Needed To Wipe Out Fake And Substandard Drugs

February 13, 2013 • Contaminated and counterfeit drugs can be more profitable than illegal ones, and they're spreading. This problem is killing people around the world, including in the U.S., and hampering efforts to control diseases like tuberculosis, malaria and AIDS.

Tuesday February 12, 2013

Hospital Observation Units Fill Gaps, But Patients May Foot The Bill

About a third of U.S. hospitals have an observation unit, and most hospitals will eventually have one, the industry predicts. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Hospital Observation Units Fill Gaps, But Patients May Foot The Bill

KFF Health News

February 12, 2013 • In some cases, "observation" may be no more than a billing designation that allows hospitals to move patients out of crowded emergency departments. Hospitals also may use them to avoid potential insurance reimbursement problems.

Friday February 1, 2013

Lesson Learned: A Curb On Drugmakers' Gifts To Medical Students

A package of microwave popcorn promoting Johnson & Johnson's antipsychotic drug Invega back in 2008 would have been a no-no at many medical schools. Nurse Ratched's Place hide caption

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Nurse Ratched's Place

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Lesson Learned: A Curb On Drugmakers' Gifts To Medical Students

February 1, 2013 • Most medical schools have cut down on student interactions with the pharmaceutical industry by restricting gifts, which can reduce the prescribing of newly marketed drugs in favor of cheaper options.

Tuesday January 15, 2013

These Are The Tweets That Will Get A Doctor In Trouble

What's up, doc? How would you feel if your doctor shared a picture like this one? Dr. Ryan Greysen hide caption

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Dr. Ryan Greysen

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These Are The Tweets That Will Get A Doctor In Trouble

January 15, 2013 • The boards that license and discipline doctors are watching what they post online. Guaranteed cancer cures and photos of drunken debauchery are definite no-nos. A picture of a doctor holding a drink at an office party might raise an eyebrow but probably wouldn't trigger an investigation.

Thursday January 10, 2013

Wake-Up Call: FDA Pushes Drugmakers To Weaken Sleeping Pills

Tim Boyle/Getty Images

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Wake-Up Call: FDA Pushes Drugmakers To Weaken Sleeping Pills

January 10, 2013 • The active ingredient in many sleep aid medications like Ambien stays in the body longer than had been thought, which could leave people drowsy the next day. So the Food and Drug Administration is ordering pharmaceutical companies to change the labeling on drugs containing the ingredient zolpidem.

Wake-Up Call: FDA Pushes Drugmakers To Weaken Sleeping Pills

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Tuesday December 11, 2012

How A Health Insurer's Overpayment Can Become Your Problem

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How A Health Insurer's Overpayment Can Become Your Problem

KFF Health News

December 11, 2012 • Health insurers sometimes pay too much to a doctor or hospital for services rendered. When insurers look to get their money back, patients may be surprised to get stuck with the bills.

Wednesday November 21, 2012

Patients With Online Access To Doctors May Make More Office Visits

New research suggests that doctors who communicate online with their patients may not see a drop in office visits. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Patients With Online Access To Doctors May Make More Office Visits

CPR News

November 21, 2012 • Previous research has found that patients with online access to their doctors made fewer trips to the doctor's office. But a large, just-published study shows just the opposite: Patients who can email their physicians may schedule more visits.

Patients With Online Access To Doctors May Make More Office Visits

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Thursday November 8, 2012

Hospitals Gamble On Urgent Care Clinics To Keep Patients Healthy

Dr. Wanda Simmons-Clemmons examines Dawn Antonelli at the PromptCare urgent care clinic. Jenny Gold for NPR hide caption

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Jenny Gold for NPR

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Hospitals Gamble On Urgent Care Clinics To Keep Patients Healthy

KFF Health News

November 8, 2012 • Urgent care clinics are part of a growth strategy for some hospital chains. But some analysts wonder if hospitals will be able to provide good customer service at the clinics.

Hospitals Gamble On Urgent Care Clinics To Keep Patients Healthy

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Tuesday September 25, 2012

Insurance Picks At Work Will Cost You More

It will take a bigger money pile to pay for your health insurance again. Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Andrei Tchernov/iStockphoto.com

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Insurance Picks At Work Will Cost You More

KFF Health News

September 25, 2012 • Health premiums are going up for 2013, though not quite as much as in 2012. Even so, the tab will likely be bigger for most people who get health coverage at work. Employers are asking workers to shoulder a bigger portion of the costs.

Tuesday September 18, 2012

Nursing Homes' Arbitration Agreements Can Contain Hidden Risks

The agreements offered by many nursing homes can result in higher fees and smaller awards in the case of a dispute. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Nursing Homes' Arbitration Agreements Can Contain Hidden Risks

KFF Health News

September 18, 2012 • Consumer advocates say people who sign the agreements pay higher fees and may get smaller awards than they would if the case were to go to court.

Wednesday September 12, 2012

How Cheap Can Lipitor Get? Try Free

Generic versions of Lipitor, like these made by Watson Pharmaceuticals, are now free at some retailers, as long as you have a prescription. Bill Gallery/AP hide caption

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Bill Gallery/AP

Health Inc.

How Cheap Can Lipitor Get? Try Free

September 12, 2012 • Some grocery chains are now offering free atorvastatin, the generic version of Lipitor, at their pharmacies. The cholesterol drug requires a prescription, but now you don't need insurance or cash to get the pills.

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