Until very recently, the separate company that runs the emergency department at Nashville General Hospital was continuing to haul patients who couldn't pay medical bills into court. Blake Farmer/WPLN hide caption
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.
Shots
Health News From NPRHealth Inc.
Wednesday
Wednesday
Lobbying by physicians and physicians' professional associations has influenced proposed legislation to curtail surprise billing. Hannah Norman/Kaiser Health News hide caption
Wednesday
Some people land in the hospital over and over. Although research suggests that giving those patients extra follow-up care from nurses and social workers won't reduce those extra hospital visits, some hospitals say the approach still saves them money in the long run. Oivind Hovland/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
Patients Want To Die At Home, But Home Hospice Care Can Be Tough On Families
Monday
Generics may not have the same cost-lowering power for specialty medicines, such as multiple sclerosis drugs, researchers find. That's true especially when other brand-name drugs are approved to treat a given disease before the first generic is approved. Gary Waters/Ikon Images/Getty Images hide caption
Tuesday
The Food And Drug Administration reviews new drugs for approval much faster than it used to, but changes in the agency's standards have drawn questions. Michael J. Ermarth/FDA hide caption
FDA Approves Drugs Faster Than Ever But Relies On Weaker Evidence, Researchers Find
Monday
Dr. John Dunlap runs a direct primary care practice in Overland Park, Kan., offering patients direct access to him by phone and longer appointment times. The model is similar to concierge medicine. Barrett Emke for NPR hide caption
'Concierge' Medicine Gets More Affordable But Is Still Not Widespread
Wednesday
Reduce Health Costs By Nurturing The Sickest? A Much-Touted Idea Disappoints
Tuesday
Martin Shkreli, former CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, appeared before the House Oversight Committee during a contentious hearing on drug pricing on Feb. 4, 2016. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
Sunday
An image of Ow Luen from his file, originally held at the USCIS, now available at the National Archives. Grant Din/National Archives hide caption
Thursday
Eliza Oliver helps her daughter, Taelyn, step down from the exam table after a wellness check at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Fort Scott, Kan. The child's doctor now has a medical scribe to takes notes. The visit this time seemed more "personal," Oliver says. Sarah Jane Tribble/Kaiser Health News hide caption
1 Year After Losing Its Hospital, A Rural Town Is Determined To Survive
Thursday
RK workers depart a bus on their way to the job site at a new airport under construction in Salt Lake City. Yuki Noguchi/NPR hide caption
A Construction Company Embraces Frank Talk About Mental Health To Reduce Suicide
Monday
Health insurers say the U.S. government owes them more than $12 billion in payments that were rescinded by a Republican-controlled Congress. The money was supposed to subsidize insurers' expected losses between 2014 and 2016. Phil Roeder/Getty Images hide caption
Wednesday
Jennifer Brooks, who had repeatedly visited the emergency room at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, was sued by Southeastern Emergency Physicians for $8,500 in unpaid medical bills. Andrea Morales/MLK50 hide caption
Thursday
Enrollment help was plentiful for insurance sign-ups in the early years of the Affordable Care Act, such as at this clinic in Bear, Del., in 2014. Though the Trump administration has since slashed the outreach budget, about 930,000 people have signed up for ACA health plans so far this year. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption