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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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Friday July 29, 2011

How A Debt Stalemate Could Squeeze Health System

U.S. Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-IL) is surrounded by reporters at the Capitol Friday after a briefing on the debt ceiling. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

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How A Debt Stalemate Could Squeeze Health System

KFF Health News

July 29, 2011 • If an impasse were to drag on for more than a few weeks, health care providers could be unable to pay their staffs or even face insolvency, say health care experts and former government officials.

Tuesday July 26, 2011

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Bad Economy May Be Leading To Less Surgery

July 26, 2011 • HCA Holdings, the biggest for-profit hospital chain in the U.S., reported lower earnings than expected in the latest quarter due mainly to a decline in surgical cases.

Thursday July 21, 2011

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Hospice Companies Zero In On Nursing Home Patients

KFF Health News

July 21, 2011 • A federal audit finds Medicare spending on hospice care for patients in nursing homes increased by 69 percent to $4.9 billion over just four years. Much of the increase was due to longer duration of hospice care in nursing homes compared with services provided at home.

Tuesday July 5, 2011

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Managed Care Creeps Into The Doctor's Office

KFF Health News

July 5, 2011 • Managed care companies are getting into the business of running physician groups to keep costs down. And hospitals, physician groups and Wall Street investors are eying doctors who practice cheaper health care.

Monday June 27, 2011

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Study: Doctors More Likely To Drop Private Insurance Than Medicare

June 27, 2011 • Results from a national survey of doctors found they were less likely to take new patients with private insurance than those covered by Medicare. The unexpected finding surprised researchers.

Thursday June 23, 2011

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High Court Rules For Drugmakers In Two Cases

June 23, 2011 • In a 6-3 decision, the court lowered the boom on a Vermont law that requires doctors to agree ahead of time for data on prescriptions they write to be used for marketing by drugmakers. Another decision by the justices protects generic drugmakers from lawsuits.

Wednesday June 15, 2011

Outpatient Medical Errors May Surpass Those In Hospitals

Nearly $1.3 billion was paid in malpractice claims for outpatient events in 2009. Mark Winfrey (EyeMark)/iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Mark Winfrey (EyeMark)/iStockphoto.com

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Outpatient Medical Errors May Surpass Those In Hospitals

June 15, 2011 • High rates of malpractice in hospital settings have been well-known for more than a decade. But a new study says that malpractice claims from outpatient care accounted for more than half of all malpractice payouts in 2009, the last year studied.

Tuesday June 7, 2011

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Health Insurance Brokers Fight For Relevance

KFF Health News

June 7, 2011 • Insurance brokers are waging a campaign to exclude the sales commissions insurers pay them from the companies' administrative expenses. Though that battle may sound arcane, there's big money at stake for consumers.

Friday May 27, 2011

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Curbs On Ads For New Drugs Could Be A Mixed Bag

May 27, 2011 • The value of a moratorium on consumer ads for new drugs would hinge on whether a reduction in unexpected side effects outweighed lost health benefits from reduced use of effective medicines, a Congressional Budget Office report says.

Tuesday May 24, 2011

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Why Some Workplace Clinics Charge Different Rates For Identical Services

KFF Health News

May 24, 2011 • Some employers have concluded that employees enrolled in high-deductible health plans that are linked to a health savings account can't be given the same price break on workplace clinic services that their coworkers in regular PPOs and HMOs receive.

Thursday May 19, 2011

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Big Pharma's Golden Age Leads To Generics Windfall

May 19, 2011 • Patents are expiring on medicines launched during the 1990s, triggering a wave of new generic drugs. These days most prescriptions are filled with generics, which can save consumers on copays or the amount those without insurance have to pay out of their own pocket.

Big Pharma's Golden Age Leads To Generics Windfall

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Friday May 13, 2011

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Probes Of Sketchy Drug Sales Nearing Settlement

May 13, 2011 • Securities filings by Google and Johnson & Johnson earlier this week revealed details about government probes related to the marketing of prescription drugs. Settlements of the allegations are said to be near.

Wednesday May 11, 2011

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You Really Are Paying A Lot More For Health Care

May 11, 2011 • Even though the rate of health cost inflation slowed last year, it's still far greater than inflation. Increased spending on outpatient care is a big factor.

Audit Finds Widespread Use Of Antipsychotic Drugs In Nursing Homes

Seroquel, made by AstraZeneca, was the most prescribed of the atypical antipsychotics scrutinized in a federal audit of nursing home claims. Anonymous/AP hide caption

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Anonymous/AP

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Audit Finds Widespread Use Of Antipsychotic Drugs In Nursing Homes

May 11, 2011 • About 14 percent of elderly nursing homes residents receive a so-called atypical antipsychotic medicine despite an increased risk of death when the medicines are used to manage dementia in older people.

Tuesday May 10, 2011

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Federal Judge Acquits Ex-Glaxo Lawyer Before Defense Even Starts

May 10, 2011 • The federal government alleged that Lauren Stevens, once an in-house lawyer, had obstructed an Food and Drug Administration investigation into Glaxo's marketing of the antidepressant Wellbutrin as a weight-loss aid. A federal judge acquitted her before the defense called a witness.

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