The Case of the Two Grace Elliotts: A Medical Billing Mystery
By Mark Kreidler
A health system charged a woman for a shoulder replacement at a hospital across the country that she had not visited for years. She didn’t receive the care, but she did receive the bill — and the medical records of a stranger.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Tuesday’s roundup covers gun injuries and laws, psychedelic drugs, covid, RSV and flu cases, vaccines, medical shortages, Medicare, and more.
Medicare Pay Cuts Will Hurt Seniors’ Care, Doctors Argue
By Michael McAuliff
New reductions in Medicare payments in 2023 will drive more doctors away from accepting Medicare patients, physicians say. They are again pushing back on efforts largely designed to control government spending.
Inside a Children’s Hospital: Struggling to Cope With a Surge of Respiratory Illness
By Kate Wells, Michigan Public
Pediatric cases of RSV and flu have families crowding into ERs, as health systems juggle staff shortages. In Michigan, only 10 out of 130 hospitals have a pediatric ICU.
The Official Who Investigates Suspicious Deaths in Your Town May Be a Doctor — Or Not
By Samantha Young
Across the country, there are no consistent requirements for the officials who investigate suspicious and unexpected deaths. Some have no medical training, others are doctors trained in forensic pathology. Washington, California, Illinois, and Georgia are among the states that have recently attempted to make changes — with mixed success.
Daily Edition for Monday, December 19, 2022
Monday’s roundup covers hospital staff and bed shortages, covid, RSV and flu cases, boosters, housing, Medicare, immigrant health, and more.
A Montana Addiction Clinic Wants to Motivate People With Rewards. Then Came a Medicaid Fraud Probe.
By Katheryn Houghton
A complaint was filed with the state against an addiction treatment provider that wants to use rewards — an effective but largely unregulated tool — to help people stay in recovery.
HIV Outbreak Persists as Officials Push Back Against Containment Efforts
By Taylor Sisk
Research shows offering clean syringes to people who misuse IV drugs is effective in combating the spread of HIV. But an epidemiologist and advocates say state and local officials in West Virginia, home to one of the worst HIV outbreaks in recent years, have taken measures that render syringe exchange less accessible.
Daily Edition for Friday, December 16, 2022
Friday’s roundup covers rising the covid surge, flu shots, college health fees, vaccine mandate, reproductive health, understaffing, and more.
Is Legislation to Safeguard Americans Against Superbugs a Boondoggle or Breakthrough?
By Liz Szabo and Arthur Allen
While supporters cheer the PASTEUR Act as an essential strategy to stem the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, critics call it a multibillion-dollar giveaway to Big Pharma.
