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A directive passed last November in Tulsa, Okla., raises fresh questions about the ability of patients to have their end-of-life treatment wishes honored - and whether and how a health care provider should comply with lawful requests not consistent with the provider's religious views.
Nurse practitioners - like Irene Cavall in North Carolina - are gaining support in their drive to play a larger primary care role. But the powerful AMA is waving a yellow caution flag before state regulators and legislators.
It is not clear why it's happening, but some hospice officials blame both a bad economy and Medicare rules that unintentionally discourage doctors from referring all but those who are about to die.
The federal stimulus package that sent nearly $2 billion to community health centers appears to have paid off in economic returns.
The U.S. leads the world in creating state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic treatments with the potential to work miracles for patients. But is the overuse of pricey technologies in preventive medicine driving up health care costs unnecessarily?
Kansas is going to need more doctors to meet the growing needs of an aging population, officials here say.
A group of Broward County doctors looking to switch to electronic medical records say the result has been a massive headache: surprise charges, inadequate training and even blocked access to patient files.
It is entirely reasonable for women to decide to get mammograms beginning in their forties. It is also reasonable for them to decide against it, and neither guidelines nor their physician's personal opinion
Ten years ago this month, IOM's 'To Err Is Human' cast a spotlight on the role of the nurse in keeping patients safe, a role that will become even more important under the ongoing effort to reform the health care system.
A new study says almost one out of three adults in the U.S. currently serves as a caregiver. The time and energy they put into caregiving becomes like an unpaid job.
Consumer advocates and others say it will only become harder for low-income Kansans to get medical services now that the state is cutting Medicaid payments by 10 percent.
Perhaps the political and media elite shouldn't wait for an impending presidential election to pay attention to what Iowa has to say.
When it comes to making medical care not only cheaper but also better, reducing hospital infections is among the easiest changes to make--something reform really should be able to do, even in this political universe of such limited possibility.
About 11 percent of people ages 60 and older suffer from some kind of abuse every year. But as a part of health care overhaul legislation, lawmakers are taking steps that would for the first time establish a federal beachhead in fighting such abuse.
Patients often find it difficult to base medical decisions on study results. This story comes from our partner
Devices that measure blood pressure and other health information may help the elderly and people with chronic conditions stay in touch with doctors while remaining at home. The technology could cut health spending by catching problems before they escalate into crises.
Nearly all adults who die in La Crosse, Wisconsin, have filled out "advance directives" - explicit instructions on what treatments they do and don't want at the end of life. The medical ethicist who started the program says "We believe it's part of good patient care."
The people in Southeastern Kentucky have the poorest health in the country. Yet the area is rich with medical facilities. Health reform bills are unlikely to change much: One doctor says: "We have to transform the way we take care of people."
Six years ago, Cathy Nance had to have open heart surgery. Later, she had kidney cancer. Because of poor health and inability to work, she became homeless, until she was helped by Harlan Countians for a Healthy Community.
Gerry Roll says people don't understand the health problems in southeastern Kentucky: "You can get whatever you need as far as traditional medical care goes. Yet we have the highest levels of chronic disease in the nation. So when I hear people talking about access to health care being a problem, I am livid."
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