Brett Kelman

Author's posts

‘It Was a Bloodbath’: Rare Dialysis Complication Can Kill, and More Could Be Done To Stop It

A venous needle dislodgment is a rare dialysis complication that can kill a patient in minutes. Some experts worry those who treat themselves at home are at increased risk.

Doctor Lands in the Doghouse After Giving Covid Vaccine Waivers Too Freely

Richard Coble issued vaccine waivers to patients in at least three states without examining them. He was exposed by a Nashville TV station that bought a waiver for a Labrador retriever named Charlie.

ERs staffed by private equity firms aim to cut costs by hiring fewer doctors

Increasingly, private equity firms shape staffing decisions at hospital emergency rooms, research shows. One apparent effect: Hiring fewer doctors and more health care practitioners who earn far less.

Doctors Rush to Use Supreme Court Ruling to Escape Opioid Charges

After a unanimous ruling from the high court, doctors who are accused of writing irresponsible prescriptions can go to trial with a new defense: It wasn’t on purpose.

They Lost Medicaid When Paperwork Was Sent to an Empty Field, Signaling the Mess to Come

Tennessee expects to soon disenroll about 300,000 people from its Medicaid program. But families like the Lesters have suffered when bureaucracy and clerical mistakes caused them to unfairly lose coverage under the same program.

They lost Medicaid when paperwork was sent to a pasture, signaling the mess to come

Tennessee expects to soon disenroll about 300,000 people from Medicaid. But families like the Lesters have been entangled in bureaucracy and clerical mistakes, causing them to unfairly lose coverage.

Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia Is Killing Patients. Yet There Is a Simple Way to Stop It.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia not tied to ventilators is one of the most common infections that strike within health care facilities. But few hospitals take steps to prevent it, which can be as simple as dutifully brushing patients’ teeth.

Widely Used Hospital Gowns Show Signs of Exposing Workers to Infection

Isolation gowns are supposed to protect health care workers from splattered bodily fluids. But new studies suggest that too much liquid seeps through some disposable gowns, creating a risk of infection.

This Rural, Red Southern County Was a Vaccine Success Story. Not Anymore.

Meigs County in Tennessee reported one of the highest covid-19 vaccination rates in the South for much of the past year. But those reports were wrong because of a data error that has surfaced in other states as well.

Tennessee nurse convicted in lethal drug error sentenced to three years probation

RaDonda Vaught’s prosecution was widely condemned by nurses, who said it set a dangerous precedent that would worsen the nursing shortage and make them less forthcoming about admitting mistakes.