Category: NPR

Trump Administration To Overhaul A Program Designed To Save Medicare Money

The federal government will overhaul accountable care organizations, an Obama-era innovation. The change could lead to a dramatic decrease in hospitals and doctors participating in the program.

Sending Letters About Their Patients’ Overdoses Changes Doctors’ Prescribing Habits

Many doctors never find out when a patient dies from an overdose. A new study shows that when find out, it can alter the way they prescribe addictive drugs.

Medicaid Officials Target Home Health Aides’ Union Dues

The Trump administration has proposed a rule that would prohibit some home health workers from having union dues deducted from their paychecks. The rule would likely undercut unions’ power, all agree.

Pregnancy Debate Revisited: To Induce Labor, Or Not?

Young women with simple pregnancies can safely ask a doctor to induce labor, a study finds. It doesn’t increase their risk of needing a C-section after all, and can even offer potential benefits.

Ohio Medicaid Pushes For More Transparency In Prescription Drug Plans

CVS Caremark is suing Ohio Medicaid officials to block release of a report the agency commissioned to show how the pharmacy benefit manager does business, and ultimately how drug prices are set.

States Question Costs Of Middlemen That Manage Medicaid Drug Benefits

Companies that negotiate drug prices for insurance plans keep a big cut of the money. In Ohio, a battle is brewing over whether their services are worth the cost.

‘Dear Doctor’ Letters Use Peer Pressure, Government Warning To Stop Overprescribing

Researchers found that a simple letter to doctors, focusing on their high prescribing rates, reduced their tendency to give risky antipsychotic drugs to their patients, including some with dementia.

Doctors With Disabilities Push For Culture Change In Medicine

Disabled Americans working in medicine are speaking up about their role in the profession. Not only can they can they perform the work of doctors, they offer a level of empathy others may lack.

How One Family’s Fight With Epilepsy Led To The First Marijuana-Based Pharmaceutical

Sam Vogelstein used to suffer a hundred seizures a day. Then he tried a marijuana-based drug that wasn’t available in the U.S. It stopped his seizures and has just been approved by the FDA.

How One Family’s Fight With Epilepsy Led To The First Marijuana-Based Pharmaceutical

Sam Vogelstein used to suffer a hundred seizures a day. Then he tried a marijuana-based drug that wasn’t available in the U.S. It stopped his seizures and has just been approved by the FDA.