I’m on the Baker Health Podcast
It was great fun to talk about the health care system with Dr Zeyad “Z” Baker on his podcast, so I thought I would share it here–Matthew Holt
Articles
Read More
Rural Hospitals and Patients Are Disconnected From Modern Care
EUTAW, Ala. — Leroy Walker arrived at the county hospital short of breath. Walker, 65 and with chronic high blood pressure, was brought in by one of rural Greene County’s two working ambulances. Nurses checked his heart activity with a portable electrocardiogram machine, took X-rays, and tucked him into Room 122 with an IV pump…
Slashed Federal Funding Cancels Vaccine Clinics Amid Measles Surge
More than a dozen vaccination clinics were canceled in Pima County, Arizona. So was a media blitz to bring low-income children in Washoe County, Nevada, up to date on their shots. Planned clinics were also scuttled in Texas, Minnesota, and Washington, among other places. Immunization efforts across the country were upended after the federal Centers…
This Bill Aims To Help Firefighters With Cancer. Getting It Passed Is Just the Beginning.
As firefighters battled the catastrophic blazes in Los Angeles County in January, California’s U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, signed onto legislation with a simple aim: Provide federal assistance to first responders diagnosed with service-related cancer. The Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act is considered crucial by its supporters, with climate change fueling an increase…
Federal Judge Blocks Mandate on Nursing Home Staffing
A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule to boost staffing at nursing homes, even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residents’ care. KFF Health News walked through the decision from the judge and what it could mean for nursing home staffing. This slide presentation first appeared on KFF Health News’…
For Opioid Victims, Payouts Fall Short While Governments Reap Millions
Christopher Julian’s opioid journey is familiar to many Americans. He was prescribed painkillers as a teenager for a series of sports injuries. He said the doctor never warned him they could be addictive. Julian didn’t learn that fact until years later, when he was cut off and began suffering withdrawal symptoms. At that point, he…
Bevey Miner, Consensus Cloud Solutions
Consensus is taking fax data, received by rural clinics, post acute, substance abuse clinics, home health et al, and helping them put it into their systems of records–which are in general not FHIR-enabled. They allow those facilities & services to receive referrals from acute care hospitals. By 2027 many of these standards are going to…
Public Health Risks of Urban Wildfire Smoke Prompt Push for More Monitoring
When the catastrophic Los Angeles fires broke out, John Volckens suspected firefighters and residents were breathing toxic air from the burning homes, buildings, and cars, but it was unclear how much risk the public faced. So, the professor of environmental health at Colorado State University devised a plan to get answers. Volckens shipped 10 air…
Rural Hospitals Question Whether They Can Afford Medicare Advantage Contracts
Rural hospital leaders are questioning whether they can continue to afford to do business with Medicare Advantage companies, and some say the only way to maintain services and protect patients is to end their contracts with the private insurers. Medicare Advantage plans pay hospitals lower rates than traditional Medicare, said Jason Merkley, CEO of Brookings…
Firings at Federal Health Agencies Decimate Offices That Release Public Records
Public access to government records that document the handling of illnesses, faulty products, and safety lapses at health facilities will slow after mass firings at the federal Department of Health and Human Services swept out staff members responsible for releasing records, according to transparency advocates and health experts. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s layoffs…