By Sarah Barr, Kaiser Health News

Imagine if finding out the cost of a particular treatment or procedure at a doctors’ office was as easy as locating the prices of entrees at a restaurant. The menu might read: school physicals – $40; office visit for a cold – $80; diabetes screening – $200. But to the dismay of some consumer advocates, this push for health care pricing transparency never made it out of the kitchen.

While a Florida state House committee approved legislation that would expand the state’s requirement that certain providers post the out-of-pocket …

By Sarah Barr

By the time newborn Freya Humenny joined her twin brother Beckett this past weekend, the calendar already had turned from 2011 to 2012. That means the twins always will have their own birthdays—but will they share an insurance statement?

The twin’s mother, Stephanie Peterson, gave birth to Beckett at 6:40 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2011,  at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, but Freya did not follow until 12:26 a.m on Jan. 1. And so after we ooh-ed and ahh-ed over the adorable pair, we had to ask: What could a case …

Temple University Health System and Fox Chase Cancer Center this week signed an Affiliation Agreement that moves both institutions closer to bringing Fox Chase Cancer Center into the Temple family – marking a major milestone for two celebrated Philadelphia institutions that will enhance cancer research and patient care in the region, both immediately and for years to come.
“Temple is proud and privileged to welcome Fox Chase Cancer Center into its family of academic researchers and clinicians,” said Ann Weaver Hart, PhD, President of Temple University.

“This bold, visionary relationship immediately establishes Temple’s …

A new Deloitte study reveals physicians are skeptical about core promises associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  Only 27 percent of physicians surveyed believe the PPACA is likely to reduce costs by increasing efficiency, and only 33 percent feel it is likely to decrease disparities.  Moreover, half say access to health care will decrease because of hospital closures that result from the law.

The report, “Physician Perspectives about Health Care Reform and the Future of the Medical Profession,” also shows that the majority of doctors (73 percent) are …

As the New Year approaches and the future of health reform hangs in the balance, The Physicians Foundation – a nonprofit organization that seeks to advance the work of practicing physicians and improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans – has identified five key areas that will impact the practice of medicine in the year ahead. The Physicians Watch List for 2012 is based on research the Foundation released earlier this year, including the 2010 Health Reform Research Study and 2011 Roadmap for Physicians to Healthcare Reform Paper.

Changing nature of medical practices. Many physicians are …

By Michelle Andrews

Medical tests can reveal critical information about a person’s health, but only if the results are communicated to clinicians and patients. Sometimes, the ball gets dropped somewhere between the lab or the radiology department and the clinician who ordered the test and the patient.

In Peggy Kidwell’s case, a mix-up over doctors’ names led to a year-long delay in a breast cancer diagnosis.

After her annual gynecological exam and mammogram several years ago at a medical center near her Virginia Beach home, she got a letter from her doctor saying …

Do you have a story about a medical bill that was higher than you expected it to be? Or a time when you wanted to know how much a medical test or treatment might cost? How about a time you figured out a way to save money while still delivering high-value care?

Costs of Care, a physician-run nonprofit based in Boston, has launched its second annual national healthcare essay contest, with the goal of expanding the public discourse on the role of doctors, nurses, and other care providers in controlling healthcare …

By Jessica Marcy

The number of emergency room visits in the U.S. rose nearly 13 million in 2009 – about 10 percent — to more than 136 million visits – which is the largest increase ever, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Statistics like this, combined with changes that will result as the 2010 health law is implemented, have led some emergency room doctors to focus on medical liability reform as a means to reduce the nation’s health care costs by discouraging the …

By Michelle Andrews

Cancer often takes a heavy toll not only on people’s bodies but on their finances as well. And just as some types of cancer are more deadly than others, some types cause more financial pain, as recent research from Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center shows.

When researchers examined bankruptcy rates in Washington state and compared them with a registry of 232,000 cancer patients there between 1995 and 2009, they found that five years after their diagnosis cancer patients were four times more …

By Shefali S. Kulkarni

Is it time to ditch the white coats and scrubs?

A recent study suggests that doctors might want to hang up their iconic white coats and long sleeves to prevent the spread of dangerous bacteria. Dr. Yonit Weiner-Well and his colleagues, sampled uniforms of 135 physicians and nurses at the Hebrew-University—Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem. They found that overall 60 percent had disease-causing bacteria, including some that were resistant to antibiotics. The study, which was published in the most …