On the Reporting on Health member blog, John Lister, Senior Lecturer in Health Journalism at Coventry University in the UK, writes: “A British View of the US Health Reform and US Health Journalism.” He begins by reflecting on the Association of Health Care Journalists conference he attended in Philadelphia last month: “I have to say [...]
From Kaiser Health News, Harris Meyer reports, “Under Health Law, Colonoscopies Are Free–But It Doesn’t Always Work That Way .” It’s another quirk in the Affordable Care Act. (A bigger one, which continues to evade much public scrutiny, is how coverage is based on recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force – all EXCEPT [...]
That’s what HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a Kaiser Health News – Washington Post collaboration entitled, “Helping Patients Understand Their Medical Treatment.” The scene-setting lede: “An elderly woman sent home from the hospital develops a life-threatening infection because she doesn’t understand the warning signs listed in the discharge instructions. A man flummoxed by an [...]
Want to see how journalists could/should report on new technologies? Read Laura Beil’s piece in Men’s Health this month, “The Magic Bullet for Prostate Cancer: The problem is, it’s not magic. And with a price tag of $200 million, it’s the most expensive medical device in the history of the world. Is it worth it?” [...]
Health economist Jane Sarasohn-Kahn writes: “The theory behind ‘consumer-driven health care’ is that when the health care user has more financial ‘skin in the game,’ they’ll become more informed and effective purchasers of health care for themselves and their families. That theory hasn’t translated into practice, based on data from the Employee Benefits Research Institute’s [...]
One trend that stands out from 2010 is what I call screening madness. I’m referring specifically and solely to the promotion of screening tests outside the boundaries of evidence and to the emphasis only on the benefits of screening tests with concomitant downplaying or complete disregard for the harms of screening. Why is this a [...]
I always enjoy former US Senator David Durenberger’s newsletter from the National Institute on Health Policy. I would recommend that readers of this blog subscribe to it. Durenberger was one of the Senate’s leading voices on health policy during his time on the Hill – a voice that continues to resonate with many today. So [...]
If you haven’t heard the story of newly-elected Maryland Congressman Andy Harris – who campaigned against the health care reform law – complaining about why his own congressman’s health benefits hadn’t kicked in yet – read Julie Rovner’s post on the NPR Shots blog, and see the ad she embedded from the liberal group Americans [...]
In his email newsletter, former US Senator David Durenberger, who represented Minnesota in the Senate as a Republican, again criticizes the health policy statements of current (but outgoing) Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a Republican. Far more than just an internal Minnesota squabble, the issues and the personalities at play here have impact nationally. Excerpt of [...]
ProPublica has published another blockbuster piece of investigative health journalism: “Dialysis:The High Costs and Hidden Perils of a Treatment Guaranteed to All.” In an accompanying editor’s note, we learn a little bit about how much effort went into this project: “For two years, ProPublica reporter Robin Fields prodded CMS officials to release this data under [...]
This story focuses on a family that may have a rare genetic mutation that increases their risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, the “rare” part wasn’t mentioned until 1,600 words into this 2,100 word story.
While this story adequately addressed 7 of our 10 criteria, the 3 on which it missed were significant omissions, yet could have been easily addressed.
Solid medical conference reporting, with many expert interviews and good context provided. Goes far beyond the conference presentation itself.
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