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October 3, 2012 KHNJust before new penalties kicked in for hospitals that readmit too many Medicare patients, the government discovered that the data it used to were out of date. The changes from the error are tiny, amounting on average to a fraction of a percent for most of the affected hospitals.

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October 3, 2012 CPRThe federal government wants hospitals to take responsibility for discharged patients to make sure they are not admitted again within 30 days. Medicare will penalize hospitals with many repeat admissions, but some think putting this whole burden on hospitals is not fair.

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October 1, 2012 KHNMedicare is withholding 1 percent of its regular hospital payments to fund bonuses for hospitals that score well on quality tests. Separately, Medicare will penalize hospitals that have higher than expected readmission rates.

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August 24, 2012 KUHFHuman breast milk has health benefits for infants, but many mothers can't nurse their babies. Donor milk banks in some hospitals are looking to improve infant health by distributing breast milk donated by other nursing mothers.

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August 21, 2012 KHNWellPoint ranked last in overall favorability and in the "dealing with hospitals" category. Cigna was No. 1 in overall favorability while Aetna scored best in the dealing with hospitals category.

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August 13, 2012 KHNNearly one in five Medicare beneficiaries is readmitted within a month, and a new effort under the Affordable Care Act wants to change that by penalizing hospitals with high readmission rates. But hospitals say it will be counterproductive.

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August 6, 2012 If the London Olympics opening ceremony's tribute to the National Health Service is any indication, Brits are pleased with their health care system. But what would greet an American at a hospital in the U.K.?

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August 3, 2012 WVTFOver the next few years, the Affordable Care Act will probably boost demand for nurses to take care of the newly insured. But with many nursing faculty retiring, and not enough in the pipeline, nursing schools will have a challenge training the next generation of nurses.

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July 24, 2012 KHNAs Medicare prepares to start punishing hospitals with higher than expected readmission rates, new government data show that some hospitals with high readmissions are doing a better job than most in keeping Medicare patients alive.

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July 23, 2012 KHNChild life specialists can minimize the trauma caused by a hospital stay. They're also costly, but experts says they help doctors be more efficient and can pay dividends far into the future for a sick child.

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July 23, 2012 Health coaches, part of the newly emerging field of wellness, provide an extra push when patients need help kicking unhealthy habits. In recent years, rising health care costs for obesity-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes have made health coaches a popular medical resource.

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June 27, 2012 KHNThe Treasury Department has proposed restrictions on debt collectors, required under the 2010 federal health law, to protect patients at nonprofit hospitals. A Supreme Court ruling that strikes down the entire law would scotch the new rules.

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June 26, 2012 KHNWalk-in clinics are getting traction with consumers, hospitals and retailers. A visit to a clinic costs less than one to the doctor or hospital emergency room. And the clinics present less of a hassle.

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June 25, 2012 KQEDKaiser Permanente is often cited as an example of a health maintenance organization that keeps costs reined in. In fact, portions of the Affordable Care Act were crafted with the Kaiser model in mind. But critics say the price gap between Kaiser and other insurance companies has narrowed, and the reasons are unclear.

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June 6, 2012 KHNMove over restaurants. Now hospitals are getting letter grades based on their patient safety performance from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that's looking to improve the quality and safety of health care.

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