Dr. Eduardo Ibarra checks the blood pressure of Carmen Garcia Lavoy in the Toa Baja area of Puerto Rico. He's been making house calls in the area with nurse Erika Rodriguez. Jason Beaubien/NPR hide caption

Dr. Ruth Berggren stands outside Charity Hospital in New Orleans in 2005, where she had earlier cared for patients during Hurricane Katrina. Cheryl Gerber/AP hide caption

Across the state of Maine, the number of prescriptions for painkillers is dropping. But some patients who have chronic pain say they need high doses of the medication to be able to function. Fanatic Studio/Getty Images hide caption

While doctors and nurses have an ethical duty to treat all patients, they are not immune to feelings of dread when it comes to patients who are hateful or belligerent. A well-known article from the 1970s spoke to this. Sally Elford/Getty Images hide caption

Valeant Pharmaceuticals, based in Bridgewater Township, N.J., bought two specialty heart drugs used in emergency treatment from Marathon Pharmaceuticals in 2015, and then dramatically increased each drug's price. Ron Antonelli/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

Dr. Kurt Newman visits with 14-year-old Jack Pessaud, who's undergoing treatment for a cancerous tumor in his knee at Children's National Health System in Washington, D.C. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

Calls for tort reform in regards to medical malpractice are popular on the campaign trail. But research shows that costs from medical liability make up just 2 to 2.5 percent of total health care spending in the U.S. FangXiaNuo/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

Dr. Vanessa Grubbs and Robert Phillips at their wedding in August 2005. Just a few months earlier, when his kidneys were failing, she gave him one of hers. Courtesy of Vanessa Grubbs hide caption

In theory, "direct primary care" should result in better health for patients and lower health care costs overall. But some analysts say that approach just encourages the worried well to get more care than they need. BraunS /Getty Images hide caption

A 4-year-old regulation in New York state requires doctors and hospitals to treat sepsis using a protocol that some researchers now question. Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption

The good old reflex hammer (like this Taylor model) might seem like an outdated medical device, but its role in diagnosing disease is still as important as ever. Meredith Rizzo/NPR hide caption

As baby boomers age, more older Americans are visiting the emergency room, which can be an overcrowded, disorienting and even traumatic place. Heidi de Marco/Kaiser Health News hide caption

Medicine and maternity can make for an uneasy mix, female physicians report. Juanmonino/Getty Images/iStockphoto hide caption