Nearly a year after Montana began receiving millions of dollars to invest in efforts to combat the opioid crisis, much of that money remains untouched. Meanwhile, the state’s opioid overdose and death…
Category: Health Industry
Being Black and Pregnant in the Deep South Can Be a Dangerous Combination
O’laysha Davis was a few weeks shy of her due date when in mid-August she decided it was time to switch doctors. Davis had planned to give birth at a small community…
The CDC Lacks a Rural Focus. Researchers Hope a Newly Funded Office Will Help.
In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published multiple reports analyzing health disparities between rural and urban populations. That effort pleased researchers and advocates for improving rural health because the…
People With Down Syndrome Are Living Longer, but the Health System Still Treats Many as Kids
MONTROSE, Mo. — It took Samantha Lesmeister’s family four months to find a medical professional who could see that she was struggling with something more than her Down syndrome. The young woman,…
Feds Launch Criminal Investigation Into ‘AGGA’ Dental Device and Its Inventor
Federal prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance, or “AGGA” dental device, following a recent KFF Health News-CBS News investigation, according to a motion filed in federal…
Some Addiction Treatment Centers Turn Big Profits by Scaling Back Care
Near the end of his scheduled three-month stay at a rehab center outside Austin, Texas, Daniel McKegney was forced to tell his father in North Carolina that he needed more time and…
Government Lets Health Plans That Ripped Off Medicare Keep the Money
Medicare Advantage plans for seniors dodged a major financial bullet Monday as government officials gave them a reprieve for returning hundreds of millions of dollars or more in government overpayments — some…
Luring Out-of-State Professionals Is Just the First Step in Solving Montana’s Health Worker Shortage
Jenna Eisenhart spent nearly six years as a licensed therapist in Colorado before deciding to move to a place with a greater need for her services. She researched rural states facing a…
A $30 Million Gift to Build an Addiction Treatment Center. Then Staffers Had to Run It.
DECATUR, Ill. — The question came out of the blue, or so it seemed to Crossing Healthcare CEO Tanya Andricks: If you had $30 million to design an addiction treatment facility, how…
Hospitals’ Use of Volunteer Staff Runs Risk of Skirting Labor Laws, Experts Say
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. — Most of the 30 volunteers who work at the 130-bed, for-profit East Cooper Medical Center spend their days assisting surgical patients — the scope of their duties extending…
Behavioral Telehealth Loses Momentum Without a Regulatory Boost
Controlled substances became a little less controlled during the pandemic. That benefited both patients (for their health) and telehealth startups (to make money). Some potentially addictive medications — like buprenorphine and Adderall…