NPR Health Blog

Doctors Group Tells Patients To Go For Cheaper, High-Value Treatments

Patients can often skip expensive treatments for simpler, cheaper alternatives. That's the gist of a new campaign from the American College of Physicians. But they've got to convince not just patients, but doctors, too. Read More...

Published Thu, Apr 19 2012 2:05 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Feds Propose To Scrutinize Health Insurers' Big Rate Hikes

Federal officials are pushing ahead with new rules that would let them weigh in on whether a health insurance company’s proposed premium increases are reasonable. Read More...

Published Tue, Dec 21 2010 11:55 AM by NPR Blogs: Shots - Health News Blog

CDC Says Helmets Are No Match For Tornadoes, But They Might Not Hurt

Last year, tornadoes claimed the lives of more than 500 people in the U.S. Some safety advocates say protecting your head with a sturdy helmet could help reduce injuries and deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's unaware...

Published Thu, May 03 2012 10:40 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Embattled Hospital Debt Collector Taps Politicians For Defense

Accretive Health, under fire for how it collects on health care debts, is fighting back. The company has lined up some political luminaries, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to press its case. Read More...

Published Thu, May 17 2012 7:35 AM by Shots - Health Blog

Bail Granted For Indiana Woman Charged In Attempted Feticide

A state court in Indianapolis granted a Chinese immigrant $50,000 bond in a case that has mobilized advocates for women's rights and abortion rights nationwide. The case could set a precedent for the prosecution of pregnant women whose infants die...

Published Fri, May 18 2012 1:16 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Your Stories Of Being Sick Inside The U.S. Health Care System

Our call-out on Facebook for people to share their experiences of the health care system yielded close to 1,000 responses. From Oregon to Florida, respondents told wrenching tales of bankruptcies, medical errors, and treatment delayed or foregone because...

Published Mon, May 21 2012 2:00 AM by Shots - Health Blog

All Routine PSA Tests For Prostate Cancer Should End, Task Force Says

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says the testing doesn't save enough lives to justify the risk of unnecessary surgery and radiation. But one testing supporter says, "If all PSA screening were to stop, there would be thousands of men who...

Published Mon, May 21 2012 5:20 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Woman Charged In Death Of Fetus Is Out Of Jail

Shuai, a Chinese immigrant who lives in Indiana, is still facing charges of murder and feticide following a failed suicide attempt in Dec. 2010, when she was 33 weeks pregnant. Read More...

Published Tue, May 22 2012 2:19 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Will Men And Their Doctors Change Course On PSA Tests?

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said the harms, such as false alarms and unnecessary surgeries that leave some men impotent and incontinent, outweigh the benefits of routine PSA blood testing for prostate cancer. But it's far from clear that...

Published Wed, May 23 2012 12:33 PM by Shots - Health Blog

Tap The Internet For Help Estimating Health Prices

By Scott Hensley Figuring out ahead of time what a particular medical procedure will cost is one of the most intractable of problems for consumers. Fire up your computer for help navigating health costs. (iStockphoto.com) (iStockphoto.com) --> Hunting...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 7:06 AM by NPR Blogs: NPR Health

Filed under: Insurance, Costs

Ghost in the Brain: An 'Apparition Hemorrhage'

By Richard Knox When EMTs brought the 68-year-old man to the Boston hospital, he was in a deep coma. Suspecting a brain hemorrhage, doctors ordered a CT scan and were startled by what they saw. The New England Journal of Medicine reproduces the picture...

Published Wed, Oct 28 2009 3:02 PM by NPR Blogs: NPR Health

Filed under: Radiology

Name Changer Is Rarely A Game Changer, Madame Speaker

By Ron Elving Down in Florida this week, visiting with seniors in a place called Sunrise, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi adopted a shiny new name for the "public option" -- the issue on which hangs the fate of the health care overhaul. She called...

Published Thu, Oct 29 2009 9:34 AM by NPR Blogs: NPR Health

Filed under: Health Overhaul

House Health Bill Could Swell With Expected Amendment

By Mary Agnes Carey If the 1,190-page health bill trotted out Thursday isn't hefty enough for you, just wait a little while. There's more material on the way. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt warns there could be surprises in an amendment to the...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 6:44 AM by NPR Blogs: NPR Health

Filed under: Health Overhaul, Congressional activity

Of Flu And Surgeons General

By Joanne Silberner You may not have noticed, but we've been having an H1N1 epidemic without America's Top Doctor. Will Benjamin use the bully pulpit on swine flu? (Charles Dharapak/AP ) (Charles Dharapak/AP/) --> That may change soon. The...

Published Fri, Oct 30 2009 3:05 PM by NPR Blogs: NPR Health

Filed under: Swine Flu (H1N1)

Pneumonia Leads Global Scourges In Kids

By Maggie Mertens With all the attention on the danger malaria and HIV/AIDS pose for kids around the globe, you might be surprised to learn that pneumonia kills more than 2 million children worldwide each year--more than any other disease. A woman holds...

Published Mon, Nov 02 2009 1:20 PM by NPR Blogs: NPR Health

Filed under: Public Health, Infectious disease, Children

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