Latest KFF Health News Stories
Patients Expected Profemur Artificial Hips to Last. Then They Snapped in Half.
The FDA and the manufacturer were alerted to Profemur titanium hips breaking inside U.S. patients as of 2005. It took 15 years to recall the devices. Many fractures could have been avoided.
Journalists Cover Air Quality, Tick Risks, and … Brazilian Butt Lifts?
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Shaved Costs, High Risk, Maximum Profits: Regulators Worry About Florida’s Butt Lift Boom
Social media marketing lures people to South Florida’s lucrative cosmetic surgery scene with the promise of cheap Brazilian butt lifts. But some researchers, patient advocates, and surgeon groups say that the risks of the procedure are generally not understood by prospective patients, and that an unsafe number of surgeries can be performed per day in office settings, maximizing profits.
El forense del condado de Miami-Dade ha documentado casi tres docenas de muertes de pacientes de cirugía estética desde 2009, de los cuales 26 fueron consecuencia de un levantamiento de glúteos brasileño.
Private equity firms have shelled out almost $1 trillion to acquire nearly 8,000 health care businesses, in deals almost always hidden from federal regulators. The result: higher prices, lawsuits, and complaints about care.
¿No has visto a tu médico en años? Es posible que tengas que buscar un nuevo doctor
Muchas personas han estado postergando citas médicas, en especial durante la pandemia de covid, sin saber que corren el riesgo de perder a su doctor.
At US Hospitals, a Drug Mix-Up Is Just a Few Keystrokes Away
After a Tennessee nurse killed a patient because of a drug error, the companies behind hospital medication cabinets said they’d make the devices safer. But did they?
Health Care Paradox: Medicare Penalizes Dozens of Hospitals It Also Gives Five Stars
Among the 764 hospitals hit with a 1% reduction in Medicare payments this year for having high numbers of patient infections and avoidable complications are more than three dozen that Medicare also ranks as among the best in the country.
Federal Speech Rulings May Embolden Health Care Workers to Call Out Safety Issues
Policies mandating company approval before talking publicly about conditions in hospitals have been a source of conflict over the past year, as physicians, nurses and other health workers have been disciplined for speaking or posting about what they view as dangerous covid-19 safety precautions. The appeals court’s decision could mean that hospitals — and other employers — will need to revise their policies.
Paciente de transplante muere después de recibir pulmones infectados con covid
El incidente parece ser aislado, el único caso confirmado entre casi 40,000 trasplantes realizados en 2020. Pero ha generado el pedido de que se hagan pruebas más exhaustivas a los donantes.
Organ Transplant Patient Dies After Receiving Covid-Infected Lungs
The first confirmed U.S. case of SARS-CoV-2 being transmitted through an organ transplant has prompted calls for updated transplant protocols and additional testing of samples from deep within donor lungs.
Is Your Covid Vaccine Venue Prepared to Handle Rare, Life-Threatening Reactions?
More than two dozen people who have received the new covid vaccines in U.S. hospitals and health centers suffered anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction. While such severe reactions are rare, experts warn that the drugstores and drive-thru clinics considered integral to the vaccine rollout must be prepared.
COVID Vaccines Appear Safe and Effective, but Key Questions Remain
The federal government expects vaccinations to be available to everyone who wants them by summer — though glitches are inevitable. If enough of us get vaccinated, we could wave goodbye to the pandemic in 2021.
Las vacunas de COVID parecen ser seguras y efectivas, pero todavía hay preguntas
Una encuesta publicada en diciembre mostró que el 45% de los encuestados están adoptando un enfoque de “esperar y ver qué pasa” con la vacunación.
To Free Doctors From Computers, Far-Flung Scribes Are Now Taking Notes For Them
Paid even less than low-wage doctors’ scribes in the United States, remote note takers in India gain a foothold in a rapidly expanding industry.
These Secret Safety Panels Will Pick the COVID Vaccine Winners
Data and safety monitoring boards work under a cloak of secrecy meant to prevent undue influence by stakeholders, such as companies or the government. In the Trump era, some worry the anonymity could actually invite it.
Fauci Says COVID Vaccine Trials Could End Early If Results Are Overwhelming
The nation’s top infectious disease official is confident that an independent panel will base vaccine approval on science, not politics.
Fauci dice que una vacuna contra COVID podría estar lista antes de lo esperado
El experto en enfermedades infecciosas de más alto rango en el país dice que esto podría ocurrir si los ensayos clínicos en curso producen resultados abrumadoramente positivos.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health care policy stories each week, so you don’t have to.
Los vitales cuidadores de pacientes en el hogar, ¿ahora son una amenaza?
Cientos de miles de trabajadores de salud van a los hogares de todo el país para prestar servicios vitales a las personas mayores y a los discapacitados.