By Joseph Shapiro NPR – a Kaiser Health News partner July 08, 2009 Until recently, it looked like long-term care was not going to be a serious part of any potential health care overhaul. But that changed when the Obama administration this week endorsed a new government social insurance program that would help people put [...]
Health costs can bankrupt even those with insurance Seattle Times Health Reporter Kyung Song tells the story of Mark Moody and Glenda Krull, an Edmonds couple struggling to cover their health care expenses even though they are middle class and have health insurance. Moody’s case is complicated by the fact that he needs a second [...]
If you or a loved one needs nursing home care, how can you find about about the quality of various nursing homes? In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, describes a new easy-to-use Web tool called Nursing Home Compare. “The tool provides information on nursing homes that [...]
How do you find long-term care for a family member? And how do you pay for it? In this column, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, reviews your options. A nursing home isn’t the only answer, Dr. Clancy writes: often there are other services, such as adult day [...]
Families looking for a nursing home can now compare different facilities for quality using a free online service provided by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Web site, Nursing Home Compare, gives quality ratings ranging from a low of one star to a high of five stars. Five stars means the facility [...]
More than 90 percent of US nursing homes were cited for violation of federal health and safety standards last year, according to a new report. Among the violations identified were medication errors, poor nutrition, inadequate staffing, and abuse and neglect.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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