Last interview with a doctor who fought for the right-to-die. Young doctors are turning away from careers in primary care. A solo practice sells out to the local hospital.
Besides their convenience, urgent care centers attract patients because their fees at least half those charged at a hospital ERs. Those lower fees have drawn the attention of hospitals and insurers — both of which increasingly see the facilities as a way to hold down costs and boost their bottom lines.
As health-care costs spiral ever upward, hospitals race to build free-standing emergency rooms and expand existing ERs. Hospitals say it makes business sense, but critics say the hospital arms race is too costly for businesses, government and families.
In-store medical clinics like those at Walmart – having established a beachhead with relatively healthy patients looking for convenient, low-cost care for simple problems – are eyeing a bigger prize, the millions of Americans with costly illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.
Walmart — the nation’s largest retailer and biggest private employer — wants to begin to offer a range of primary care services including basic prevention to management of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Komen for the Cure and possible link between breast cancer and BPA. Steering ER regulars to primary care. And health reform will bring a surge in Medicaid patients–which states ready?
UW Medicine’s latest Neighborhood Clinic will open in Ravenna across the street from University Village. Open House, Saturday, October 1st. Doors open, Monday, October 3rd.
Medicaid officials in Washington state are so concerned by hospitals’ ER marketing that they have issued rules making it harder for hospitals to qualify for Medicaid bonus payments if they promote their ER for primary care.
Can school-based clinics undermine the parent-child relationships and interfere with the child’s relationship with his or her primary care provider?
Under this model, primary care doctors manage all of the patient’s care and coordinate with specialists to improve quality and reduce costs.
Facility located at 1000 Auburn Way S open Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 8:00pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Fewer than half of primary care physicians for adults talk to their patients about diet, exercise and weight management consistently.
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
View Calendar
✔ Subscribe
Add to Google
Seattle Times Health News
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.
Recent Comments