Consumer Health Ratings Your Guide to Quality and Cost
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Who is Most At Risk for a Bad Case of Coronavirus?
by Gretchen Dahlen on July 9, 2020 at 5:09 pm
Most people know by now that the risk of severe illness from the coronavirus rises with age. But is it only the elderly who are most at risk for a bad case of coronavirus? No, it’s not. […]
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Medicare Hospital Fund Runs Out in 2026 – Or Sooner
by Gretchen Dahlen on April 24, 2020 at 1:23 am
The future of Medicare is still in jeopardy. The hospital fund, known as Part A Medicare, will be depleted by 2026 according to a new report. The annual Medicare Board of Trustees sent its 2020 […]
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Five Concepts to Fight Coronavirus
by Gretchen Dahlen on April 18, 2020 at 10:57 pm
It’s hard to believe that less than six weeks have passed since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus pandemic. We have survived the shock of hospitals as war zones, a tent […]
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Consumer Health Ratings President and CEO Appointed to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) National Advisory Council
by admin on April 18, 2020 at 9:36 pm
Gretchen M. Dahlen, president and chief executive officer of Consumer Health Ratings, has been named to the National Advisory Council for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). […]
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2020 Health Insurance Cost and Quality Ratings
by Gretchen Dahlen on September 12, 2019 at 8:29 pm
Last year, health insurance for a single person in the US private sector cost $6,715 on average. Annual open enrollment is nearly here for 2020. Now is a good time to gather your research on both […]
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The $2 Million Drug: Rare Disease Drug Prices
by Gretchen Dahlen on August 21, 2019 at 4:14 pm
The $2 million wonder drug is called Zolgensma. It’s made for infants and kids up to age 2 who have spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The rare disease is inherited. The new gene therapy drug […]
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Mourning Neil Armstrong: Healthcare’s Test Pilot
by Gretchen Dahlen on July 31, 2019 at 3:17 am
We had just finished celebrating the 50-year anniversary of man’s landing on the moon. When abruptly, troubling news appeared that famed astronaut Neil Armstrong may have died from […]
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How Fast Is the Hospital ER Near Me?
by Gretchen Dahlen on February 9, 2019 at 11:26 pm
Speed is probably the first thing you think of, if you need an Emergency Room. Should consumers be concerned about ER waiting time at their nearby hospital’s Emergency Department? Check […]
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Hacienda Board of Directors: Time to Leave?
by Gretchen Dahlen on February 1, 2019 at 6:14 pm
Based on DNA evidence, a male LPN was arrested Jan. 23 and charged with sexual assault and abuse of a vulnerable adult who resided at Hacienda HealthCare in Phoenix. He allegedly raped and […]
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How Much Does an ER Visit Cost?
by Gretchen Dahlen on January 9, 2019 at 6:00 pm
The short answer is a lot. The average cost for people visiting the Emergency Room in 2014 was $1533, up 7.7% from 2013. The median “typical” cost was $749 per person. […]
Kaiser Health News
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Children’s Hospitals Grapple With Young Covid ‘Long Haulers’
by Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, Kaiser Health News on March 3, 2021 at 10:00 am
Pediatric hospitals are creating clinics for the increasing number of children reporting lingering covid symptoms similar to those that plague some adults long after they have recovered. […]
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‘An Arm and a Leg’: Revisiting Insulin: How the Medicine Got So Expensive
by Dan Weissmann on March 2, 2021 at 10:00 am
“An Arm and a Leg” is updating a story, first reported in 2019, about how insulin got to be so expensive. The latest news is more encouraging than expected. […]
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College Tuition Sparked a Mental Health Crisis. Then the Hefty Hospital Bill Arrived.
by Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News on February 26, 2021 at 10:00 am
A student sought counseling help after feeling panicked when she had trouble paying a big tuition bill. A weeklong stay in a psychiatric hospital followed — along with a $3,413 bill. The hospital soft-pedaled its charity care policy. […]
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Medicare Cuts Payment to 774 Hospitals Over Patient Complications
by Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News on February 19, 2021 at 10:00 am
Renowned medical centers are among the quarter of general hospitals that will lose 1% of Medicare payments for one year because their patients have high rates of bedsores, sepsis and other preventable complications. […]
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Look Up Your Hospital: Is It Being Penalized By Medicare?
by Jordan Rau, Kaiser Health News on February 18, 2021 at 10:00 am
Each year, Medicare punishes hospitals that have high rates of readmissions and high rates of infections and patient injuries. Check out which hospitals have been penalized. […]