Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

Midwifery 101: Options for pregnant women

May 21, 2013

When a woman is having a baby, planning begins long before the baby is due. For many women, part of the planning process includes deciding whether to use a physician or a midwife. In Lawrence, women have the option to use certified nurse midwives or lay midwives, and to have an at-home birth or hospital birth. By Meagan Thomas

Mortality rates down at KU trauma, burn centers

May 20, 2013

Mortality rates at the Kansas University Hospital trauma and burn units are among the lowest in the country, according to figures released this week. The Burnett Burn Center's mortality index is 0.58, indicating that 42 percent of patients who would normally have died from their injuries are surviving. The KU Trauma Center, meanwhile, has a mortality index of 0.72. By Giles Bruce

Lawrence firefighters collecting for MDA this weekend

May 18, 2013

This weekend, Lawrence firefighters will hit the streets to fill their boots — with money.

Lawrence social worker helps patients live their own lives

May 14, 2013

Felicia Shockey isn't your average social worker. She has arranged for a patient to ride on a Harley Davidson alongside the Patriot Guard. She helped another fly in a hot-air balloon, checking an item off the top of his bucket list. She lets patients drink alcohol or eat steak — if that's what they want. The director of social services at Brandon Woods at Alvamar in Lawrence is the inaugural winner of the Crossroads Hospice Caring More Award, which will be presented at The Oread on Wednesday. By Giles Bruce

Doctor finds 'A Healthier Wei' to treat kids

May 14, 2013

Julie Wei was a pediatric Otolaryngologist, or ear, nose and throat specialist, at the University of Kansas Medical Center for more than ten years when she began to see a trend that she didn’t like: a large number of children with chronic congestion. Wei’s book, “A Healthier Wei” is an explanation of why she believes children are being misdiagnosed and wrongly medicated and her theory, with proven success, on how to fix these problems.

Overruns Forcing Lower Payments to Some Providers in Stopgap Health Program

May 21, 2013

The cost of claims for people with serious medical conditions has exhausted most of the $5 billion provided by Congress for the health insurance program.

Advertising: Aiming Autism Ads at Hispanic and African-American Parents

May 21, 2013

Advocates for people with autism are aiming ads at Hispanic and African-American parents to speed the diagnosis of the disorder in their children.

Half of Hospital Admissions From Emergency Rooms

May 21, 2013

A report by the RAND Corporation said it was not clear how emergency rooms affected health care costs.

Barbara Brenner, Breast Cancer Iconoclast, Dies at 61

May 20, 2013

Ms. Brenner, who led Breast Cancer Action for 15 years, took on the medical establishment and industrial companies as she crusaded for research on the disease.

Well: Younger Children Seek an Acne Cure

May 20, 2013

With pimples emerging well before the teenage years, and a rise in the number of preadolescent patients, doctors have put together guidelines on treatment for children as young as 7.

EHRs fail tests, certifications revoked

April 26, 2013

This story has been updated.

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6 ways IT helps meet meaningful use

April 23, 2013

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EHR part of MaineHealth's financial woes

May 2, 2013

In a memo to its employees last week, Maine Medical Center, part of the MaineHealth system, said it has suffered an operating loss of $13.4 million in the first half of its fiscal year. The rollout of MaineHealth's estimated $160 million electronic health record system, which has resulted in charge capture issues that are being fixed, was among several reasons Maine Med's CEO cited for the shortfall.

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Benchmarks: Changes are afoot for clinical and business intelligence

April 22, 2013

A study earlier this year from the University of Missouri showed that most patients took a dim view of doctors who make use of clinical decision support technology.

Researchers found that patients saw physicians who use CDS as somehow less capable than those who don't. They saw the IT tools as impersonal, and thought the systems were a barrier between them and their caregivers.

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Women promise new tide for health IT

April 24, 2013

In health IT, it's a man's world. Although women account for more than 47 percent of the U.S. labor force, they hold a paltry 25 percent of senior health IT roles nationwide. Don't get used to this trend, however, say female industry leaders who are working to make the realm of information technology more accessible to women. 

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Putting Aside Preconceptions—Time for Dialogue Among Primary Care Clinicians

May 16, 2013

An editorial by The Commonwealth Fund's David Blumenthal and Melinda Abrams explores one approach to addressing the primary care workforce shortage: using nurse practitioners to provide a wide range of primary care services.

Improving the Medicaid Primary Care Rate Increase

May 16, 2013

Since January 2013, Medicaid agencies and health plans have been required to pay for primary care for Medicaid beneficiaries at the generally higher rates paid to providers by Medicare. The Center for Health Care Strategies' David Bricklin-Small and Tricia McGinnis say that to ensure continued access to primary care, the increase should be maintained beyond its two-year timeframe.

The Value of Strong Primary Care

May 10, 2013

The Fund's Jordan Kiszla and Rachel Nuzum discuss a recent policy briefing on the potential of patient-centered medical homes to transform primary care.

Making Sense of the Change in How Medicare Advantage Plans Are Paid

May 7, 2013

Under the Affordable Care Act, overpayments to Medicare Advantage plans are gradually being pared back. But will private plans be able to cope with the reduced payments? Using newly available government data, this brief examines average costs among Medicare Advantage plans and variation in costs among plan types.

Medicare Essential: An Option to Promote Better Care and Curb Spending Growth

May 6, 2013

Combining Medicare's hospital, physician, and prescription drug coverage with commonly purchased private supplemental coverage into one health plan could produce national savings of $180 billion over a decade while improving care for beneficiaries, a new Health Affairs study finds.