Jordan Rau

A study commissioned by the government to recommend minimum staffing levels at nursing homes drew no conclusions. And that means Biden's pledge to set those minimums may come to far less than hoped.

As the U.S. government debates whether to require higher staffing levels at nursing homes, financial records show some owners routinely push profits to sister companies while residents are neglected.

PAs say the new title would clarify that they work in a team and don't require direct oversight by M.D.s. Doctors say it obscures the fact that PAs have less education and training than physicians.

A student sought counseling help after panicking over a tuition bill. A weeklong stay in a psychiatric hospital followed — along with a $3,413 bill. The hospital soft-pedaled its charity care policy.

Experts fear that the economic pressures of the COVID-19 crisis are helping push some urban hospitals over the edge at the very time they are most needed in low-income communities.

At least 711 nursing homes reported running out of N95 masks at the end of May, and 1,963 said they had less than a week's worth. "The federal government has got to step up," says one advocate.

Health inspectors are to be "hyperfocused on infection control right now," officials say, as they suss out what allowed COVID-19 to spread in a Kirkland, Wash., nursing home.

Keeping nursing home patients safe from an outbreak calls for excellent infection control. But government health inspectors found violations at many nursing homes, especially those with fewer staff.

Medicare is cutting payments to 786 hospitals with the highest infection and complication rates. The list includes a third of the hospitals proclaimed as the nation's "best" in one prominent ranking.

Inspectors are citing facilities more often than during the Obama administration. But in response to industry prodding, the average fine is nearly a third lower, and the total assessed is down.

Ski buff Sarah Witter will get $6,358 back from her hospital and insurer after a review of her bill following the NPR-Kaiser Health News story about her case.

If implanted medical devices fail, patients and their insurers usually have to pay for repairs. That financial responsibility falls to them even when the problems were solely with the devices.

Medicare's incentive program to discourage nursing homes from discharging patients too quickly will also give bonuses to facilities that have fewer rehospitalizations.

After years of price hikes, the cost of the average Affordable Care Act policy is dropping across the U.S. Competition among insurers has increased as the political uncertainty starts to settle down.

Many hospitals that serve a large share of low-income patients will benefit from Medicare's less punishing approach to penalties for patient readmissions.

One in 5 Medicare patients who leaves the hospital for a nursing home ends up back in the hospital. The federal government will soon use bonuses and penalties to try to lower readmissions.

The GOP plan would fine insurance buyers who had a lapse in coverage of more than 63 days a year. The penalty? A 30 percent surcharge every month for 12 months.

For the first time, Medicare penalties against hospitals with too many avoidable patient safety complications include fines tied to the prevalence of two types of bacteria resistant to drugs.

Hospitals often shy away from offering quality assessments about skilled nursing care because of a Medicare requirement not to restrict choice. Federal officials are weighing changes to that rule.

Hospitals have been fighting to block the rankings, but Medicare released them Wednesday. Of the 102 hospitals that got a five-star rating, few are among those generally praised for great care.