Tag: Medical

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center health care workers begin a 5-day strike; accuse hospital of unfair labor practices

May 10, 2022 Sharika Soukup

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Citing “unfair labor practices as well as employee and patient safety concerns, short-staffing and low wages,” members of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West started a planned weeklong strike Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The union, which has been bargaining with hospital management over a new labor contract…

Medical Supplies

Medical insurance still costs too much. ‘Medicare for All’ can fix this crisis. | Opinion

May 7, 2022 Sharika Soukup

By Brady Rivera We’ve heard this line before — our medical system, as it currently stands, is very unreliable and expensive for the average person. You pay thousands to for-profit insurance companies, and you still have to pay hundreds out-of-pocket for medications and services not covered by our plans. With so much money coming out…

Treatment

After Medical Bills Broke the Bank, This Family Headed to Mexico for Care

May 7, 2022 Sharika Soukup

The Fierro family of Yuma, Arizona, had a string of bad medical luck that started in December 2020. That’s when Jesús Fierro Sr. was admitted to the hospital with a serious covid-19 infection. He spent 18 days at Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he lost 60 pounds. He came home weak and dependent on an…

Medical Supplies

Transparency, not punishment, reduces medical mistakes

May 2, 2022 Sharika Soukup

Twenty-five years ago, public health expert Lucian Leape testified to Congress that the greatest impediment to medical error prevention is that we punish people for mistakes. Despite a shift toward safer systems, Leape’s assessment remains true. On May 13, former Vanderbilt University Medical Center nurse RaDonda Vaught faces sentencing for up to eight years in prison after being…

Medical Supplies

Medicare Advantage plans at times deny seniors access to medical care, federal watchdog finds

May 1, 2022 Sharika Soukup

The report from the inspector general’s office of the Department of Health and Human Services is the latest red flag related to inappropriate denials by Medicare Advantage plans, which are run by private health care insurers. Annual federal audits have highlighted “widespread and persistent problems related to inappropriate denials of services and payment,” the office…

Treatment

Op-Ed: Why won’t UC clinics serve patients with Medi-Cal?

April 18, 2022 Sharika Soukup

One in three Californians are insured through Medi-Cal — the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents. Yet very few of these patients are able to get care through the University of California’s health systems. Only a tiny fraction of primary care patients seen at UC clinics have Medi-Cal coverage. In some sites, it’s as…

Treatment

Interpreter shortage challenges appropriate medical care for deaf patients

April 17, 2022 Sharika Soukup

Deaf residents report frequent issues with sign language interpretation at Connecticut hospitals and health care facilities, hindering their ability to understand medical care fully. And though video remote interpreting (VRI) services are widely available at Connecticut hospitals, patients have reported mixed experiences with the technology. The issues persist more than 30 years after passage of…

Medical Supplies

15 years in, Medical Massage Clinic keeps clients feeling healthy and fresh | Local Business News

February 10, 2022 Sharika Soukup

By JESSE SCOTT FOR THE FREE LANCE-STAR “My heart and soul are in this place and I’m so grateful to be where I am—and where we are as a company—today.” In a chat with Medical Massage Clinic owner Christie Feducia, you can feel the genuine care and passion she has for her Fredericksburg-bred business, clients,…

Insurance