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  Bill on Bevin’s desk would require a malpractice lawsuit to certify that an expert has said it has a reasonable basis to be filed

  Rep. Chad McCoy —– By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News A bill to require anyone filing a lawsuit against health-care providers to get a qualified expert to declare that the...

  By Al Cross Published March 22, 2019 HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY

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  Cincinnati opens a pilot program to get immediate help for people who want help with addiction

  Cincinnati has started a pilot program that lets people who are seeking addiction treatment get it by simply walking into one of their six participating health centers, Terry DeMio reports for the Cincinnati...

  By Al Cross Published March 22, 2019 DRUGS, HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY

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  UK welcomes 90 scholars from 50 nations for seminar on addiction; 3 events open to public Thur. and Fri. mornings

  Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, will give the keynote plenary address at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. — Ninety Fulbright scholars from about 50 countries are gathering at the University of Kentucky today to attend...

  By Al Cross Published March 20, 2019 DRUGS, HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY

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  County Health Rankings, released Tuesday, show a few big shifts

  By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News Some Kentucky counties that are actively working to improve their community health made significant gains in the latest County Health Rankings issued by the Robert Wood Johnson...

  By Al Cross Published March 20, 2019 FEATURED, HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY, YOUR HEALTH

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  Bill to certify Ky. midwives OKd after years of effort, and changes that got doctors and hospitals to end longstanding opposition

  Midwives and their advocates gathered for a photo after the March 6 House Licensing, Occupations & Administrative Regulations Committee meeting. (Photo: Mhari Shaw, photojournalism student, Western Kentucky University) By Melissa...

  By Al Cross Published March 18, 2019 HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY

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  Rural residents appear less likely to use electronic health records, Indiana study finds; lack of broadband is one reason

  Telemedicine, including online health records, is touted as a way to improve rural health. However, rural residents are less likely to use such technology, according to a study of 34...

  By Al Cross Published March 13, 2019 FEATURED, HEALTH BUSINESS

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  Outlook seems bleak for Passport Health Plan, only nonprofit among five companies than manage Medicaid for the state

  The state’s only nonprofit Medicaid manager, Passport Health Plan, is “facing extinction” unless it gets a favorable court ruling or more help from the state, Passport CEO Mark Carter told Boris...

  By Al Cross Published March 11, 2019 HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY

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  Courier Journal examination of Ky. hospitals’ childbirth-complication rates show some ARH hospitals fare poorly; Harlan’s rate is off the chart

  “Where a woman delivers her baby in Kentucky can determine whether she is seriously injured in childbirth, and even whether she lives or dies,” Laura Ungar reports for the Louisville Courier Journal and USA Today....

  By Al Cross Published March 9, 2019 FEATURED, HEALTH BUSINESS

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  Kentuckians use too many antibiotics; we’re No. 1 in the nation, and a campaign has started to reduce inappropriate use

  Kentucky has the highest rate of antibiotic use in the United States, and the University of Louisville School of Medicine is trying to do something about it. The school’s Department of Pediatrics has mounted...

  By Al Cross Published March 6, 2019 FEATURED, HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY, YOUR HEALTH

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  Ambulance runs for rural patients are 76% longer when their hospital closes, and for seniors, it’s 98% longer, study finds

  When a rural hospital closes, it’s logical to assume that patients in its former service area will spend more time in ambulances getting to an emergency room farther away. A University...

  By Al Cross Published February 25, 2019 FEATURED, HEALTH BUSINESS, HEALTH POLICY, YOUR HEALTH