- wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/may/09/emergency-room-focal-point-larger-health-care-debate/
- wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/sep/28/generic-shift-promises-big-savings-many-consumers-big-losses-many-drug-companies/
- wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/dec/13/hospitals-challenge-slow-down-revolving-door/
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
1) 05/09/2011 — Proposed ER Part of Larger Debate, Part I 2) 05/10/2011 — Proposed ER Part of Larger Debate, Part II 3) 09/28/2011 — Patent Expiration Looms for Big-Name Drugs 4) 12/13/2011 — Hospitals’ Challenge: Slow Down Revolving Door [NOTE: First two are combined online; so there are only three URL’s and PDF’s.
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This is a representative sample of the health beat, as we eclectically define it at WNYC. Our overall focus is on how public health is affected by individual behavior; healthcare providers; government agencies; environmental factors; insurance and drug companies and other corporations. Recurring themes include: efforts to expand and improve primary care; to reduce the costs of Medicaid and deliver better care, particularly for those with complex health needs; to stabilize struggling hospitals and preserve the public health ‘safety net’; to prevent and contain chronic and communicable disease; to implement federal health care policy on the New York metropolitan area, and more.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Almost none of my research involves FOI requests, but I do use public databases and other paperwork (eg tax releases) from city, state and federal agencies periodically. The last story above, for example, used CMS hospital readmissions data; it’s also an example of getting patient releases in order to get individualized hospital costs, something that can be challenging to get, even with authorization, but something that very much helps tell the story.
Explain types of human sources used.
I try to make individuals — often, but not always patients — the center of my stories. But I see my job as toggling between micro and macro, so we hear from providers and care-givers; hospital administrators; community activists; policy analysts and economists; government, political and corporate officials.
Results:
These are broad issue stories and explainers. Listeners tell me they better understand complex healthcare dynamics, and their place in what often seems like a labyrinth, as a result of the stories.
Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
No corrections or clarifications. Much of what I report on is ongoing stories, so there are often incremental follow-ups and updates.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Talk to as many doctors, patients, experts and stakeholders as possible. Look at both the forest and the trees, and try to do justice to both. Don’t let providers hide behind HIPAA. Be suspicious about conflicts of interest, and ask people (especially physicians and researchers), if they’re getting money, samples, etc., from drug companies and others. Try to figure out costs, and who pays for what.