List date(s) this work was published or aired.
First Do No Harm, Washington Monthly, March/April 2011 Body Imaging Business Pushes Scans Many Don’t Need– Including Me, ProPublica, June 7, 2011 Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes, ProPublica, December 15, 2011 Why Can’t Linda Carswell Get Her Husband’s Heart Back?, ProPublica, December 15, 2011
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
First Do No Harm – Allen probed the ongoing problem of injuries, infections and errors suffered by hospital patients. The story highlighted the important role that public reporting of medical errors and hospital-acquired conditions plays in providing accountability, and creating incentives for hospital leaders to focus on patient safety problems. It also addressed many of the factors in the medical industry that allow preventable harm to patients to go unaddressed, and compared health care to the aviation industry– which turned around its safety record by implementing systemic reforms. Body Imaging Business Pushes Scans Many Don’t Need– Including Me – Allen knew he was onto a great story when the telemarketer called him at home, offering a free heart and lung scan. Allen, who was relatively young and healthy, had a feeling that the company might be using unscrupulous methods to take cash from patients. His investigation exposed a CT scanning company that was performing thousands of unnecessary procedures in five states, without a doctor’s prescription and without proper licensing. Regulators in two states shut the company down immediately after his inquiries. After the story came out, one state regulator fined the company $3.2 million and the Illinois Attorney General responded with a lawsuit on behalf of consumers. The company went out of business. Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes – A half-century ago, autopsies were an integral part of American health care, performed on roughly half of all patients who died in hospitals. Today they are conducted on about 5 percent of such patients. Hospitals are not required to offer or perform autopsies. Insurers don’t pay for them. Some facilities and doctors shy away from them, fearing they may reveal malpractice. The downward trend is well-known — it’s been studied for years. What has not been appreciated are the far-reaching consequences for U.S. health care of minuscule autopsy rates. Diagnostic errors, which studies show are common, go undiscovered, allowing physicians to practice on other patients with a false sense of security. Opportunities are lost to learn about the effectiveness of medical treatments and the progression of diseases. Inaccurate information winds up on death certificates, undermining the reliability of crucial health statistics. Why Can’t Linda Carswell Get Her Husband’s Heart Back? – Jerry Carswell died unexpectedly after being admitted to the hospital with kidney stones. His widow, Linda, authorized an autopsy to find out how she died. That’s where her traumatic journey started. Her case played out in pathology labs, lawyers’ offices and courtrooms for more than seven years. It led to a rare $2 million fraud judgment against the hospital, which was found by a jury to have deceived her about Jerry’s autopsy. It also led to state legislation designed to strengthen families’ entitlement to comprehensive, independent postmortem reviews. It did not, however, led to closure or accountability. Thanks to an incomplete autopsy, Jerry Carswell’s cause of death remains unknown. He also has not been laid fully to rest. His heart, retained by the pathologist who conducted his postmortem examination, sits in a refrigerated cabinet in a hospital lab to this day.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
First Do No Harm – The story built upon the data analysis conducted by Allen and Alex Richards for the Las Vegas Sun. Richards, a computer assisted reporting specialist, sifted through millions of inpatient data records on file with the state of Nevada to identify infections and injuries suffered by Las Vegas hospital patients. Body Imaging Business Pushes Scans Many Don’t Need– Including Me – This story involved analyzing the laws in each state to determine whether the company was operating within their bounds; a FOIA request to the FTC for complaints against the company’s telemarketing calls. It also included reading lots of academic studies to determine when the scans are recommended. Without Autopsies, Hospitals Bury Their Mistakes and Why Can’t Linda Carswell Get Her Husband’s Heart Back? – These stories included analysis of CDC data on autopsies; reading and annotating thousands of pages of court documents; reading medical research about the effectiveness of autopsies.
Explain types of human sources used.
The stories involved dozens of interviews with doctors, regulators, hospital administrators, patients and attorneys.
Results:
The body imaging story led to the closure of the business, a lawsuit filed by the Illinois Attorney General’s office, a $3.2 million fine against the company by the state of Colorado, and regulators in two states finding enough violations by the company to shutter two of its clinics.
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 were needed on any of the stories.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
The key to each of these stories was cultivating good relationships with sources, so that they would lead me to the ideal information to include in the articles. With the body scanning story, it’s crucial for reporters to trust their instincts and lean into a story, seeking more information, when they have a hunch. Trusting my initial instincts led to a great story and accountability for the company.