- http://hamptonroads.com/2012/03/economy-bites-hampton-roads-dental-practices
- http://hamptonroads.com/2012/05/genes-and-odds
- http://hamptonroads.com/2012/07/amerigroup-sees-clear-skies-after-some-dark-days
- http://hamptonroads.com/2012/12/portsmouth-cancer-death-rates-highest-state-why
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
March 11, 2012: Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices May 13, 2012: Genes and the Odds July 22, 2012: Clear Skies After Dark Days Dec. 9, 2012: Pam’s Battle breast cancer series, Day 1
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices: Dentists generally think of themselves as recession-proof, but the recent economic downturn proved otherwise. Genes and the Odds: A breast cancer survivor finds out that she has a gene mutation that predisposes her to cancer. She shares the news with her three daughters, and her eldest struggles to decide what to do. Clear Skies After Dark Days: This story follows Amerigroup Corp., a home-grown Medicaid managed care company, from its worst misstep to a significant milestone: its sale for $4.9 billion to one of the nation’s largest health insurance companies. Pam’s Battle Part 1: People in Portsmouth die of cancer at the highest rate in Virginia. This is the first story in a three-part series exploring factors that contribute to the high mortality rate and following one woman’s journey as she discovers symptoms, receives a diagnosis of stage-4 breast cancer and starts treatment.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices: I used academic studies, a financial analysis and Groupon listings. Genes and the Odds: None Clear Skies After Dark Days: I used prior stories covering the company and financial and academic reports about the Medicaid managed care industry. Pam’s Battle Part 1: An annual report by the Virginia Department of Health provided the foundation for the series. The author analyzed data from the state’s health statistics division, the cancer registry and the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. At my request, the state also provided in-depth mortality statistics on a more local level that included rates broken down by race and gender. I also used a variety of journal studies to research how different factors contribute to cancer mortality.
Explain types of human sources used.
Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices: I talked to local dentists, a financial analyst and academics. Genes and the Odds: This was a personal story for a family. I interviewed family members, an oncologist and their genetic counselor. Clear Skies After Dark Days: I interviewed Amerigroup’s founder, the current CEO and other executives, as well as financial analysts and academics who study the Medicaid managed care industry. Pam’s Battle Part 1: Locally, I interviewed the heads of public health departments, oncologists, heads of hospitals’ cancer service divisions, advocates for cancer awareness, doctors and nurse practitioners at free clinics and community health centers, cancer patients and cancer survivors. I also spoke with state health officials and cancer researchers from various parts of the country.
Results:
Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices: N/A Genes and the Odds: N/A Clear Skies After Dark Days: N/A Pam’s Battle Part 1: I found that people in Portsmouth were neglecting their health because they couldn’t afford primary care — including cancer screenings — and because many feared the physical, emotional and financial impact of a cancer diagnosis. Delaying screenings and other preventive care meant some were diagnosed with the disease in an advanced stage, when it could have been caught earlier.
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.
Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices: N/A Genes and the Odds: N/A Clear Skies After Dark Days: N/A Pam’s Battle Part 1: N/A
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Fiscal rot takes bite out of dental practices This story started with a tip from a temporary dental hygienist, who said she was having a hard time finding a gig. Financial reports confirmed what she said about the industry’s slump. From there, I built a trend story, looking for the most interesting anecdotes from local dentists. My advice is to mine as many sources as you can — if you get one golden anecdote from each, that makes for a very readable story. Genes and the Odds If you find a good story where you didn’t expect it, run with it. I had originally planned to write about a new high-risk cancer clinic. The genetic counselor connected me with the Byrums as patients from the clinic, but their story was so compelling that they became my focus. Clear Skies After Dark Days My goal with this story was to recreate the human drama behind seemingly dry events in the business world. I wanted people who don’t care about Medicaid managed care to care about this business and the people running it. It helped to research the history thoroughly beforehand, then interview the subjects extensively about what they thought and did during key moments. Pam’s Battle Part 1 The most helpful sources were low-income patients and the health providers who treat them. I found that some others — advocates, providers treating more higher-income people — would make generalizations that didn’t hold up. For example, some said that low-income people didn’t know that they needed cancer screenings or didn’t want good health care, but I didn’t find that to be true. Be skeptical.