List date(s) this work was published or aired.
3/16/12: Lack of security confuses survivors 3/28/12: Feds look to streamline organ giving 6/8/12: Highmark’s ousted CEO reflects on fall 8/25/12: Cancer care sparks titans’ latest feud
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
3/16: 1. Fabregas conducted the first media interview with the parents of hospital therapist Mike Schaab, who was gunned down in the lobby of Pittsburgh top psychiatric hospital by a mentally ill man. The slaying became one of the region’s top stories and pointed to lax security at the hospital. 3/28/12: Fabregas has spent much of his career covering organ transplantation, and this story points to a federal proposal to regulate face and hand transplants. Fabregas pointed out that some transplant experts found the proposal confusing and said it might prompt people to forego organ donation 6/812: One of Pennsylvania’s top health care leaders, Highmark CEO Ken Melani, was ousted by the insurer’s board of directors after he assaulted his lover’s husband. Fabregas obtained an exclusive interview with Melani, who described the confrontation and complained of being “dropped like a hot potato” by the state’s largest insurer. 8/25/12: Fabregas reported on an abnormal number of claims for a specialized radiation treatment for cancer patients. The story uncovers a feud between Pittsburgh’s dominant health care players — insurer Highmark Inc. and hospital system UPMC. Oncologists at UPMC complained that Highmark denied radiation treatment to people who needed it, while the insurer claimed UPMC doctors were ordering the treatment because it was more profitable.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
These stories did not require FOIA requests
Explain types of human sources used.
Luis Fabregas has covered medicine for more than 10 years at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He has written extensively about organ transplantation, hospital infections and health care economics. His work has won state and national journalism awards, including top prizes from the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Association of Health Care Journalists.
Results:
These stories illustrate an impressive breadth of medical coverage and knowledge. They advance continuing stories while providing readers insight into issues affecting their health care.
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 one challenged the accuracy of any of the reports. No corrections were published.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
These stories were made possible by daily coverage of the many facets of health care over several years. Source development is essential.