Investigative journalist wins Pulitzer
for Mississippi series on Medicaid fraud

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Reporter Anna Wolfe

Investigative journalist Anna Wolfe. Photo courtesy of Anna Wolfe

Investigative journalist Anna Wolfe has a secret. 

During a multi-year investigation into a sprawling scandal over misspent welfare funds in Mississippi, Wolfe received dozens of text messages that helped to blow the lid off the case. Since getting those messages last year, the award-winning reporter has protected her source’s anonymity. But in an interview with AHCJ, she promised to reveal the name someday — when the time is right. 

On May 8, Wolfe won a Pulitzer Prize in the local news category for Mississippi Today, a nonprofit news organization founded in 2016, for her coverage of what’s called the biggest public corruption scandal in the state’s history.

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Joseph Burns (@jburns18), an independent journalist who resides in Brewster, Massachusetts, is AHCJ’s topic leader on health reform. He welcomes questions and suggestions and tip sheets at joseph@healthjournalism.org.

Medicare announces coverage of costly Alzheimer’s medication. That could mean high premiums for beneficiaries

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In the Alzheimer’s affected brain, abnormal levels of the beta-amyloid protein clump together to form plaques (seen in brown) that collect between neurons and disrupt cell function. Abnormal collections of the tau protein accumulate and form tangles (seen in blue) within neurons, harming synaptic communication between nerve cells. Image by National Institute on Aging, NIH via Flickr. Public domain photo

On June 1, Medicare officials announced plans to cover new FDA-approved drugs that may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would also require patients using the drugs to register for the purpose of gathering information on treatment results.

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Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.

Medication errors are common.
Here’s how to hold the system accountable

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Medication errors hurt more hospitalized patients than any other mishap, including botched surgeries and health care-acquired infections. In long-term care, they have been found to be the second largest source of harm.

Even patients taking medications at home frequently make a mistake and miss a dose or take the wrong amount or drug. Not all medication errors cause serious harm, but some are fatal and many result in the need for costly additional care.

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Mary Chris Jaklevic is AHCJ's topic leader for patient safety. She has been a contributor to HealthNewsReview.org, a project that aimed to improve health care journalism by critiquing the accuracy and balance of media messages about medical interventions, and was an AHCJ board member from 2005 to 2009.

Telehealth could help combat
infectious diseases clinician shortage

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doctor on telehealth call

Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik

It may or may not be obvious, given that we’re emerging from a worldwide pandemic, that the country is facing a shortage of infectious diseases (ID) clinicians. To try to expand services to areas without easy access to these experts, ID experts at the University of Pittsburgh in 2019 launched a telehealth-based infectious diseases consultation service, which they discussed during a May 2023 webinar hosted by Becker’s Healthcare. 

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Karen Blum is AHCJ’s core topic leader on health IT. An independent journalist in the Baltimore area, she has written health IT stories for publications such as Pharmacy Practice News, Clinical Oncology News, Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News, General Surgery News and Infectious Disease Special Edition.

Study: High blood pressure in your 30s
may mean poorer brain health in your 70s

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blood pressure

Photo by Thirdman via Pexels

Are hypertension and blood pressure changes in early adulthood associated with late-life brain health? According to a new study from UC Davis, the answer is yes, especially for men.

Many younger adults may pay little attention to issues like blood pressure, but it’s a good opportunity for journalists to remind their audience that heart health matters at every age. 

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Liz Seegert is an independent health journalist and AHCJ’s topic leader on aging. She covers older adults, baby boomers, health policy, and social determinants of health, as well as many other health issues. Her bylines include stories for PBS/NextAvenue.org. the American Journal of Nursing, TIME Health, Medscape, Consumer Reports, and Medical Economics, as well as dozens of other trade and mainstream media. Her articles have been syndicated in Forbes.com, the Los Angeles Times, the Hartford Courant, the Saturday Evening Post and other major outlets.