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Tip SheetsJournalists and experts have written about covering patient safety and presented discussions on the topic at AHCJ conferences and workshops. This is a collection of the most useful and relevant tips. Click the title of the tip sheet that interests you and you will be asked to login because these are available exclusively to AHCJ members. Three tips for covering FDA advisory committee meetings July 2022 For that reason, we’re offering three tips on how to cover FDA advisory committee meetings. Here’s a summary of our suggestions, which we’ll explain in more detail below after providing some background. 3 tips for covering Medicare’s payment decision on the Aduhelm Alzheimer’s drug April 2020 Last year, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to Aduhelm, betting heavily on the potential of drugs that clear amyloid plaque in the brain. In April 2022, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) signaled greater skepticism about this approach. We offer three tips below for reporting on Medicare’s coverage decision on Audhelm. When covering disparities in maternal mortality among black women, consider payment reform
Many health journalists who cover health disparities and women’s health issues have covered disparities in infant mortality, yet we don’t often do a deep dive into what happens to the survival of women of color during pregnancy, delivery and the year after giving birth. The awareness of the disparities in pregnancy-related deaths for black women is bringing about change at the policy and legislative levels. Andrea King Collier has some suggestions for how to cover these changes. McGiffert talks about progress on patient safety, offers story ideas
She spent several hours talking with Cheryl Clark about the trajectory of patient safety as an issue over time, from working on health reform during the Clinton administration to today’s pushback on patient protection progress made with the Affordable Care Act. Despite major gains in awareness and prevention policies and practices, there’s still a lot more to be done. She explains, with lots of tips for story topics she hopes we will write. How payment reform could help the U.S. reduce its high C-section rate
August 2019 Thus, journalists who write for business or clinician audiences can find some good stories in efforts at payment reform for maternity care. "Childbirth and newborn care is the largest or second largest (after heart care) category of hospital expenditures, and it’s by far the largest category of hospital expenditures for state Medicaid programs, so even small improvements can result in large savings,” according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform. 10 tips for writing about the growing number of older doctors
One option underway at some facilities is to establish a policy to regularly screen older providers for mental or physical competency before they’re allowed to see patients. Some organizations are making this a condition of medical group membership or hospital staff privilege. But at what age should testing begin? 65, 70, 75? And what should be done with them if their scores aren’t quite up to par? Should all clinicians who touch patients be tested? Warning: This is not an easy story to tackle. But regardless of where you live or who your readers are, it’s an important one that could impact the supply of providers in your area. Veteran reporter Cheryl Clark shares some background and resources based on her reporting. Opioid epidemic: Focus turns to how dentists are treating pain July 2019 As the authors of a 2016 research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association concluded, dentists had regularly prescribed opioids to treat post-extraction pain “despite evidence that a combination of nonsteroidal medications and acetaminophen may provide more effective analgesia for post-extraction pain.” Mary Otto runs down the latest research, alternatives to using opioids for dental pain and offers an example of how to cover the story. In maternity care, hospitals know what to do, but most fail to do it September 2018 In some states, such as California, Massachusetts and Nevada, hospitals are doing relatively well in keeping mothers safe from harm. But in other states, such as Louisiana, Georgia and Indiana, they are not. She noted that Vermont, New Hampshire and Alaska had no data available on maternal death rates. OTC pain relief doesn't come without risks - especially for seniors
So it stands to reason that many seniors with arthritic pain, neck and back aches, headaches or who are recovering from an injury may look for readily available, inexpensive substitutes they can buy without a prescription. But while those OTC drugs may be safer than narcotics or opioids, they are not without serious — and arguably under-recognized — risks, especially for seniors whose stomach linings and ability to safely absorb pills and tablets diminish with age. Covering hospital rating? Here's one aspect consumers need you to report
April 2014 Consumers should know that hospitals pay substantial fees for permission to run ads about awards they receive from services such as Healthgrades, U.S. News & World Report and the Leapfrog Group. That fact could explain why the services offer awards in so many categories. Tony Leys explains the arrangements, including how much some hospitals pay to use the rankings in their marketing efforts and how to find out what hospitals in your area are paying. It just might change how you cover hospital awards and ratings. Tips to keep in mind when reporting ‘best of’ hospital ratings
July 2016 Ratings certainly help with improving transparency and the patient’s right to know. However, it’s important that journalist know how to read between the lines and question the methodology and potential biases. |
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