Patients

RAM’s free clinics full of needy patients, but slowed by red tape

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Each weekend across the United States, thousands line up before dawn for free medical care at pop-up clinics, but a patchwork of state laws is preventing volunteer doctors from helping as many people as they could. Despite those constraints, Remote Area Medical (RAM) makes life-changing differences each week. At a recent clinic, Dave Burge raised … Read more

Experimental treatments brings hope to ALS patients

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“CBS Saturday Morning” looks at an experimental treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, that is bringing hope to some patients suffering from the neurodegenerative disease. To inquire about possible participation in Silence ALS, an initiative to develop individualized gene-based therapies for patients with other rare genetic forms of ALS, please write to … Read more

Hospice where staggering 97% of terminal patients survive is accused of defrauding Medicare for $7.45 million

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The FBI arrested a married couple Thursday accused of fraudulently billing Medicare for $7.45 million while running a hospice with a survival rate reported to be more than 97% after five years. They were the first in a series of arrests planned Thursday, federal officials told CBS News. A high survival rate at a hospice … Read more

Ex-Arkansas medical board chair indicted over alleged drugging and abduction of patients

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SPRINGDALE, Ark. — The former chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board was indicted on charges that he drugged and abducted patients at a psychiatric facility in order to get more money from health care reimbursements, according to an indictment released on Monday. An Arkansas grand jury indicted Dr. Brian Hyatt in early March on … Read more

Cuban hospitals struggle to treat patients amid energy crisis

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IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Oil prices surge after attacks on energy sites 02:53 Second graders offer heartwarming marriage advice to their teacher  01:27 One dead after gondola crash at Swiss ski resort 01:16 U.S. college student goes missing in Spain 01:27 Potentially record-setting heat … Read more

In a Cuban hospital, patients and doctors are hard hit by outages and fuel shortages

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HAVANA — Yonelkys García, 44, a housewife and mother of two, finds it so difficult to travel to the hospital to treat her acute myeloid leukemia that she now stays at the facility one week at a time. García has been in treatment for over a year at the Institute of Hematology and Immunology and … Read more

“I was fighting to survive”: Patients still struggle with preauthorization despite promise of reform

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Sheldon Ekirch is used to being disappointed by her health insurance company. That’s why Ekirch, 31, of Henrico, Virginia, was stunned when she learned Anthem would finally have to pay for life-changing medical treatment. For two years, she had battled the company to cover blood plasma infusions called intravenous immunoglobulin, or IVIG. The treatment has … Read more

Patients hit dead ends with insurance ‘ghost networks.’ Now, some are suing.

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It’s a familiar frustration for those trying to find a doctor or therapist: You browse the provider directory on your insurance company’s portal and, at first, it seems like there are plenty of options. But it turns out that some providers are not accepting new patients, and others only work in hospital settings. Still others … Read more