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What Hospitals Waste

Marshall Allen, Tristan Spinski

March 09, 2017 |

ProPublica |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Maine

U.S. hospitals waste an estimated $765 billion every year (National Academy of Medicine), and a large portion of this is wasted in the form of discarded medical supplies. Usually, these supplies are still in their original packaging and aren't even close to expiring. An organization called Partners for World Health collects these supplies from hospitals near Portland, Maine and ships them to other countries and medical clinics in need.

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The California Doctors Who Found a Way to Quit Overprescribing Opioids

Sam Quinones

March 08, 2017 |

Kaiser Health News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

In 2009 Kaiser Permanente doctors, alarmed by the rising rate of opioids being prescribed to patients, decided to develop a set of strategies and lower painkiller prescriptions. The most difficult one, is talking to patients about the dangers of opiods. He “developed what he calls The Difficult Pain Conversation—and he presented his approach to many other doctors.” So far, its had an effect. Prescriptions dropped from “from 2,500 a month to almost zero.”

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A Cure for High Health Care Costs

Shannon Brownlee

March 01, 2017 |

Washington Monthly |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

While American medicine tops the charts for "acute care," it's notably sub-par when it comes to treating chronic conditions and focusing on prevention. This piece introduces a series on how the U.S. healthcare system's structure results in high expenses and inefficient treatments, and what various programs around the nation are doing to improve quality of care at lower costs.

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How an obscure Obamacare provision is quietly saving lives, and money, in Missouri

Sheree Crute

March 01, 2017 |

Washington Monthly |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Charles, Missouri

Crider Health Center was having trouble coordinating the communication between psychiatry and primary care physicians. In 2012, under the Affordable Care Act, Crider and dozens of other mental health centers in the state of Missouri, received federal funds to pilot “integrated care” for Medicaid recipients as part of the new public policy. The funds have enabled social service agencies to work together with hospitals and mental health centers so that patients receive cost-saving, comprehensive care.

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Stanford's Big Health Care Idea

Heather Boerner

March 01, 2017 |

Washington Monthly |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Stanford, California

Doctors at Stanford University developed per-patient and per-month payment plans to better support patients with complex medical needs. The approach upends the typical per-service payment model. It has radically improved primary care by incentivizing healthcare providers to offer more comprehensive support.

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How to Fight a Soaring Drug Price: Innovate

Shefali Luthra

February 28, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Milbridge, Maine

Throughout the country, issues of health care exclusivity and rising drug prices are being addressed with creative solutions. Innovating new medicines and medicine deliver systems, such as an alternative EpiPen, is proving to be a helpful way to work around these surging prices.

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Homeless Find a Champion in Canada's Medicine Hat

Craig Smith

February 26, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Alberta

The average homeless person costs taxpayers 120,000 Canadian dollars a year, while it takes just 18,000 Canadian dollars to house someone. In Alberta, Canada, the “housing first” strategy gets homeless people into homes regardless of whether they are mentally ill, alcoholic, or even drug abusers. The strategy almost eliminates homelessness.

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In rural India, MIT grads aim to improve access to sanitary pads for women

Kristi Eaton

February 23, 2017 |

NBC News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Dumandih, Jharkhand

For women in rural parts of India, it is common to not be taught about the role menstruation plays due to the stigma that surrounds the topic. To bring both a better understanding and better hygienic practices to these areas, a startup has started using "locally-sourced banana fiber to create biodegradable sanitary napkins, which degrade faster if buried and don’t have to be burned" with the goal of increasing access.

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Sometimes, It Does Hurt To Ask

Caitlin Cruz

January 31, 2017 |

Digg |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Transgender people are using crowdfunding sites to raise money to pay for gender confirmation surgeries. “"It was such a surreal feeling. I was looking at the number in my PayPal," Moog says. It didn't quite sink in that the surgery was now entirely possible.” Foundations like the Jim Collins Foundation also help cover the costs of surgery. In 2017 the Jim Collins Foundation awarded 13 grants for gender confirmation surgery.

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Mobile Team Offers Comfort Care To Homeless At Life's End

JoNel Aleccia

January 12, 2017 |

Kaiser Health News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

People who are homeless and have a terminal illness usually end up in the emergency room which is more expensive and less effective. The UW Medicine’s Harboview Medical Center is the first U.S. program that sends mobile teams to provide palliative care, comfort care, to homeless people facing terminal illness.

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