Listen The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has been desperate to cut down on the use of powerful pills. So the mammoth agency has taken a sharp turn toward alternative medicine. The thinking goes that even if it doesn’t cure a mental or physical ill, it can’t hurt.
Opioids Become System-Wide Priority For University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is making opioid research and awareness a system-wide priority. The commitment came during the annual “state of UT” address this week.
Why Vanderbilt Doctors Are Cutting Off Saline In Their IVs
Listen For decades, emergency physicians and intensive care doctors instinctively have been reaching for saline when they order intravenous fluids for a patient. Now a pair of two-year studies conducted at Vanderbilt Medical Center finds a slight but meaningful benefit to an alternative fluid. So the hospital is making a wholesale change and encouraging other […]
Rural Tennessee Hospital May Sidestep Closure Thanks To Nashville Investors
Listen A newly formed company is set to take over a struggling public hospital in Decatur County. The county commission votes Monday night on whether to accept buyout terms.
Tennessee’s Largest Insurer Claims Savings By Focusing On Most Expensive Patients
Listen Frequent visitors to the emergency room tend to get the blame for the soaring cost of health care. In effect, everyone’s monthly insurance premiums cover the most expensive patients. So BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee — like many insurers — has begun devoting more energy to its priciest patients in a long-term effort to control […]
After Losing Its Hospital, A Small Tennessee Town Shows One Way To Make Do
Listen Rural hospitals in Tennessee have been some of the most stressed in the country. Eight communities are getting used to life after losing their only hospital, and more facilities are teetering. So health officials are exploring the options and pointing to the town of Hohenwald, which has made do without a hospital for two […]
Tanning Beds Could Soon Be Off-Limits To Some Tennessee Teens
Listen A bill that would raise the age to use a tanning bed is moving forward in the Tennessee House. But some in the Republican majority are expressing concerns about over-regulating health.
Health Officials Push Vaccines Again After Another Flu Spike In Nashville
Listen The flu season has surged again in the Nashville area, closing schools and flooding emergency rooms — and health officials are reviving their vaccination pleas amid a deadly year for flu-related illnesses.
Opioid Users Have Increased Risk of Deadly Infections, Vanderbilt Researchers Find
Listen Vanderbilt researchers have published a study that shows opioid painkillers — particularly in their most potent forms — put patients at significantly higher risk of deadly infections. The findings were released Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Public Hospitals Chief Warns Nashville There’s ‘No Free Lunch’ On Indigent Care
Listen The leader of the national trade group representing public hospitals warns that Nashville will end up paying for indigent care, one way or another. Mayor Megan Barry has paused plans to close inpatient services at Nashville General but still wants a cost-reduction plan by the end of the year.
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