The Real Cost of Health Care
An inside look at the games, deals, and incentives that often result in higher costs, delays in care, or denials of treatment for patients in the American medical system.
Marshall Allen
Marshall Allen is a reporter for ProPublica. His "Do No Harm: Hospital Care in Las Vegas," written in collaboration with Alex Richards for the Las Vegas Sun, was honored with several journalism awards, including winning the Harvard Kennedy School's 2011 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and coming in as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for local reporting.
The Making of a $455 Million Specialty Pill
The pharmaceutical world is rife with rebates and side deals—all designed to elbow ahead of the competition. But apparently the price of convenience comes at a steep mark-up.
When a Surgeon Becomes a Malpractice Lawyer
Lawrence Schlachter has seen medicine from inside the operating room and the courtroom. Lots of doctors care about patient safety, he says. "They're just afraid to come out."
The Patient Safety Movement's First Big Scandal Finally Has a Resolution
The Justice Department claimed patient safety celebrity Dr. Chuck Denham solicited payments from a drug company to win a prestigious National Quality Forum endorsement for its product.
Patient Safety Journal Adjusts After an Eye-Opening Scandal
Kickback allegations against its former editor prompted the Journal of Patient Safety to review his writings and adopt new standards for disclosing commercial conflicts of interest.
What Can U.S. Health Care Learn From the Ebola Outbreak?
A conversation with Jeanine Thomas, patient advocate, active member of ProPublica's Patient Harm Facebook Community, and founder and president of the MRSA Survivors Network.
We Need to Start Tracking Patient Harm Now
Top patient-safety experts call on Congress to step in and, among other steps, give the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wider responsibility for measuring medical mistakes.
Rocky Mountain High or Reefer Madness? The Risks of Pot in Colorado
A reporter returns to his hometown and confronts the new reality of legalized marijuana.
So You've Become a Patient Safety Statistic—Now What?
Six recommended steps to take if you’ve suffered harm in a medical facility.
One Third of Patients in Nursing Facilities Harmed by Treatment
A study by Medicare’s inspector general of skilled nursing facilities says nearly 22,000 patients were injured and more than 1,500 died in a single month—a higher rate of medical errors than hospitals.
Why Doctors Stay Silent About Mistakes Their Colleagues Make
Telling a patient about another doctor’s medical error can mean losing business or suffering retribution. Now, some physicians are looking for ways to break the code of silence.
How Many Die From Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals?
An updated estimate says it could be at least 210,000 patients a year—more than twice the number in the Institute of Medicine’s frequently quoted report, “To Err is Human.”
Meet the Woman Fighting to Get Her Husband's Heart Back
Since the mysterious death of Linda Carswell’s husband, a Texas hospital has kept his heart on ice. Last week, an appeals court lifted an order blocking Carswell’s family from retrieving it.